II.1 The Committee adopted the Provisional Agenda and the Timetable (WHC-01/CONF.208/1Rev.1) after the Delegate of Belgium requested that an additional item be added to the Agenda concerning the organization of the 30th anniversary of the Convention foreseen in Venice in 2002.
II.2 The Chairperson reminded the Committee that a written request for a revision of the Rules of Procedure had been submitted by the Ambassador of Egypt. He requested the Delegate of Egypt to present this proposal.
II.3 The Delegate of Egypt presented the following proposal for an amendment to Article 8.2 of the Rules of Procedure (the proposed amendment is in bold): "The Procedure United Nations and organizations of the United Nations system, as well as, upon written request, other international governmental and non-governmental organizations, permanent observer missions to and non ...
IV.1 Mr Dawson Munjeri, Zimbabwe, Rapporteur of the twenty-fifth session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee, presented the report of this session held at UNESCO Headquarters from 25 to 30 June 2001 and outlined the main issues which were discussed. The Committee took note of the report of the Rapporteur.
IV.2 Mr Francisco Lopez Morales, Mexico, Rapporteur of the twenty-fifth extraordinary session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee (Helsinki, 7-8 December 2001), thereafter presented the report of this session (Document WHC-01/CONF.208/4). He recalled that this was a ...
25 COM IV.16
Follow-up to the resolution of the Thirteenth General Assembly of States Parties (30-31 October 2001): acts constituting "crimes against the common heritage of humanity"
IV.16 Upon examination of the work of the Working Group the following decision, composed of three parts, was adopted:
Part 1
1.1 The Committee examined the chronology of events related to the nomination for inclusion on the World Heritage List of the statues of Bamiyan and other cultural heritage properties of Afghanistan by the Afghan authorities presented in WHC-01/CONF.208/23 at the request of the Thirteenth General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention.
1.2 It expressed appreciation for the additional information presented by the Representative of the ...
25 COM VI
Revision of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention
VI.1 The Secretariat presented a brief progress report on the revision of the Operational Guidelines making reference to working document WHC-01/CONF.208/6 (Revision of the Operational Guidelines) and WHC-01/CONF.208/INF.13 (Application of cultural criterion (vi)). The Committee noted that:
The current revisions to the Operational Guidelines are being prepared on the basis of recommendations of an Expert Meeting held in Canterbury (United Kingdom) in April 2000, that were adopted by the Committee at its twenty-fourth session in Cairns (2000).
The overall objective of the current ...
25 COM VII.25
Progress Reports on Regional Periodic Reporting Strategies, Europe and North America Region
Concerning the proposals for the Periodic Reporting Exercise for Europe (Section 4 of Document WHC-01/CONF.208/8), the Committee agreed both with the timing and the proposal to collaborate with the Council of Europe and its HEREIN project, a comparative databank on European cultural heritage policies. It furthermore noted the co-operation with the Nordic World Heritage Office/Foundation in the development of technical tools.
25 COM VII.26
Progress Reports on Regional Periodic Reporting Strategies, Europe and North America Region
The Committee also requested that all States Parties be included in this effort and to fully co-operate with the Advisory Bodies. A number of European States Parties took the floor to support the arrangements proposed, namely to cover Section I of the reports for all countries in 2005 and Section II in 2006. A question was raised as to whether the capacity in the Centre would be sufficient for the work to be carried out and the Director responded that assistance be provided by States Parties through the Associate Expert Scheme.
25 COM VII.27
Progress Reports on Regional Periodic Reporting Strategies, Europe and North America Region
The Delegate of Hungary pointed out that the year 2007 should be devoted to a stocktaking exercise and the development of conceptual guidelines for the second cycle. The Delegate of Greece informed the Committee that a Conference on the Safeguarding of Byzantine Heritage had been organized in May 2001 and that a database on the state of conservation of this type of heritage for the Mediterranean countries is being established. ICOMOS fully supported the link to the Council of Europe and the HEREIN project, as this is an open project which could be very beneficial to other regions. The ...
Report on the state of the World Heritage in the Africa Region
VII.1 The Secretariat presented the report on Periodic Reporting in the Africa Region (WHC-01/CONF. 208/7) to the Committee. As at November 2001, fifty-three sites were inscribed on the World Heritage List. Forty of these sites were inscribed prior to 1993 and located in eighteen countries, comprising twenty-three natural, sixteen cultural and one mixed site, and were the subject of this monitoring report. The strategic approach for the compilation of the report and the co-operation of the African States Parties in the ...
VIII.2 The Committee learned that the Colon road was effectively closed in June 2001 through the intervention of the Brazilian Federal Police. The Committee was informed that the State Party provided information by a letter dated 5 December 2001 to the Centre on several steps taken: on the one hand to ensure permanent closure of the road and rehabilitate areas damaged by the illegal use of the road; and on the other, to assist local communities affected by the closure of the road.To ensure permanent closure of the road, the
VIII.3 Brazilian authorities sunk a ferry boat, scarified the ...
Sites: Iguaçu National Park
VIII.6 The Committee noted with satisfaction that in accordance with the recommendation made at its last session the State Party had invited a Centre/IUCN/Ramsar mission to the site which took place from 1 to 4 October 2001. The Committee reviewed the findings of the mission, included in document WHC-01/CONF.208/INF.5.
VIII.7 The Committee was pleased to note that improvements observed by a 1998 mission to the integrity of the site have all been sustained and that the chances of continuing improvements to the state of conservation of the site are quite high. Population of the dalmatian ...
Sites: Srebarna Nature Reserve
VIII.9 The Committee noted with satisfaction that in accordance with the recommendations made at its last session, a mission to the site was fielded from 5-13 May 2001. The Committee took note of the conclusions and recommendations deriving from the examination of that report by the twenty-fifth session of the Bureau held in June 2001.
VIII.10 The Committee noted that the Centre and IUCN were in the process of co-operating with the State Party to prepare a fundraising plan for the implementation of urgent rehabilitation measures and a realistic workplan including institutional ...
VIII.30 The Committee noted that the Bureau, at its twenty-fifth session held in June 2001, had reviewed a report of an IUCN/Centre mission that visited the site from 8 to 13 April 2001 and recommended the adoption of the following specific benchmarks for the future monitoring of the state of conservation of Simen and its eventual removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger: (a) the realignment of the boundary of the Park to exclude the villages along the boundary of the Park; (b) the extension of the Park to include at least Mesarerya and Lemalino Wildlife Reserves; (c) ...
Sites: Simien National Park
VIII.59 The State Party has updated the comprehensive report it submitted at the time of the twenty-fifth session of the Bureau on this site. The Committee noted the following specific improvements, achieved between June and December 2001:
The number of predatory lake trout fish removed through intensive gill netting and liberal angling regulations have increased from 28,000 (in the June 2001 report) to more that 43,000 in December 2001;
Wooden water tanks at Indian Creek Campground were replaced in fall 2001; work in the contract awarded, in 2000, to line sewer lines at Lake ...
Sites: Yellowstone National Park
VIII.62 The Committee examined the report on the state of conservation of Angkor and additional information presented concerning the progress being made by the national authorities together with support from UNESCO and relevant donors to implement the conservation and management plans of the ASPARA Authorities.
VIII.63 The Committee, after having examined the report on the state of conservation of the site, commended the Royal Government of Cambodia for the significant efforts undertaken in the reorganization of the APSARA Authority. In the perspective of implementation in ...
Sites: Angkor
VIII.64 The Committee examined the report on the state of conservation of the Group of Monuments at Hampi. The Committee was informed that the Centre organized a mission by an international rural planner in close cooperation with the national and state government authorities responsible for the conservation and management of this large site. The expert mission assisted the authorities concerned to elaborate and carry out an impact assessment study related to the two bridges partially constructed within the site and to examine the feasibility and alternative sites for relocating these ...
Sites: Group of Monuments at Hampi
VIII.67 The Committee examined the report on the state of conservation of Bahla Fort and noted the significant progress made since the last Bureau session, especially concerning the conservation works being carried out within the Fort and on the two nearby Mosques. The Committee also noted that the preparation of a Management Plan has been finally undertaken, and the strong commitment, stressed by the Delegate of Oman, of the State Party towards the protection and presentation of this site.
VIII.68 The Committee commended the State Party for having started the preparation of the ...
Sites: Bahla Fort
VIII.69 The Committee examined the report on the state of conservation of the Fort and Shalamar Gardens of Lahore. The Committee was informed that the Director- General of the Department of Archaeology had informed the Centre on 3 December 2001 that all efforts were being made to implement the recommendations of the Committee, Bureau and UNESCO international expert missions to address the conservation and management issues facing the property. In particular, the Department of Archaeology was continuing its discussion with the Lahore Development Co-operation and the Lahore Commissioner ...
VIII.73 The World Heritage Committee took note of the second periodic report prepared by the the National Institute for Culture of Peru, on the implementation of the Master Plan of the site. It also noted that priority was given to international fund-raising. Furthermore, as indicated in the first report, the dwellings, illegally constructed in situ, have been demolished. However, illegal cultivation continues at the site.
VIII.74 To remedy this situation, the high-level Chan Chan Commission was created, comprising representatives from the Ministries of Education and Agriculture. ...
VIII.80 The Committee examined the report on the state of conservation of Zabid. It noted the positive development of the situation on the ground, especially with regard to the large mobilization of resources, both at the national and international level, resulting from the inscription of the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2000.
VIII.81 The Committee also noted the results of the first missions carried out by the Centre in the framework of the emergency assistance approved by the Bureau at its last session in June 2001. The very significant steps taken by the State Party ...
Sites: Historic Town of Zabid