The State of World Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (2003) is now available as publication number 12 in the World Heritage Paper Series.

This publication is composed of:

  • a paper version, providing an overview of the results of this first cycle of Periodic Reporting for the Asia-Pacific Region;
  • and a CD-Rom which includes a synthesis of country and site-specific Periodic Reports of the Asia-Pacific States Parties, as well as background information on the Periodic Reporting process.

The paper publication can be downloaded from this website.

The publication takes stock of the information submitted by the States Parties and analyses the results of the Periodic Reporting exercise in the Asia-Pacific Region. It concentrates on some of the main issues pertaining to World Heritage conservation and promotion. These include identification of World Heritage values, heritage legislation, management and monitoring challenges, educational and promotional activities, the use of new technologies, and partnerships for conservation.

The Asia-Pacific Region presents many challenges, with immense diversity in terms of geography, ethnicity and culture, as well as disparity in terms of wealth and development. The Periodic Reporting exercise addresses this range in relation to World Heritage. The benefits and lessons learnt from this exercise, the first of its kind for the Asia-Pacific Region, are numerous. For instance, a third of the site managers who participated found that the Periodic Reporting exercise was instrumental in providing a global vision of a World Heritage property's mid- to long-term evolution. Stronger knowledge of the World Heritage Convention, its Operational Guidelines and its reporting mechanisms was also a result that was reported by a number of national authorities and site managers.

Our thanks go to the States Parties of the Asia-Pacific Region, particularly the site managers and National Focal Points of the Periodic Reporting exercise. We wish to thank our colleagues of the World Heritage Centre and other UNESCO Units for their contributions towards the publication. As well, we would like to thank the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee, ICOMOS, IUCN and ICCROM for their invaluable contribution towards this exercise in the Asia-Pacific Region.