Declaration of principles to promote international solidarity and cooperation to preserve World Heritage

The 23rd session of the General Assembly of States Parties endorsed the Declaration of principles to promote international solidarity and cooperation to preserve World Heritage in November 2021.

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At its 22nd session in 2019, the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention recalled the need to respect the highest standards of integrity and transparency of working methods within the process of decision-making of the Governing bodies of the Convention. The General Assembly also emphasized the collective responsibility of all stakeholders – States Parties, World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies – to uphold the integrity and the credibility of the World Heritage Convention and, as such, to conduct themselves according to the highest ethical standards of professionalism, equity and transparency. Consequently, the General Assembly decided by Resolution 22 GA 10 to establish an open-ended working group of States Parties to the Convention, with the mandate to develop, for consideration its 23rd session in 2021, a “Code of Conduct, or a Statement of Ethical Principles or equivalent text.”

The first meeting of the open-ended working group was held on 16 February 2021, during which a Bureau with the following composition was elected:

Chairperson, H.E. Mr. Ghazi GHERAIRI, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Tunisia to UNESCO,
Vice-Chairperson, H.E. Mr. Christian TER STEPANIAN, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Armenia to UNESCO,
Rapporteur, Mr Ole Søe ERIKSEN (Norway).

Subsequently, after nine online meetings, the Group recommended a consensual text entitled “Declaration of principles to promote international solidarity and cooperation to preserve World Heritage.” for consideration by the General Assembly of States Parties. The Draft text of the Declaration, presented in Document WHC/21/23.GA/INF.10, was endorsed by the General Assembly at its 23^rd session in November 2021.

Decisions (1)

22GA 10 Possibility of Elaboration of a Code of Conduct for the States Parties, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies

Decision: 22GA 10
Title: Possibility of Elaboration of a Code of Conduct for the States Parties, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies
Year: 2019

The General Assembly,

Having examined Document WHC/19/22.GA/10,
Recalling Decisions 42 COM 12 and 43 COM 13 of the World Heritage Committee adopted respectively in 2017 and 2018,
Recalling also the need to respect the highest standards of integrity and transparency of working methods within the process of decision-making of the Governing bodies of the Convention,
Emphasizing the collective responsibility of all stakeholders – States Parties, World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies – to uphold the integrity and the credibility of the World Heritage Convention and, as such, expecting all stakeholders to conduct themselves according to the highest ethical standards of professionalism, equity and transparency,
Also recognizing the important reforms of the nomination process and state of conservation review process currently underway,
Noting the informal consultations between the States Parties to the Convention and also noting the debates held at the 22nd session of the General Assembly of States Parties,
Further recognizing that a Code of Conduct or a Statement of Ethical Principles or equivalent text is not legally binding, but stakeholders are called upon to honour its contents,
Decides to establish an open-ended working group of States Parties to the Convention, with the mandate to develop, for consideration by the 23rd session of the General Assembly of States Parties, a Code of Conduct, or a Statement of Ethical Principles or equivalent text;
Encourages States Parties to provide extra-budgetary funding for the open-ended working group;
Also decides that the open-ended working group shall:
1. elect a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and a Rapporteur at its first meeting,
2. prepare and adopt its own timetable at its first meeting,
3. prepare and submit, in view of consideration by the General Assembly of States Parties, a draft Code of Conduct or a Statement of Ethical Principles or equivalent text,
4. determine how best to engage the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in the process at the appropriate time;
Requests the World Heritage Centre in order to assist the work of the open-ended working group, to compile a comprehensive list of existing, binding and non-binding elements which could be referenced in a Code of Conduct, or a Statement of Ethical Principles or equivalent text;
Finally requests the open-ended working group to submit to the General Assembly of States Parties at its 23rd session a report on its work, including a draft Code of Conduct, or a Statement of Ethical Principles or equivalent text.