Second Meeting of the Working Group on the simplification of the periodic reporting questionnaire and the setting up of indicators

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-06/30.COM/11G,

2. Recalling Decisions 25 COM VII.25-27 adopted at its 25th session (Helsinki, 2001), 7 EXT.COM 5 and 7 EXT.COM 5A.1 adopted at its 7th extraordinary session (UNESCO, 2004), and 29 COM 11.A adopted at its 29th session (Durban, 2006),

3. Recognises the importance of Periodic Reporting to ensure the implementaion of the Strategic Objectives and the credibility of the Convention and strongly encourages all State Parties to continue to support the exercise;

4. Adopts the Terms of Reference of the Periodic Reporting Reflection Year as proposed in the Document WHC-06/30.COM/11G;

5. Decides to suspend for two years the commencement of the next cycle of Periodic Reporting in order to ensure that necessary time is allocated to study and reflect on the first cycle and develop strategic direction, clear objectives and benchmarks for the next cycle;

6. Requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre to prepare a policy document on Periodic Reporting to be discussed at the 31st Session of the World Heritage Committee in 2007, prior to the General Assembly of State Parties to the Convention in 2007;

7. Decides that significant modifications to boundaries and changes to the criteria (renominations) and revisions of the statements of Significance/Outstanding Universal Value requested by States Parties as a follow up to the first Cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise do not enter into the limit imposed by the Suzhou-Cairns Decision (Decision 28 COM 13.1); recognizing that these modifications, changes and revisions create an additional workload for, and additional resource pressures, on the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies, and the Committee, and that there may be a need to prioritise this work in the future;

8. Decides to entrust to a small Working Group composed of the UNESCO Institute of Statistics/international experts/Committee Members/ Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre,

a) The simplification of the Periodic Reporting questionnaire;

b) The elaboration of indicators; and the development of a format for progress reports on Periodic Reporting with clear objectives, benchmarks, and results that facilitate global comparison and evaluation;

9. Decides to allocate US$ 40,000 for the functionning of this Working Group whose works will be submitted to the Committee at its 32nd session in 2008;

10. Decides to allocate additional support (US$ 30,000) to the Retrospective Inventory project to prepare for the next cycle of Periodic Reporting in cooperation with the Regional Units of the World Heritage Centre;

11. Requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre to prepare a project proposal for the re-organization of the data management at the World Heritage Centre, including how this system will facilitate the work with the Retrospective Inventory, State of Conservation and Periodic Reporting, and to submit it to the Committee at its 31st session in 2007;

12. Requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre to prepare a final report on the Periodic Reporting Reflection Year including all the above-mentioned elements to be examined by the World Heritage Committee at its 32nd session in 2008.

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