IX.32 The Secretariat briefly introduced the issue on the use of the World Heritage Emblem and Fund-raising, by recalling the step by step process followed by the Consultative Body in proposing new Guidelines on the Use of the World Heritage Emblem and Fund-raising to the Committee at its twenty-second session. The Secretariat further recalled that the document submitted to the Committee for examination within document WHC-98/CONF.203/11Add remained unchanged since it was last presented to the extraordinary session of the Bureau.
IX.33 Concerning the use of the World Heritage Emblem, the Chairperson recalled discussions of the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau and invited the Delegate of Canada, who had suggested amendments to the Guidelines prepared by Japan and the United States of America, to present them.
IX.34 In presenting the proposed document, "Guidelines and Principles for the Use of the World Heritage Emblem", the Delegate of Canada informed the Committee that the proposal emanated from the Guidelines prepared by Japan and the United States of America (WHC-98/CONF.203/11Add) and was finalized in co-operation with these delegations. She underlined the fact that the document was not a new proposal, but a slightly modified version of the Japanese/USA Guidelines, presenting a more concise, but nevertheless self-contained document. She recalled that the adoption of the proposed Guidelines and Principles would entail a revision of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention. She concluded by stating that, after having spent close to two years working on this issue and in view of the growing urgency of the matter, the Committee should adopt guidelines to provide all concerned parties with a tool ensuring appropriate use of the Emblem.
IX.35 While recognizing that the proposed Guidelines reflected the comments of the Secretariat to some extent, the representative of the UNESCO Publishing Office who participated in the debate, expressed reserve regarding the applicability of the Guidelines and quality control requirements proposed in the document. He stated that this might discourage media related companies (publishers, film producers, etc.) from requesting the use of the Emblem on World Heritage related information products.
IX.36 During the discussions, concerns were raised on the legal aspects related to the protection of the Emblem and the implications of these aspects in terms of the responsibilities of the Committee and the States Parties to the Convention. The need for quality control of World Heritage site-specific products from States Parties was reaffirmed and considered indispensable.
IX.37 A working group, composed of the Governments of Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America was established on a voluntary basis to continue working on this issue before the end of the session. The working group made amendments to the text to reflect the discussions of the Committee. The Delegate of the United States of America briefly presented the modifications made to the document. This new version of the document (attached as Annex XII to this report) was adopted by the Committee.
IX.38 The Chairperson briefly introduced the Fund-raising Guidelines and reminded the Committee that the "Internal Guidelines for Private Sector Fund-Raising in Favour of UNESCO" have been in use within UNESCO since 1997 but have not yet been adopted by the Executive Board. Therefore, the Chairperson proposed that the Committee ask the Centre to work in accordance with the "Internal Guidelines for Private Sector Fund-Raising in Favour of UNESCO". The Committee agreed with the proposal and then adopted the decision as formulated.