In 1998 the World Heritage Committee adopted a Format and Explanatory Notes for Periodic Reporting on the protection of the world’s cultural and natural sites on the UNESCO List. Reporting will be done on a regional basis and over 6-years cycle. There is an obvious need to handle the comprehensive information that will result.

At a meeting on periodic reporting on 1 July 2003, during the World Heritage Committee Meeting at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, the World Heritage Centre requested the NWHF to offer technical coordination of periodic reporting work to the Nordic-Baltic countries and to produce an executive summary from the sub-region.

The Latvian Government generously offered to host a periodic reporting coordination meeting for the Nordic and Baltic State Parties in Riga, Latvia 18-19 of September 2003.

The co-ordination meeting will be attended by representatives from the Nordic and Baltic countries and representatives from the Nordic World Heritage Foundation. The meeting is organised jointly by the Latvian State Inspection for Heritage Protection and NWHF.