World Heritage Fund

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examinedDocument WHC/23/45.COM/12,
   
   PART I – Assessment of the impact of Decision 40 COM 11 (Paragraph 61 of the Operational Guidelines)
2. Recalling Decisions 40 COM 11 and 44 COM 8 adopted at its 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
3. Taking into account the heavy budget constraints of the World Heritage Fund and the need for an effective management of the increasing size of the World Heritage List and the call for a more balanced World Heritage List,
4. Decides that the impact of the proposed amendments of Paragraph 61 of the Operational Guidelines will be assessed at the 51^st session of the World Heritage Committee, and encourages States Parties to consider submitting nominations under natural criteria, based on IUCN’s regional and thematic studies;
5. Adopts the proposed revision of Paragraph 61 of the Operational Guidelines, as presented in Annex 1 of Document WHC/23/45.COM/12;
   
   PART II – Revision of Chapter VIII and Annex 14 of the Operational Guidelines concerning the World Heritage Emblem and its use following the changes to the UNESCO logo
6. Also takes note of the new “Graphical Standards and Logo Toolkit” document issued by UNESCO Secretariat in July 2021 as a response to the recommendations of the Working Group on Communication established within the Strategic Transformation process;
7. Recognizing that changes reflected in this new toolkit will have an impact on the joint use of the UNESCO logo and World Heritage emblem, consequently adopts the revisions to Chapter VIII and Annex 14 of the Operational Guidelines proposed in Annex 2 of Document WHC/23/45.COM/12.

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The General Assembly,

1. Having examined Documents WHC/19/22.GA/6 and WHC/19/22.GA/INF.6,
2. Having in particular examined the accounts of the World Heritage Fund for the financial period ended 31 December 2017,
3. Approves the accounts of the World Heritage Fund for the financial period ended 31 December 2017;
4. Takes note of the financial statements relating to the World Heritage Fund for the period 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2019.

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The General Assembly,

1. Having examined Documents WHC/19/22.GA/7 and WHC/19/22.GA/INF.7,
2. Recalling Article 16 of the World Heritage Convention,
3. Also recalling Resolution 20 GA 8,
4. Decides to set 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 2020-2021 at 1% of their contributions to the regular budget of UNESCO;
5. Emphasizing the urgency of securing adequate financial resources to achieve the objectives of the World Heritage Convention to identify and conserve the world’s cultural and natural heritage of Outstanding Universal Value, in particular in light of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the unprecedented threats such as climate change, natural disasters, and deliberate attacks on cultural heritage in territories affected by armed conflicts and terrorism,
6. Notes the status of the assessed contributions to the World Heritage Fund as presented in Document WHC/19/22.GA/INF.7 and requests the Secretariat to include the total amount of the (advance) assessed contributions for all States Parties;
7. Recalls, in this regard, that the payment of assessed annual contributions to the World Heritage Fund is a legal obligation and also carries a moral character incumbent on all States Parties which have ratified the Convention;
8. Reiterates its plea to the States Parties to pay their annual contributions at the latest on 31 January wherever possible in order to facilitate the timely implementation of the activities financed by the World Heritage Fund;
9. Requests the Secretariat to address a letter to all States Parties which are in arrears with the payment of their compulsory or voluntary contributions for the current year and the three calendar years immediately preceding it of an amount exceeding 50,000 USD, inviting them to make their payment, asking them whether a plan of payment would facilitate the settlement of their arrears, and urging them to provide a prompt answer;
10. Takes note of the debates under the present item in the current session;
11. Decides to include, in the agenda of its next 23rd session, an item entitled “Possible measures concerning arrears, including with respect to the examination of nominations submitted by the concerned States Parties, without detriment to the protection of States that cannot pay for causes beyond their control”;
12. Takes note of Decisions 42 COM 14 and 43 COM 14 taken by the World Heritage Committee on the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund;
13. Invites States Parties to provide supplementary voluntary contributions to the various sub-accounts of the World Heritage Fund.

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The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/14,
2. Notes with concern that over 60% of compulsory and assessed voluntary contributions remain unpaid, and continuing delays in the settlement of such contributions have adverse and damaging implications on the functioning of the World Heritage programme;
3. 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 and strongly urges all States Parties, which have not yet paid the totality of their assessed contributions for 2019, including voluntary contributions in accordance with Article 16.2 of the Convention, to ensure that their contributions are paid in the best of time;
4. Noting that supplementary voluntary contributions increase the level of future World Heritage Fund budget, warmly thanks those States Parties which have already made such contributions in 2018 and in the past years and calls upon all States Parties to consider allocating supplementary voluntary contributions to the World Heritage Fund, either on the basis of one of the options recommended by the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention at its 19th session (2013) [1], or by paying a voluntary annual fee by properties inscribed on the World Heritage List;
5. Notes with appreciation the in-kind contributions provided by the Azerbaijani authorities as well as the supplementary costs they covered as host of the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee;
6. Also recalls that the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund and overall funding for World Heritage are strategic issues and a shared responsibility which concern States Parties and all relevant partners, affecting the overall credibility of the World Heritage Convention, including effectiveness and efficiency of World Heritage protection;

Part I: Implementation of the budget for the biennium 2018-2019 and preparation of the budget for the biennium 2020-2021

7. Takes note of the statement of accounts of the World Heritage Fund for 2018-2019 as of 31 December 2018;
8. Approves the budget for the World Heritage Fund for the biennium 2020-2021 and its corresponding breakdown as shown in Annex IV;

 Part II: Follow-up to Decision 42 COM 14

9. Also takes note with appreciation of the two-year Resource Mobilization and Communication (RMC) Plan developed by the Secretariat and of its report thereof;
10. Congratulates the World Heritage Centre for its efforts on extrabudgetary resource mobilization and innovative fund raising approaches, and encourages all States Parties to support these initiatives for the benefit of the Convention;
11. Warmly thanks the States Parties who have contributed to the funding of the evaluation or monitoring missions undertaken by the Advisory Bodies, and calls upon all States Parties to consider following these examples;
12. Takes note with appreciation of the mechanism for funding evaluation of nominations by the Advisory Bodies, proposed by Norway in 2018 as a measure towards ensuring the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund and shifting resources to conservation activities; 14. Requests the Secretariat to take the necessary steps to establish the new sub-account and to provide information to the States Parties on the practical modalities for payment before the end of 2019;
15. Also requests the World Heritage Centre to report on the implementation of this decision as well as on the status of implementation of the “Roadmap for Sustainability of the World Heritage Fund” at its 44th session in 2020.

[1] Option 1: Increasing the standard percentage used in the calculation of the contributions to the World Heritage Fund from 1% to 2%,

Option 3.1: Increasing the contributions by a flat rate of US$3,300 per property inscribed,

Option 3.2: Increasing the contributions by an additional 4% of the current assessed contribution per property inscribed,

Option 3.3: Increasing the contributions by an additional amount per property inscribed, according to a percentage increasing with the number of properties inscribed,

Option 3.4: Increasing the contributions by an additional amount per property inscribed, according to a percentage decreasing with the number of properties inscribed,

Option 4: Increasing the contributions on the basis of the number of tourists arrivals at World Heritage Sites,

Option 5: Contributing per activity.

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The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Documents WHC/18/42.COM/12A and WHC/18/42.COM/14,
2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 15, 40 COM 15 and 41 COM 14, which highlight the priority that should be given to conservation and management of World Heritage properties, takes note of the efforts made and progress achieved in this regard by increasing the proportion of the World Heritage Fund dedicated to conservation for the latest biennia and encourages further increase of this proportion, as appropriate;
   
   Part I: Presentation of the final accounts of the World Heritage Fund for 2016-2017, implementation of the World Heritage Fund under the biennium 2018-2019
   
   
3. Also takes note of the financial report for the biennium, which ended 31 December 2017;
   
   Arrears and contributions
   
   
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 and calls upon all States Parties, which have not yet paid the totality of their assessed contributions for 2018, including voluntary contributions in accordance with Article 16.2 of the Convention, to ensure that their contributions are paid at their earliest convenience;
5. Thanks those States Parties which have already made supplementary voluntary contributions in 2018 and also calls upon all other States Parties to commit to consider allocating supplementary voluntary contributions to the World Heritage Fund in line with the Roadmap for the Sustainability of the World Heritage Fund with the target of 10 or more States Parties doubling their annual contributions;
6. Notes with appreciation the supplementary costs covered by the Bahraini authorities as host of the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee in addition to those listed in the Statement of Requirements;
7. Further takes note of the follow-up to the online consultation survey concerning the annual fee for World Heritage listed properties on a voluntary basis presented in Part III.C, regrets the low response rate from States Parties and invites States Parties that have responded positively to make such supplementary voluntary contributions to the World Heritage Fund and States Parties which have not responded, to continue consultations with their respective local administrations;
   
   Flexibility in the management of the World Heritage Fund for a more efficient implementation of the Convention
   
   
8. Taking into account the risk level of exchange rate fluctuation, authorises the Director of the World Heritage Centre to proceed, in consultation with the relevant UNESCO services, with all necessary budgetary adjustments in the second year of each biennium, with a maximum additional amount of US$ 100,000 to the provision for exchange rate fluctuation from the operating reserve, if the initial amount approved will not be sufficient;
9. Noting the management constraints of the World Heritage Fund, also authorises the Director of the World Heritage Centre to make budgetary adjustments, when necessary, between approved headings and reserves, without exceeding a maximum of 15% of the approved World Heritage Fund Expenditure Plan, during the second year of each biennium and in conformity with the priorities and decisions of the Committee giving priority to the budget lines related to capacity-building and regional programmes, and requests the Secretariat to report accordingly to the Committee at its following sessions;
10. Takes note furthermore of the Executive Board Document 204 EX/5 Part II.E on “Cost recovery policy: Revised Proposal for a differential rate policy for Management Cost Rates”;
11. Also recalls the on-going concern about the sustainability of the Fund and the establishment of a Roadmap for the Sustainability of the Fund adopted by it at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017) that includes short-, mid- and long- term measures to address the constraints that the World Heritage Fund faces in view of the growing number of properties on the World Heritage List and the increasing need for support to States Parties;
12. Recommends strongly that the current Management Cost rate of 0% continues to apply to the special account of the World Heritage Fund, thus avoiding a disruption of the current level of support provided through the Fund to States Parties to the Convention for the identification, protection and conservation of the World Heritage properties; 
    
    Part II: Follow-up to Decision 41 COM 14
    
    
13. Also recalling its Decision 41 COM 14 on the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund,
14. Further recalling the Roadmap for Sustainability of the World Heritage Fund approved by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
15. Expresses its appreciation to the ad-hoc Working Group for its work and recommendations with regard to the follow-up of Decision 41 COM 14;
    
    Resource mobilization
    
    
16. Endorses the “Resource mobilization and communication strategy” Framework document contained in Annex to this Decision and also requests the Secretariat, with the support of the Advisory Bodies as appropriate and of those States Parties wishing to assist in this regard, to develop a two-year Resource Mobilization and Communication (RMC) Plan and to provide a report thereof to the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee in 2019;
17. Welcomes the efforts made by the World Heritage Centre with regard to extrabudgetary resource mobilization opportunities and innovative fund-raising possibilities, including the Marketplace, also invites all States Parties to support these initiatives and other fund-raising events dedicated to the implementation of the Convention, also encourages all States Parties to assist the World Heritage Centre in fund-raising activities, and commends the Republic of Korea for its contribution of extrabudgetary funds to support fund-raising activities and partnership initiatives by the Centre;
18. Takes note with appreciation of the proposal of a cost-sharing model for the evaluation of nominations, which was recommended for approval by the ad-hoc working group of 2017-2018 and described in Annex E of document WHC/18/42.COM/12A, and decides to further examine this matter, including possible modalities as well as legal basis or implications, at its 43rd session in 2019, with a view to referring it for examination by the General Assembly at its 22nd session in 2019;
    
    Recommendations of the Internal Oversight Service (IOS) Comparative Mapping Study
    
    
19. In relation to Recommendation n°1 of the IOS study, also decides to keep the current practice of overhead costs in the contracts of the Advisory Bodies;
20. In relation to Recommendation n°2 of the IOS study, takes note moreover of the summary of the legal opinion contained in Annex C of document WHC/18/42.COM/12A, also decides to continue to use the services of the current three Advisory Bodies and to further discuss through the ad-hoc working group the modalities for the possible use of services of other entities with suitable experience and knowledge, in line with UNESCO’s rules and regulations;
21. In relation to Recommendation n°4 of the IOS study, further encourages the States Parties, Secretariat and the Advisory Bodies to continue exploring options for improvements to advisory services, taking into consideration maintaining and possibly improving quality, and achieving greater efficiency and potential cost savings;
22. In relation to Recommendation n°4 of the IOS study with regard to reactive monitoring, furthermore encourages the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to expand the use of regional experts on reactive monitoring missions, if it would substantially reduce the travel costs and not decrease the quality of the expertise;
23. Further requests the World Heritage Centre to report on the implementation of this Decision at its 43rd session in 2019.

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 ANNEX

Strategy framework document

 

Background

This Strategy is developed further to the Roadmap for the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017 and the Committee’s Decision 41 COM 14 paragraph 23 which recommended the development of a “long-term vision and strategy for effective resource mobilization and communication, taking into account all streams of funding”. The Strategy was developed by the Ad-hoc group 2017-2018, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 42^nd session (Bahrain, 2018). The Strategy is established for the period 2018-2025 (8 years). It sets a target and timeline for the first 4-year period. After review of the results in 4 years, targets may be adjusted for the second quadrennial period. The Secretariat will provide a synthetic progress report to the Committee at its 44^th session in 2020.

Situational analysis

Sustainability of the World Heritage Fund: this is a constant concern of the World Heritage Committee for the past 7 years, due to the increasing gap between the resources available through assessed contributions, which are stable, and the growing number of sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, which represent an average of 23 new sites inscribed per year.

New and increased threats for World Heritage: the impact of large-scale development projects and of conflicts and natural disasters at World Heritage sites generate new demands for support from States Parties and for engagement with partners.

Context of substantially reduced regular budget combined with a general trend of constrained Official Development Assistance (ODA) and diminishing extrabudgetary mobilisation: while some new donors have emerged in the recent past, especially from the private sector, the Convention still depends on a limited number of donors, mostly bilateral government funding partners, which exposes to financial vulnerability.

Trend of strongly earmarked contributions for specific operational projects: often tied to thematic or geographic priorities and bringing immediate results and visibility to the donors, they are more appealing than the core statutory functions or reinforcement of the World Heritage Centre’s staff. Resource mobilization for statutory Funds, financed by Member States’ assessed and non-earmarked contributions, is a very challenging task, as the interest expressed by external donors in such mechanisms varies between very little to none (as proven by experience of other conventions and funds).

Focus of the Strategy: ensuring the necessary critical mass of resources to sustain the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, both at the statutory and operational levels.

 
Vision statement

Protect and transmit World Heritage to future generations

Goals:

• Conservation and maintaining the OUV of World Heritage properties, with a particular focus on LCDs, developing countries, SIDS and Africa
• Help rehabilitate and reconstruct heritage affected by conflicts
• Provide assistance to States Parties in the implementation of the Convention, through enhanced support regarding normative and policy-related activities and statutory processes and operational activities
• Train heritage professionals in the sustainable management of World Heritage and work towards mainstreaming of sustainable development goals in heritage-related conservation and management activities
• Promote the involvement of local communities in the conservation and management of World Heritage.

Timeline: 2018-2021 (two biennia)
The proposed timeline corresponds to the medium term period set in the Roadmap for the Sustainability of the World Heritage Fund. This should allow a reasonable timeframe for implementation and achieving more tangible results.

Resource mobilization targets

As indicated in the situational analysis, there is a very low probability that fund-raising for the World Heritage Fund itself, from external donors, can bring spectacular results. It is therefore considered that if efforts, staff time and financial means are invested in resource mobilization, the target should be dual, in line with the vision statement and objectives above.

Target 1: World Heritage Fund (with a resource mobilization focus on Parties to the Convention as it is more reasonable to expect an increase from this group of stakeholders).
Target 2: extrabudgetary funding for statutory activities and operational activities (with a resource mobilization focus on all groups of stakeholders)

Target 1 (World Heritage Fund):

Overall: US$ 1,000,000 (US$ 250,000 per calendar year)

Rationale: The long-term target for the Fund, set by the Roadmap, is US$ 6,900 per site inscribed and per year, as it was in 1996. In mathematical terms, this would mean that the Fund should amount to US$ 7,403,700 per calendar year (2018 being taken as a basis for calculation). However, the actual approved Expenditure plan for 2018 amounts to US$ 2,658,438. This leaves a gap of US$ 4,745,000 per calendar year, between the current situation and the target set by the Roadmap. Keeping in mind the considerations in the situational analysis, and the fact that the amount of additional voluntary contributions by States Parties to the Fund has been an average of US$ 70, 000 per calendar year, it is considered that a more modest, realistic and achievable target should be set for 2018-2021. The amount per calendar year proposed as target for the Fund by this Strategy will represent an increase of more than 250% of the current level of additional voluntary contributions.

Target 2 (extrabudgetary funding, including additional appropriation to Regular Programme):

Overall: US$ 10,000,000 (US$ 2,500,000 per calendar year)

Rationale: This proposed target is in line with the “funding gap” identified for World Heritage-related Expected Result in the 39 C/5 (US$ 5,000,000 for the biennium 2018-2019).

Coherence with relevant UNESCO strategies, frameworks, documents and principles

The Strategy builds on the new UNESCO Resource Mobilization strategy adopted by the 204^th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO, the Structured Financing Dialogue (SFD) principles as well the Culture Sector overall resource mobilization approach. To ensure efficiency and avoid repetition, it is understood that the implementation of the Strategy will be fully aligned with the priorities, principles and methodology outlined in the above documents, without integrating them specifically in this strategy. It is also understood that the Partnership for conservation (PACT) strategy adopted by the World Heritage Committee in 2013, which concerns resource mobilization with the private sector, will remain fully valid and will continue to be implemented accordingly, in conjunction with this Strategy and the above mentioned UNESCO strategy and frameworks.

Achieving the 5Cs (of World Heritage) through applying the 3Cs (for fund-raising)

For a prospective stakeholder to become a (good) donor, there must be:

• Connection: identify which person is best placed to approach the prospective stakeholder;
• Capability: make sure the prospective stakeholder can afford to donate or support otherwise;
• Concern: make sure the prospective stakeholder is genuinely interested in the cause, what are his/her favourite causes, whom has he/she supported in the past.

Identifying and broadening the stakeholder group to ensure sustainability and continuity

• Looking beyond the usual resources: broaden the base of support beyond the usual sources of funding; in addition to the traditional stakeholders groups such as bilateral ones, other sectors should be further explored, such as private sector, high-net-worth individuals, not-for-profit, NGOs, philanthropy and charity sectors, global and regional bank institutions, development fund, UN funding programmes, media outlets.
• Scoping what stakeholders can provide: e.g. money, volunteer time, secondments, assets, equipment, technical assistance, sponsorships, joint promotions /marketing;
• Developing a stakeholder map: visualize the environment and setting, identify if a right mix of supporters is achieved, identify the stakeholders that should be targeted and brought closer, as well as supporters for which the level of involvement can be deepened.

Prospecting potential donors and building relationship

• Identifying the right potential donor to approach, and matching the appropriate resource mobilization approach to him/her: key element for the implementation of the Strategy;
• Financial support comes as a result of relationship, related to a cause, rather than as a result of the cause in itself.
• Fund-raising is FRIEND-raising: remember that people do not give money to causes, they give to PEOPLE with causes.

Engaging stakeholders support for Resource mobilization / Shared responsibilities

• Forging further partnerships with various sectors: apply a multi-stakeholder approach where suitable and feasible, so that some stakeholders can assist in attracting resources from other stakeholders groups, e.g. government services, NGOs, private sector etc.
• Sharing responsibilities: there is much States Parties can do to support the resource mobilization, beyond the provision of financial resources: e.g. advocating for UNESCO and the World Heritage Centre as a privileged implementation partner to potential donors, assisting in building multi-stakeholder partnerships, working on visibility etc. Very importantly, under article 17 of the World Heritage Convention, “The States Parties […] shall consider or encourage the establishment of national public and private foundations or associations whose purpose is to invite donations for the protection of the cultural and natural heritage as defined in Articles 1 and 2 of this Convention.”

Communicating

• Make the cause known by developing a set of strategic key communication messages: these should focus on the target right audience and media channels.
• Anchor the overall communication around the key message/s: make sure these are present, in appropriate forms, in the internal and external communications materials, such as brochures, newsletters, websites etc.
• Use the most suitable channels to target donors: depending on their profile.
• Make sure the key messages have an IMPACT:

Selecting the right mix of Resource Mobilization vehicles

• Funding proposals/Extrabudgetary projects (e.g. Market place)
• Special events (e.g. galas and other fund-raising events)
• Earned income (e.g. proceeds, royalties, licensing, merchandising, membership schemes)
• Major gifts (e.g. legacy fundraising)

Gearing up for Resource mobilization

• Ensuring people and systems are in place: this is the most serious challenge given the limited human resources of the Secretariat and the heavy workload which do not allow absorbing much additional work. Therefore, the Secretariat can be asked to organize the implementation of the Strategy, by applying its best efforts, to the extent possible, by assigning roles and responsibilities. Keeping in mind these constraints, the States Parties should, to the extent possible, strongly support the Secretariat in its Resource Mobilization efforts, including through providing financial resources or suitable expertise in the form of loan or secondment.

Monitoring Resource Mobilization activities

• Keeping the Focus on the Goals: regular monitoring of financial-and non-financial indicators; number of donors, type and structure of donor base, expenditure related to implementation of strategy etc. would alert to problems or other issue and allow adjusting the focus.

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The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined document WHC/18/42.COM/12A,
2. Expresses its appreciation to the ad-hoc Working Group for its work and recommendations;
3. Takes note of the recommendations related to upstream, International Assistance and sustainability of the World Heritage Fund which have been included accordingly in the related Decisions (42 COM 9A, 42 COM 13 and 42 COM 14);
4. In relation to Recommendation n°3 of the IOS study, notes with concern the number of deviations of the decisions of the World Heritage Committee from the recommendations of the Advisory Bodies and considers that, in order to address them, it is necessary to review the nomination process, tentative lists and upstream process, bearing in mind the Global Strategy, and to consider other possible measures, such as a Code of conduct of the World Heritage Committee;
5. Decides to extend the mandate of the adhoc Working Group, to be composed of members of the Committee and up to two non-members per Electoral Group, to:
   • Examine different possibilities of reforming the nomination process and propose recommendations in view of increasing the balance and credibility of the World Heritage List;
   • Discuss the modalities for the possible use of advisory services of other entities with suitable experience and knowledge, in line with UNESCO’s rules and regulations, and in addition to the current three Advisory Bodies;
   
6. Noting that the ad-hoc Working Group identified the need for reform of the nomination and evaluation process, considers that this would benefit from further reflection from a representative panel of experts drawn from the ad-hoc Working Group, the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies and other experts, to feed into the work of the ad-hoc Working Group;
7. Requests in this regard, the World Heritage Centre to organize, by March 2019, a reflection meeting to examine different possibilities for reforming the nomination and evaluation process and to propose recommendations for consideration by the World Heritage Committee in view of increasing the balance and credibility of the World Heritage List, as outlined in document WHC/18/42.COM/12A;
8. Calls upon interested States Parties to contribute extrabudgetary funds towards the organisation of the reflection meeting;
9. Requests the Secretariat to consult with States Parties and other relevant stakeholders of the Convention on the matters that should be addressed at the reflection meeting;
10. Further requests the ad-hoc Working Group to review the reflection meeting report and recommendations and to submit these together with the advice of the ad-hoc Working Group, to the 43rd session of the Committee with a view to revising the Operational Guidelines.
    

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The General Assembly,

1. Having examined Documents WHC/17/21.GA/6 and WHC/17/21.GA/INF.6, Resolutions adopted by the 21st session of the General Assembly WHC/17/21.GA/11, p. 3
2. Having in particular examined the accounts of the World Heritage Fund for the financial period ended 31 December 2015,
3. Approves the accounts of the World Heritage Fund for the financial period ended 31 December 2015;
4. Takes note of the financial statements relating to the World Heritage Fund for the period 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2017.

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The General Assembly,

1. Having examined Documents WHC/17/21.GA/7 and WHC/17/21.GA/INF.7,
2. Recalling Article 16 of the World Heritage Convention,
3. Expressing its concern at the financial difficulties that the World Heritage Fund is facing and further recalling that the payment of assessed compulsory and voluntary contributions, as per Article 16 of the World Heritage Convention, is a legal obligation incumbent on all States Parties which have ratified the Convention,
4. Decides to set 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 2018-2019 at 1% of their contributions to the regular budget of UNESCO;
5. Emphasizing the urgency of securing adequate financial resources to achieve the objectives of the 1972 Convention to identify and conserve the world’s cultural and natural heritage of Outstanding Universal Value, in particular in light of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the unprecedented threats such as climate change, natural disasters, and deliberate attacks on cultural heritage in territories affected by armed conflict and terrorism,
6. Notes the status of compulsory and voluntary contributions to the World Heritage Fund as presented in Document WHC/17/21.GA/INF.7;
7. Welcomes the recommendations made by the ad hoc working group in Documents WHC/16/40.COM/13A and WHC/17/41.COM/12A and the related Decisions on the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund (Decisions 40 COM 15 and 41 COM 14), particularly the roadmap for the sustainability of the World Heritage Fund that integrates a set of complementary short-, medium- and long-term actions to be implemented in a phased timeline;
8. Reminds States Parties that they are bound to make compulsory contributions and as such reiterates the plea of the World Heritage Committee to States Parties to the Convention to pay their annual contributions by 31 January in order to facilitate the timely implementation of the activities financed by the World Heritage Fund; 
9. Urges States Parties concerned to settle all outstanding arrears;
10. Invites States Parties to provide supplementary voluntary contributions to the subaccount for enhancing the human capacities of the Secretariat to achieve the target of at least USD 1,000,000 per year, in total, as recommended at the 19th session of the General Assembly of States Parties.

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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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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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