Europe and North America

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/16/40.COM/10B,
2. Recalling Decisions 36 COM 10B, 37 COM 10B, 38 COM 10A.2, 39 COM 10A.1 and 39 COM 10B.5 adopted at its 36th (Saint Petersburg, 2012), 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013), 38th (Doha, 2014) and 39th (Bonn, 2015) sessions respectively,
3. Welcomes progress made by the World Heritage Centre and the States Parties in the follow-up of the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting in Europe and North America, and notes with satisfaction the activities and initiatives that have been undertaken by States Parties in the implementation of the Action Plans for Europe and for North America;
4. Also notes with satisfaction the two publications produced by the World Heritage Centre, World Heritage in Europe Today and Understanding World Heritage in Europe and North America: Final Report of the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting, 2012-2015 (World Heritage Paper Series, no. 43), which contribute to the wide dissemination of the results of the second cycle of Periodic Reporting in Europe;
5. Commends the World Heritage Centre for progress made on the Helsinki Action Plan Monitoring Survey, whose innovative format will allow for data collection in a simple and cost-effective way, and encourages States Parties of the Europe region to respond to the survey launched in October 2016;
6. Reiterates its invitation to the States Parties of the Europe region to actively implement the Helsinki Action Plan and also encourages them to continue the activities towards the implementation of the Action Plan in close collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
7. Further encourages the States Parties of Canada and the United States of America to continue their cooperation in the implementation of the five-year Action Plan for North America, and recalls that a number of proposed actions require the further strengthening of cooperation with the State Party of Mexico, taking into consideration the shared natural and cultural heritage of the three States Parties;
8. Also commends the States Parties for their efforts in continuing the work undertaken in the framework of the Retrospective Inventory and preparing retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, and encourages furthermore the States Parties to finalize this important work in the best of time;
9. Also reiterates that the follow-up of the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting has considerable resource and work load implications, and encourages furthermore States Parties to financially support the implementation of the regional Action Plans through support to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
10. Requests the World Heritage Centre to present a progress report, based on the results of the Helsinki Action Plan Monitoring Survey, on the follow-up activities of the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting carried out by the States Parties in the Europe region, to the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017;
11. Also requests the States Parties of Canada and United States of America to submit a progress report on the implementation of the Action Plan to the World Heritage Centre, for presentation to the World Heritage Committee at its 42nd session in 2018.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/10A,
2. Recalling Decisions 36 COM 10B, 37 COM 10B and 38 COM 10A.2, adopted at its 36th (Saint-Petersburg, 2012), 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013) and 38th (Doha, 2014) sessions respectively,
3. Expresses its sincere appreciation for the considerable efforts made by all States Parties in Europe in submitting the Periodic Reporting questionnaires and thanks all the Focal Points and Site Managers for their participation and commitment;
4. Also thanks the authorities of Azerbaijan, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania and Sweden for their support in organizing regional and sub-regional meetings in collaboration with the World Heritage Centre since the end of the First Cycle of Periodic Reporting;
5. Further thanks the Finnish authorities for successfully organising the final regional meeting (Helsinki, Finland, 1-2 December 2014) to discuss the outcomes of the Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise and develop, with the active participation of the Focal Points, the Framework Action Plan for Europe;
6. Commends the World Heritage Centre for the production of a number of tools to guide and assist Focal Points and Site Managers (online Periodic Reporting platform, handbook, video tutorials, FAQ); for the technical support provided throughout the exercise; for making the Summary Reports for each property and State Party available publically on its website as soon as possible after submission, in agreement with the States Parties; and for sharing the national Periodic Reporting datasets with the relevant national authorities;
7. Welcomes with satisfaction the Final Report on the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting in Europe and encourages the States Parties to widely disseminate the Report among all relevant stakeholders in the region;
8. Acknowledges and endorses the Second Cycle Framework Action Plan for Europe (“Helsinki Action Plan”) and its three core objectives (Identification and Protection of Outstanding Universal Value; Effective Management of World Heritage Properties; Increased Awareness of the Convention), and takes note with appreciation of the joint efforts by the World Heritage Centre, the Focal Points and the Advisory Bodies to produce a Framework Action Plan in an innovative format, in order to facilitate its appropriation and integration into national, sub-regional and regional strategies;
9. Strongly encourages the States Parties to integrate all relevant elements of the Helsinki Action Plan into to their national strategies for World Heritage;
10. Also encourages the States Parties to make use of all the data and information provided to them during the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting to implement the Action Plan at all levels, in particular with regard to the management of World Heritage properties (including management plans, sustainable tourism strategies, disaster and risk preparedness strategies, etc.);
11. Further encourages the States Parties to collaborate at regional and/or sub-regional level to ensure the implementation of this Action Plan, for instance by organising regular (sub-) regional meetings;
12. Requests the States Parties to devote the necessary technical and financial resources to implementing the Action Plan at all levels, and also requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to provide technical support at the request of States Parties;
13. Welcomes the World Heritage Centre’s initiative to share the results of a short monitoring survey with the States Parties every two years, in order to assist them in the implementation of the Action Plan, and further encourages the States Parties to actively support this pilot follow-up initiative;
14. Decides that the significant modifications to boundaries and changes to criteria (re- nominations) requested by the States Parties in Europe as a follow-up to the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting will not fall within the limit of two nominations per State Party per year imposed by Paragraph 61 of the Operational Guidelines, while they will still fall within the overall yearly limit for complete nominations established by the Operational Guidelines. This decision shall apply for the 1 February 2016 and 1 February 2017 deadlines for Europe, after which the normal limits established in Paragraph 61 will be resumed;
15. Further notes that  the  follow-up  to  the  Second  Cycle  of  Periodic  Reporting  has considerable resource and workload implications for the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies and the States Parties, and further encourages the States Parties not only to make all the resources necessary for this follow-up available at national level, but also to support the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
16. Finally requests the World Heritage Centre to prepare a progress report on the follow-up to the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting for examination at its 40th session in 2016.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/10A,
2. Recalling Decision 38 COM 10A.1, adopted at its 38th session (Doha, 2014),
3. Welcomes the preparation of the Action Plan by the World Heritage Focal Points from North America, illustrating the close cooperation between the two States Parties of Canada and the United States of America, and takes note of the efforts to further strengthen the cooperation with the State Party of Mexico for a number of the proposed actions taking into consideration the shared natural and cultural heritage of the three States Parties;
4. Acknowledges and endorses the Second Cycle Action Plan for the sub-region of North America and its five result areas (Future Tentative Lists; Strategies for public information and outreach about World Heritage; Increased communication and cooperation between World Heritage site managers throughout the sub-region; International Assistance to World Heritage properties; Integration into existing areas of sub-regional cooperation);
5. Commends the States Parties for their efforts to continue the work undertaken in the framework of the Retrospective Inventory and the preparation of the Retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, and encourages the States Parties to finalise this important work in the best of time;
6. Takes note of the proposed timeframe of five years for the implementation of the Periodic Reporting Action Plan for North America, and requests the States Parties of Canada and United States of America to submit a progress report on the implementation of the Action Plan to the World Heritage Centre, for presentation to the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/10A,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 10B, adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013),
3. Welcomes the preparation of the Periodic Report for North America by the World Heritage Focal Points from North America, illustrating the close cooperation between the two States Parties of Canada and the United States of America;
4. Takes note of the Periodic Report for North America and the activities undertaken as a follow-up of the First Cycle, including the work undertaken in the framework of the Retrospective Inventory and the preparation of the retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value and encourages the States Parties to continue this important work;
5. Decides that the significant modifications to boundaries and changes to criteria (re-nominations) requested by the States Parties of Canada and the United States of America as a follow-up to the Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise will not fall within the limit of two nominations per State Party per year imposed by Paragraph 61 of the Operational Guidelines, while they will still fall within the overall limit of forty-five complete nominations per year. This decision shall apply for the 1 February 2015 and 1 February 2016 deadlines for the sub-region of North America, after which time the normal limit established in Paragraph 61 will be resumed;
6. Also encourages the States Parties to prepare an Action Plan to address the main conclusions, issues and opportunities identified in the Periodic Report for North America and present it to the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/8E,
2. Congratulates the States Parties for the excellent work accomplished in the elaboration of retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for World Heritage properties in their territories;
3. Adopts the retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, as presented in the Annex of Document WHC-14/38.COM/8E, for the following World Heritage properties:

• China: Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area;
• Japan: Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu; Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara; Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama; The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome);
• Sri Lanka: Sinharaja Forest;
• Vietnam: Hoi An Ancient Town; Complex of Hué Monuments;

EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA:

• Albania: Butrint;
• Armenia: Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley;
• Austria: Semmering Railway; Wachau Cultural Landscape;
• Azerbaijan: Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower;
• Belarus / Estonia / Finland / Latvia / Lithuania / Moldova / Norway / Russian Federation / Sweden / Ukraine: Struve Geodetic Arc;
• Belgium: Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels); Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mons); Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai; Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex;
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar;
• Cyprus: Paphos;
• Denmark: Ilulissat Icefjord;
• Finland: Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmäki; Fortress of Suomenlinna; Old Rauma; Petäjävesi Old Church; Verla Groundwood and Board Mill;
• Georgia: Historical Monuments of Mtskheta; Upper Svaneti;
• Germany / Poland: Muskauer Park / Park Mużakowski;
• Germany: Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch; Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau; Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl; Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town of Quedlinburg; Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz; Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg; Monastic Island of Reichenau; Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin; Pilgrimage Church of Wies; St Mary's Cathedral and St Michael's Church at Hildesheim; Völklingen Ironworks; Wartburg Castle; Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square; Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen;
• Holy See / Italy: Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura;
• Holy See: Vatican City;
• Iceland: Þingvellir National Park;
• Italy: Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico), Padua; Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta; Historic Centre of Florence; Historic Centre of Naples;
• Lithuania / Russian Federation: Curonian Spit;
• Lithuania: Kernavė Archaeological Site (Cultural Reserve of Kernavė);
• Malta: City of Valletta; Hal Saflieni Hypogeum; Megalithic Temples of Malta;
• Mongolia / Russian Federation: Uvs Nuur Basin;
• Montenegro: Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor;
• Netherlands: Historic Area of Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour, Curaçao;
• Norway: Vegaøyan -- The Vega Archipelago; West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord;
• Poland: Centennial Hall in Wrocław; Historic Centre of Warsaw;
• Portugal: Historic Centre of Évora; Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture; Monastery of Alcobaça; Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon;
• Russian Federation: Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye; Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl; Kizhi Pogost;
• Slovakia: Bardejov Town Conservation Reserve; Vlkolínec;
• Slovenia: Škocjan Caves;
• Spain: Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida; Burgos Cathedral; Historic Centre of Cordoba; Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid; Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias; Mudejar Architecture of Aragon; Old City of Salamanca; Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches; Old Town of Cáceres; Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct; Poblet Monastery; Route of Santiago de Compostela; Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe; San Cristóbal de La Laguna; Santiago de Compostela (Old Town); Works of Antoni Gaudí;
• Turkey: Archaeological Site of Troy; City of Safranbolu; Hattusha: the Hittite Capital; Xanthos-Letoon;
• Ukraine: Kiev: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra;
• United Kingdom: Gough and Inaccessible Islands; Henderson Island; Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda;
• United States of America: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site; Chaco Culture; Independence Hall; Mesa Verde National Park; Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville; Statue of Liberty;

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARRIBBEANS:

• Argentina: Ischigualasto / Talampaya Natural Parks; Los Glaciares; Península Valdés;
• Belize: Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System;
• Bolivia: City of Potosí;
• Brazil: Brasilia; Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia; Historic Centre of São Luís; Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina; Historic Centre of the Town of Goiás; Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda; Historic Town of Ouro Preto; Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas;
• Colombia: Los Katíos National Park;
• Costa Rica / Panama: Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park;
• Cuba: Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee Plantations in the South-East of Cuba; San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Santiago de Cuba; Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos; Viñales Valley;
• Dominican Republic: Colonial City of Santo Domingo;
• Guatemala: Tikal National Park;
• Panama: Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection; Fortifications on the Caribbean Side, Portobelo and San Lorenzo;
• Suriname: Central Suriname Nature Reserve; Historic Inner City of Paramaribo;

4.  Decides that retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for World Heritage properties in Danger will be reviewed by the Advisory Bodies in priority;
5.  Further decides that, considering the high number of retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value to be examined, the order in which they will be reviewed by the Advisory Bodies will follow the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting, namely:

• World Heritage properties in the Arab States;
• World Heritage properties in Africa;
• World Heritage properties in Asia and the Pacific;
• World Heritage properties in Latin America and the Caribbean;
• World Heritage properties in Europe and North America;

6.  Takes note that the World Heritage Centre is in the process of harmonising all sub-headings in the adopted Statements of Outstanding Universal Value and, as appropriate, reflects name changes of World Heritage properties throughout the text of the Statements as requested by the Committee at its 37th session, and requests the World Heritage Centre to also update the size of the property and/or its buffer zone, as appropriate, following subsequent Decisions of the World Heritage Committee concerning Minor Boundary Modifications.
7.  Requests the States Parties to provide support to the World Heritage Centre for translation of the adopted Statements of Outstanding Universal Value into English or French respectively, and finally requests the Centre to upload the two language versions on its website.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/10A,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 10B, adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013),
3. Also recalling that the second cycle of Periodic Reporting in Europe and North America takes place on a two-year basis (Group A: North America, Western, Nordic and Baltic Europe sub-regions for the first year 2012-2013; and Group B: Mediterranean, Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe for the second year 2013-2014),
4. Takes note of the activities that took place in the framework of the implementation of the second cycle of Periodic Reporting for Group A and B;
5. Thanks the Italian and the Azerbaijani authorities for having hosted Periodic Reporting meetings since the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee;
6. Commends the World Heritage Centre for its efforts to make the Periodic Reporting data available as soon as possible to the Focal Points and site managers through the provision of the Periodic Reporting national data sets and the publication of the Short Summary Reports and encourages the World Heritage Centre to continue this work for Group B, in agreement with the relevant States Parties;
7. Notes with appreciation the support of the Nordic World Heritage Foundation in the implementation of the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting;
8. Reiterates its gratitude to the States Parties for their financial contributions to the implementation of the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting in Europe and North America, and also encourages support in the future;
9. Requests the World Heritage Centre to submit to the World Heritage Committee an overall Periodic Report and Action Plan for Europe at its 39th session in 2015.

The World Heritage Committee,

1.  Having examined Document WHC-13/37.COM/10B,

2.   Recalling Decision 36 COM 10B adopted at its 36th session (Saint Petersburg, 2012),

3.   Recalling furthermore that the second cycle of Periodic Reporting in Europe and North America takes place on a two-year basis (Group A: North America, Western, Nordic and Baltic Europe sub-regions for the first year 2012-2013, and Group B: Mediterranean, Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe for the second year 2013-2014), provided that a report on the Periodic Reporting exercise for North America will be presented at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2014, and an overall report on the Periodic Reporting exercise for Europe will be presented at the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2015,

4.   Takes note of the activities implementing the second cycle of Periodic Reporting for Group A and preparing the launch of Periodic Reporting for Group B;

5.    Thanks the German authorities and the Georgian authorities for having hosted preparatory meetings in the framework of the Periodic Reporting exercise;

6.       Also thanks the Nordic World Heritage Foundation for its collaboration in the preparation of the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting;

7.    Reiterates its sincere appreciation to the Italian authorities, the Azerbaijani authorities and the Luxembourg authorities for their proposals to host future meetings in the framework of the Periodic Reporting exercise in 2013-2015;

8.       Welcomes the progress made with the initiative to prepare an integrated and targeted strategy addressing the priority needs in training and capacity-building for the preservation of World Heritage properties in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and commends the Steering Group for its commitment to carry forward this work;

9.     Also commends the States Parties which have submitted draft retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value before the official launch of the Periodic Reporting exercise as requested in Decision 35 COM 10C.2 , and urges the States Parties to submit the pending retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value as soon as possible;

10.     Reiterates its gratitude to the Andorran, Monegasque, Portuguese and Dutch authorities, as well as the Flemish authorities for their financial contributions to the implementation of the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting in Europe and North America, and encourages further support and collaboration in the future;

11.     Requests the World Heritage Centre to report back to the World Heritage Committee on progress made with Periodic Reporting at its 38th session in 2014.

The World Heritage Committee,

1.   Having examined Document WHC-12/36.COM/10B,

2.   Recalling Decisions 30 COM 11A.1, 30 COM 11A.2, 31 COM 11A.1, 31 COM 11A.2, 32 COM 11D, 34 COM 10B.3 and 35 COM 10C.2 adopted at its 30th (Vilnius, 2006), 31st (Christchurch, 2007), 32nd (Quebec City, 2008), 34th (Brasilia, 2010) and 35th (UNESCO, 2011) sessions, respectively,

3.   Takes note of the follow-up activities to the first cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise in the region of Europe and North America and the activities in preparation of the launching of its second cycle;

4.   Thanks the Maltese authorities for having hosted the preparatory meeting for Mediterranean Europe in Valetta from 21 to 24 September 2011 and the Icelandic authorities for having hosted the preparatory meeting for Nordic, Baltic and Western Europe in Reykjavik from 18 to 21 October 2011;

5.   Also thanks the Nordic World Heritage Foundation for its collaboration in the preparation of the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise, including preparation of meetings as well as relevant tools;

6.   Expresses its sincere appreciation to the German authorities for having proposed to host a meeting for Nordic, Baltic, Western and Mediterranean Europe in Berlin from 19 to 20 September 2012, the Georgian authorities for having proposed to host a meeting for Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe in autumn 2012, the Italian authorities for having proposed to host a meeting for Mediterranean Europe in Florence in September 2013 and the authorities of Luxembourg for having proposed to host a meeting for Nordic, Baltic and Western Europe in 2013/2014;

7.   Welcomes the initiative of the World Heritage Centre and ICCROM to address the priority needs in training and capacity-building for the preservation of World Heritage properties in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, by an integrated and targeted strategy in the context of the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting;

8.   Commends the States Parties which have submitted draft retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value before the official launching of the Periodic Reporting exercise as requested in Decision 35 COM 10C.2 and urges the States Parties to submit the pending retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value as soon as possible;

9.   Reiterates its gratitude to the States Parties of Andorra, Monaco, Portugal and the Netherlands who have made financial contributions to the implementation of the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise in Europe and North America, acknowledges with thanks the pledge by the Flemish Government to financially support the exercise and encourages further support and collaboration for the future;

10. Also takes note of the Road Map developed at the Reykjavik meeting in 2011 and requests the States Parties to make an effort towards a coordinated approach for its implementation;

11. Decides to launch the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting in the Europe and North America region and also reiterates that it will take place on a two-year basis (North America, Western, Nordic and Baltic Europe sub-regions, for the first year, and Mediterranean, Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, for the second year) provided that a report on the Periodic Reporting exercise for North America will be presented at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2014, and an overall report on the Periodic Reporting exercise for Europe will be presented at the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2015;

12.  Also welcomes the creation of the web platform for the follow-up and implementation of the Periodic Reporting exercise and also encourages the States Parties, the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies and other concerned partners to explore all the opportunities that this tool can provide for the joint implementation of the exercise;

13.   Also requests the World Heritage Centre to report back to the World Heritage Committee on progress achieved in the Periodic Reporting exercise at its 37th session in 2013.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-11/35.COM/10C,

2. RecallingDecisions 30 COM 11A.1, 30 COM 11A.2, 31 COM 11A.1, 31 COM 11A.2, 32 COM 11D and 34 COM 10B.3 adopted at its 30th (Vilnius, 2006), 31st (Christchurch, 2007), 32nd (Quebec City, 2008) and 34th (Brasilia, 2010) sessions respectively,

3. Takes note of the follow-up activities to the first cycle of Periodic Reporting exercise in the region of Europe and North America and the results of the sub-regional meetings for Nordic, Western and Mediterranean Europe;

4. Thanks the Israeli authorities for having organized the follow-up meeting for Mediterranean Europe in 2010 in Acre, the Estonian authorities for having hosted the follow-up meeting for Nordic and Baltic Europe in 2010 in Tallinn with the support of the Nordic World Heritage Foundation, the Dutch authorities for having hosted the follow-up meeting for Western Europe in 2010 in Amersfoort, the Czech authorities for having hosted a meeting for Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe in 2011 in Prague, and the authorities of Malta for having proposed to host a meeting in Malta in September 2011 for the Mediterranean Europe sub-region, currently under preparation;

5. Welcomes the proposal of Italy to host a preparatory meeting for the Mediterranean Europe sub-region in 2012 in Florence, and takes note of the interest of the authorities of Azerbaijan, Germany and Greece to host preparatory meetings in 2012, for their respective sub-regions, namely Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Western Europe and Mediterranean Europe sub-regions, to be confirmed, as well as of the intention of the State Parties in North America to organize preparatory Periodic Reporting meetings and/or teleconferences with the site managers in 2011 and 2012;

6. Thanks the Netherlands and Monaco for their financial contributions for the preparation of the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise and calls upon the States Parties and the international community to support financially the Periodic Reporting exercise in the Europe and North America region, considering the scope of work to be done, including capacity-building activities and evaluation of Statements of Outstanding Universal Value;

7. Invites the States Parties to prepare, in coordination with the World Heritage Centre, the launch of the second cycle of Periodic Reporting exercise for the Europe and North America region at the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee and decides that it will take place on a two year basis (North America, Western, Nordic and Baltic Europe sub-regions, for the first year, and Mediterranean, Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, for the second year) provided that a report on the Periodic Reporting exercise for North America will be presented at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2014, and a report on the Periodic Reporting exercise for Europe at the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2015;

8. Reiterates its request that the States Parties should submit the retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2012, in order to ensure the preparation of the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise;

9. Also requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to prepare a progress report on the follow-up of the first cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise for Europe and North America and on the preparations for the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise for Europe and North America, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th session in 2012.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-10/34.COM/10B,

2. Recalling Decisions 30 COM 11A.1, 30 COM 11A.2, 31 COM 11A.1, 31 COM 11 A.2 and 32 COM 11D adopted at its 30th (Vilnius, 2006), 31st (Christchurch, 2007) and 32nd (Quebec City, 2008) sessions respectively,

3. Takes note of the follow-up activities to the first cycle of Periodic Reporting exercise in Europe and North America and the results of the sub-regional meetings for Nordic, Western and Mediterranean Europe;

4. Thanks the Irish authorities for having hosted the follow-up meeting for the Western European region in 2009 in Dublin, the Portuguese authorities for having organized the follow-up meeting for the Mediterranean sub-region in 2009 in Tomar, the Swedish authorities for having hosted the follow-up meeting for Nordic and Baltic Europe in Stockholm in 2009, as well as the Israeli authorities for having organized the follow-up meeting for the Mediterranean sub-region in 2010,

5. Welcomes the offer of the Czech authorities to host a meeting for Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe in 2011; the offer of the Estonian authorities to host a meeting for the Nordic-Baltic region in October 2010; the offer of the Maltese authorities to host a meeting for the Mediterranean region in 2011; and the offer of the authorities of the Netherlands to host a meeting for the Western European Region in December 2010; and encourages cooperation and sharing of knowledge between the European sub-regions.

6. Requests the States Parties, to submit the required retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2012, in order to ensure the preparation of the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting; and notes with concern the workload connected with this request in relation to the resources of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for processing the Retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value as it is crucial for the States Parties to have them approved on time.

7. Also requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to prepare a progress report on the follow-up to the European Periodic Report exercise and on the preparations for the next cycle for Europe and North America for examination at its 35th session in 2011.