World Heritage Fund

Decision: 41COM 12A
Title: Follow-Up to Recommendations of Evaluations and Audits on Working Methods: Outcomes of the Ad-Hoc Working Group
Year: 2017

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined document WHC/17/41.COM/12A,
2. Expresses appreciation to the Ad Hoc Working Group for its work and recommendations;
3. Referring to its decisions on Revision of the Operational Guidelines under item 11 and on the execution of the budget for the biennium 2016-2017 and preparation of the budget for the biennium 2018-2019 under item 14;
4. Decides to extend the mandate of the Ad Hoc Working Group, to be composed of members of the Committee and up to two non-members per Electoral Group, to:
   
   • Develop a comprehensive resource mobilization and communication strategy,
   • Also develop the proposal to establish an informal Core Group on Resource Mobilization, including its mandate and modalities,
   • Study how to maximize the impact and scope of the Forum of Partners,
   • Analyze the recommendations of the Internal Oversight Service (IOS) Comparative Mapping Study and develop proposals in view of optimizing the use of the resources of the World Heritage Fund,
   • Discuss the definition of the upstream process and the effectiveness of the Global Strategy for a balanced and representative World Heritage List;
5. Further decides that the Ad Hoc Working Group shall work in consultation with the World Heritage Centre, Advisory Bodies and, as appropriate, relevant stakeholders, and submit its report and recommendations to the 42nd session of the Committee in 2018.

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Decision: 41COM 14
Title: Presentation of the Final Accounts of the World Heritage Fund for 2014-2015 and Implementation of the World Heritage Fund under the Biennium 2016-2017
Year: 2017

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined documents WHC/17/41.COM/12A, WHC/17/41.COM/14, WHC/17/41. COM/INF.14.I and WHC/17/41.COM/INF.14.II;
2. Recalling its Decisions 40 COM 13A and 40 COM 15;
3. Also recalling “The World Heritage Convention: Thinking Ahead” initiative; the World Heritage Strategic Action Plan 2012-2022, and the Global Strategy for a Representative, Balanced and Credible World Heritage List;
4. Recognizing the severe strains on the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in dealing with limited financial and human resources to accomplish statutory tasks and manage increasing workloads;
5. Expressing concern at the financial difficulties that the World Heritage Fund is facing and further recalling that the payment of assessed compulsory and voluntary contributions is, per Article 16 of the World Heritage Convention, a legal obligation incumbent on all States Parties which have ratified the Convention;
6. Emphasizing the urgency of securing adequate financial resources to achieve the objectives of the 1972 Convention to identify and, in particular, to conserve the world's cultural and natural heritage of Outstanding Universal Value, especially in light of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and unprecedented threats such as climate change, natural disasters, and deliberate attacks on cultural heritage in territories affected by armed conflicts and terrorism;
7. Further recalling Articles 13(6) and (7) of the Convention which stipulate that the Committee shall seek ways of increasing the resources of the World Heritage Fund and take all useful steps to this end, shall cooperate with international and national governmental and non-governmental organizations having objectives similar to those of the Convention, and for the implementation of its programmes and projects, call upon ICCROM, ICOMOS, and IUCN, as well as on public and private bodies and individuals;
8. Underscoring that sustainability of the World Heritage Fund and overall funding for World Heritage are a strategic issue and a shared responsibility which concerns States Parties and relevant partners, affecting the overall credibility of the World Heritage Convention, including effectiveness and efficiency of World Heritage protection;
9. Reaffirming the intergovernmental nature of UNESCO;
   
   Part I: Execution of the budget for the biennium 2016-2017 and preparation of the budget for the biennium 2018-2019
10. Takes note of the statement of accounts of the World Heritage Fund for 2016-2017 as of 31 December 2016;
11. Notes with appreciation the supplementary costs covered by the Polish authorities as host of the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in addition to those listed in the Statement of Requirements;
12. Approves the budget for the World Heritage Fund for the biennium 2018-2019 and its corresponding breakdown as shown in Annex IV and also takes note of the new format/structure of the budgets of Advisory Bodies (Annex V);
    
    Part II: Sustainability of the World Heritage Fund
13. Expresses appreciation to the Ad Hoc Working Group for its work and recommendations;
    
    Roadmap for Sustainability of the World Heritage Fund
14. Endorses the attached Roadmap for Sustainability of the World Heritage Fund, integrating short-, medium-, and long-term actions, involving relevant actors and stakeholders, with a view to enhancing cooperation, predictability, efficiency, and regular monitoring of efforts towards achieving sustainability of the Fund;
15. Identifies 1996 as a possible benchmark year, with approximately 6900 USD per site between the World Heritage Fund and inscribed properties (as opposed to the current ratio of 2800 USD per site);
16. Notes that implementation of the Roadmap should take into account and complement processes related to the 39 C/5, the External Audit of the Culture sector and efforts to develop common fundraising approaches among the cultural conventions, UNESCO’s global fundraising strategy, and the Open-Ended Working Group on governance, procedures and methods of work of the Governing Bodies of UNESCO;
    
    Resource mobilization
    Principles
17. Underscores that the highest ethical standards and principles must be upheld in all measures to enhance fundraising to maintain and promote the integrity of the Convention, taking into account UNESCO’s Administrative Manual, the Global Compact principles and the UN Guidelines on Cooperation between the United Nations and the Business Sector. Transparency and accountability must be ensured at all times;
    
    Arrears and contributions
18. Calls on States Parties to remit assessed compulsory and voluntary contributions to the World Heritage Fund in a full and timely manner, and reaffirms that as stated in Article 15(4) of the Convention, no political conditions may be attached to contributions made to the Fund;
19. Calls upon States Parties, which have not yet paid the totality of their assessed contributions for 2017, including voluntary contributions in accordance with Article 16.2 of the Convention, to ensure that their contributions are paid as soon as possible;
20. Urges States Parties concerned to settle all outstanding arrears;
21. Notwithstanding the significance and mandatory nature of assessed contributions, given the increasing demands on the World Heritage system, also calls upon States Parties to extend and/or augment voluntary financial and in-kind extrabudgetary contributions to the World Heritage Fund, World Heritage Centre, and the Advisory Bodies;
22. Thanks States Parties which have already made supplementary voluntary contributions in 2017;
    
    Comprehensive Resource Mobilization and Communication Strategy
23. Recommends the development of a long-term vision and strategy for effective resource mobilization and communication, taking into account all streams of funding, not only the World Heritage Fund, but also the Regular Budget and extrabudgetary sources;
24. Also recommends that the proposed strategy seek to expand the Convention’s donor base to include not only governments and the private sector, but also civil society, NGOs, relevant regional organizations, development banks, multilateral funds and funding institutions, and, as appropriate, strengthen engagement with relevant Category 2 Centres, UNESCO field offices and other local actors in developing partnerships;
25. Further recommends to the Governing Bodies of UNESCO that the Secretariat of the Convention be reinforced and encourages States Parties to contribute to the strengthening of the human resources of the World Heritage Centre, including with regard to its fundraising capacities;
    
    Core Group on resource mobilization
26. Further takes note of the proposal to establish an informal Core Group on Resource Mobilization consisting of interested Member States (Committee members and States Parties) to support implementation of the Roadmap for Sustainability of the World Heritage Fund and ensure continuity;
    
    Forum of Partners
27. Welcomes the efforts made by the World Heritage Centre on extrabudgetary resource mobilization opportunities and innovative fund raising possibilities, notably the “Marketplace” webpage as a first step in launching a full-fledged Forum of Partners in the future;
28. Also endorses the concept of a Forum of Partners and decides that side-events be organized at sessions of the Committee concerning the World Heritage Centre’s “Marketplace” webpage, showcasing requests for international assistance recommended for approval and other projects in need of funding, in collaboration with future Chairs of the Committee, and inviting relevant stakeholders and potential donors;
    
    Revision of the PACT Strategy
29. Acknowledges the continuing relevance of the PACT Strategy and progress made by the Centre in its promotion, especially new initiatives and partnerships being developed;
30. Recommends furthermore that the PACT Strategy be updated and revised following the outcome of developments mentioned in paragraph 17 above, and become an integral part of a future comprehensive resource mobilization and communication strategy, as cited in paragraph 23 above;
    
    Consultation on annual voluntary fees of World Heritage listed properties
31. Takes note moreover of the results of the online consultation survey concerning the annual fee for World Heritage listed properties on a voluntary basis presented in document WHC/17/41.COM/INF.14.I and, invites States Parties that have responded positively, for some of their World Heritage properties, to proceed with making supplementary voluntary contributions to the World Heritage Fund according to the modalities to be agreed with the Secretariat, and also invites the States Parties to continue consultations with their local administrations in charge of World Heritage properties and inform the Secretariat accordingly;
32. Further invites States Parties to encourage site managers to include on the websites of listed properties a link to enable viewers to donate to the World Heritage Fund;
    
    Feasibility of an Optional Protocol
33. If substantial progress in the financial situation is not attained by the Convention’s 50^th anniversary in 2022, decides that the question of whether an Optional Protocol would be a feasible instrument to increase contributions to the World Heritage Fund for States Parties in a position to do so, be submitted to the General Conference for decision through the Executive Board, following the appropriate rules of procedure;
34. Stresses that such an Optional Protocol should be strictly limited to financial matters, specifically means to increase the 1% ceiling for assessed contributions to the Fund, as defined in the Convention, and only for those States Parties willing to do so;
    
    Optimization of resources
    Prioritization of conservation
35. In view of previous Committee decisions to prioritize conservation, recommends moreover that a greater proportion of time be devoted to discussion of conservation issues including how greater support can be provided to sites in need during Committee sessions;
36. In conformity with article 11.4 of the World Heritage Convention, further recommends that, as a priority, States Parties concerned, working with the World Heritage Centre and relevant Advisory Bodies, develop, for the attention of the World Heritage Committee and partners and donors, costed action plans for sites on the Danger List and those in need, focusing on urgent conservation needs and capacity-building; such action plans should, where possible, be linked to requests for international assistance, the Marketplace webpage, and the Forum of Partners and the status of such plans, and the progress to secure funding for them, be reported to the World Heritage Committee;
37. Highlights the need to strengthen cooperation with other cultural heritage and biodiversity-related Conventions and intergovernmental programmes, with a view to contributing to improved conservation and sustainable management of World Heritage;
38. Finally recommends that the Committee consider the issue of setting a percentage of the Fund dedicated solely for conservation programs and activities, upon reviewing implementation of the revised paragraph 61 of the Operational Guidelines;
    
    Mapping study of advisory services
39. Takes note moreover of the Comparative Mapping Study of forms and models for use of advisory services prepared by the UNESCO Internal Oversight Service (IOS) and also emphasizes the importance of balance between ensuring the highest quality of advisory services for the Convention and value for money and cost savings;
40. Also decides to examine its findings at its next session, in view of optimizing the use of the resources of the Fund;
41. Further notes the decision to extend the mandate of the Ad Hoc Working Group to be composed of members of the Committee and up to two non-members per Electoral Group, to work in consultation with the World Heritage Centre, Advisory Bodies and, as appropriate, relevant stakeholders, to:

• Develop a comprehensive resource mobilization and communication strategy,
• Also develop the proposal to establish an informal Core Group on Resource Mobilization, including its mandate and modalities,
• Study how to maximize the impact and scope of the Forum of Partners,
• Analyze the findings of the Internal Oversight Service (IOS) Comparative Mapping Study and develop proposals in view of optimizing the use of the resources of the World Heritage Fund, and
• Discuss the definition of the upstream process and the effectiveness of the Global Strategy for a balanced and representative World Heritage List;

42.Requests the World Heritage Centre to submit a report on implementation of this decision at its 42nd session in 2018.

Roadmap for Sustainability of the World Heritage Fund

Vision: Substantial progress achieved towards increasing the World Heritage Fund, recalling 1996 levels (USD 6900 per site)

Mission: To enhance the system of World Heritage protection and strengthen implementation of the Convention equitably and sustainably

	Short-term (up to 3 years)	Medium-term (between 4 and 8 years)	Long-term (over 8 years)
Increasing funds and funding resources	Holding of side-events during Committee sessions on “Marketplace” webpage, as basis for further developing Forum of Partners Continuation of voluntary fundraising measures endorsed by the Committee, with target of several (10 or more) States Parties doubling their annual contributions Voluntary annual contributions from some sites Links on listed properties’ websites for donations to the Fund Support for increasing capacities of the World Heritage Centre, including for fundraising Comprehensive resource mobilization and communication strategy, integrating a revised PACT strategy, adopted by the Committee to expand donor base, including, as appropriate, civil society and multilateral funds and institutions Enhanced engagement of Category 2 Centres, field offices and local actors  Informal Core Group on resource mobilization	Launch of Forum of Partners (as high-level or stand-alone event) with wider scope of donors and projects for greater impact and visibility If substantial progress not achieved, feasibility of Optional Protocol for States Parties that agree to increase assessed percentage of annual contributions submitted to General Conference for decision	Possible Optional Protocol to raise 1% ceiling for assessed contributions to the World Heritage Fund
Re-calibrating current resources, functions and procedures	Prioritization of conservation through action plans for sites on Danger List and those in need, with linkages to international assistance and Forum of Partners Mapping study of advisory services implications	Assessment of the implementation of paragraph 61 of the Operational Guidelines, consider setting quota/ percentage for conservation activities

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Decision: 40COM 15
Title: Presentation of the final accounts of the World Heritage Fund for 2014-2015 and implementation of the World Heritage Fund under the biennium 2016-2017
Year: 2016

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/16/40.COM/15 and Document WHC/16/40.COM/13A,
2. Takes note of the statement of accounts of the World Heritage Fund for 2014-2015;
3. Notes with appreciation the supplementary costs covered by the Turkish authorities as host of the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee in addition to those listed in the Statement of Requirements;
4. Recalls that the payment of compulsory and assessed voluntary contributions is, as per Article 16 of the World Heritage Convention, an obligation incumbent on all States Parties which have ratified the Convention;
5. Thanks States Parties which have already made their contributions for 2016 and calls upon all other States Parties, which have not yet paid the totality of their assessed contributions for 2016, including voluntary contributions in accordance with Article 16.2 of the Convention, to ensure that their contributions are paid as soon as possible;
6. Encourages States Parties with arrears to expedite payments of their dues and where a State Party is unable to make a one off settlement, the Secretariat is to, as a matter of priority and urgency, finalize a payment schedule to settle outstanding arrears and further implores States Parties to pay their contributions by 31st January to facilitate the timely implementation of activities financed by the World Heritage Fund;
7. Approves that the operating reserve of the World Heritage Fund cover the request from ICOMOS for additional funding in the amount of US$ 100,839 for 2016, as well as the request of ICOMOS for additional funding in the amount of US$ 158,169 for 2017;
8. Takes note of the cost estimates of nominations to be examined in 2017, which are listed in Annex V of the present document, according to the Document WHC/16/40.COM/INF.8B3;
9. Invites the Secretariat to enhance its efforts to provide a clear holistic overview of the global budget framework of the Convention, including the World Heritage Fund, regular budget and extrabudgetary allotments, in the light of the ongoing process towards UNESCO’s integrated budget framework and structured financing dialogue;
10. Further invites the World Heritage Centre in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies to hold a budget briefing for States Parties during each General Assembly as well as during the information session prior to each session of the Committee;
11. Further requests the World Heritage Centre in consultation with the Advisory Bodies to formulate a proposal for the 2018-2019 budget of the World Heritage Fund, which is sufficient to meet the statutory requirements as much as possible within the existing budget framework;
12. Taking note of the priority placed by the World Heritage Committee on conservation and management through Decision 39 COM 15, recommends that the World Heritage Centre, in the budget for the next biennium (2018-2019) give priority to conservation and monitoring activities, and therefore calls for increasing the proportion of the World Heritage Fund dedicated to conservation;
13. Notes that without supplementary voluntary contributions being made to the World Heritage Fund, the financial resources will be grossly insufficient to provide for the statutory processes as well as International Assistance and Conservation, thereby threatening the credibility of the Convention and the fulfilment of its objectives, as well as the viability of the World Heritage Centre to undertake its operational and administrative functions;
14. Recognizing the urgent need to ensure the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund and having considered the options for voluntary contributions to this end, calls upon all States Parties to commit to consider allocating supplementary voluntary contributions to the World Heritage Fund;
15. Recalling proposals by the Secretariat at the 19th and the 20th General Assembly on voluntary contributions, endorses options 1, 4 and 5 of Resolution 19 GA 8, as they were found applicable alternatives presented to the 19th General Assembly, and also the proposal in the document WHC-15/20.GA/8 presented to the 20th General Assembly;
16. Decides to initiate a consultation process on annual fee for World Heritage listed properties on a voluntary basis and requests the Secretariat to send out a survey to States Parties, in order to verify the possibility of their local administrations in charge of management of inscribed sites, to pay an annual fee to the Fund, depending on their financial autonomy and capacity to pay and report back to the Committee;
17. Expresses its concern that the Cultural and Natural Heritage have come under unprecedented threat and with deep concern for the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund, calls upon the Executive Board and the General Conference in the light of the ongoing preparations of the document C/5 to allocate more resources from the regular budget to meet statutory requirements for more effective implementation of the 1972 Convention;
18. Encourages that as a part of its extrabudgetary funding the Secretariat further bolsters its campaign to attract increased and sustained partnerships with the private sector and individual donors, while mindful that funding should not be sought from entities whose activities are incompatible with the aims and principles of UNESCO;
19. Expresses its concern that the resources of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies are not sufficient to implement the statutory activities required by the Convention and decides to continue to explore appropriate ways to ensure the sustainability of the Fund, including through extrabudgetary resource mobilization opportunities and additional fund raising possibilities, in collaboration with the World Heritage Centre, other UNESCO competent services, category 2 centres, the Advisory Bodies, States Parties and other organizations, and to develop recommendations in this regard;
20. Recalls its recommendation to reduce and prioritize the work requested from the Secretariat in view of financial and human resource constraints, and invites the extended ad hoc working group to consider this matter, in accordance with its mandate;
21. In view of optimisation of the use of the resources of the Fund, emphasizes the importance of securing value for money in the commissioning of advisory services and requests the Secretariat to prepare, if funding available, a comparative mapping of forms and models for use of advisory services (such as evaluation, technical services, etc.) by other international instruments and programmes as a means of benchmarking the price of services, including but not limited to UNESCO site-based conventions and programmes, for consideration by the ad-hoc Working Group at the earliest opportunity and examination by the Committee at its 41st session;
22. Recalls Decision 35 COM 12B, that default to a minimum two-year cycle for the examination of State of Conservation reports for individual properties on the World Heritage List, and for the discussion of those inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, is appropriate, except for cases of utmost urgency, as well as Decisions 38 COM 5F.1 and 39 COM 13B, by which the World Heritage Committee “considered that the annual frequency of sessions of the Committee is appropriate” and decides that the option of transferring to a 2-year cycle will not contribute to the credibility and enhancing the impact of the Convention, in addition to not generating any meaningful economy in the World Heritage Fund, and also decides that the annual frequency of sessions of the World Heritage Committee is appropriate;
23. Requests the World Heritage Centre to report on the implementation of this decision at its 41st session in 2017

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Decision: 20GA 7
Title: Examination of the statement of accounts of the World Heritage Fund, including the status of the States Parties' contributions
Year: 2015

The General Assembly,

1. Having examined Documents WHC-15/20.GA/7 and WHC-15/20.GA/INF.7,
2. Having in particular examined the accounts of the World Heritage Fund for the financial period ended 31 December 2013,
3. Approves the accounts of the World Heritage Fund for the financial period ended 31 December 2013;
4. Takes note of the financial statements relating to the World Heritage Fund for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2015.

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Decision: 20GA 8
Title: Determination of the amount of the contributions to the World Heritage Fund in accordance with the provisions of Article 16 of the World Heritage Convention
Year: 2015

The General Assembly,

1. Having examined Documents WHC-15/20.GA/7, WHC-15/20.GA/INF.7, WHC-15/20.GA/8 and WHC-15/20.GA/INF.8,
2. Recalling Resolution 19 GA 8 adopted at its 19th session (UNESCO, 2013),
3. Recalling World Heritage Committee Decisions 38 COM 13, 39 COM 11 and 39 COM 13A on the mandate of the ad hoc working group of the World Heritage Committee to further discuss and make recommendations inter alia on the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund,
4. Recalling Article 16 paragraph 1 of the World Heritage Convention on the determination, in the form of a uniform percentage, of the amount of the contributions to be paid to the World Heritage Fund by States Parties,
5. Decides to set at 1% the percentage for the calculation of the amount of the contributions to be paid to the World Heritage Fund by States Parties for the financial period 2016-2017;
6. Notes the status of compulsory and voluntary contributions to the World Heritage Fund as presented in Document WHC-13/19.GA/INF.8;
7. Takes note of the Secretariat’s proposal in Document WHC-15/20.GA/8 and invites the ad hoc working group of the World Heritage Committee to further examine it, in accordance with its mandate;
8. Notes the financial difficulties that the World Heritage Fund is facing and recalls, in this regard, that the assessed annual contributions to the World Heritage Fund are a legal obligation;
9. Reiterates the plea of the World Heritage Committee to States Parties to the Convention to pay their assessed annual contributions by 31 January in order to facilitate the timely implementation of the activities financed by the World Heritage Fund, and invites the General Assembly to consider at its next session potential measures concerning arrears;
10. Decides to include on the agenda of its next session in 2017 proposals by the ad hoc working group of the World Heritage Committee on the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund following its discussion at the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee (Istanbul, 2016).

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