World Heritage Committee launches Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting
On 10 July 2017, during its 41st session in Krakow, Poland, the World Heritage Committee officially launched the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting while also adopting the revised format of the Periodic Reporting questionnaire and endorsing the recommendations of the Periodic Reporting Reflection Expert Group.
The decision taken by the Committee sets out the timetable for reporting in each region, which will begin with the Arab States in 2018 (report to the Committee 2020), followed by Africa in 2019 (report to the Committee 2021), Asia and the Pacific in 2020 (report to the Committee 2022), Latin America and the Caribbean in 2021 (report to the Committee 2023) and finally Europe and North America, who will report in one year, 2022 (report to the Committee 2024), unlike previous cycles when reporting for the region was spread over two years. The timeframe adopted will allow sufficient time for States Parties to prepare for the reporting in their region and implement any necessary training and capacity building activities.
The Periodic Reporting Reflection Expert Group carried out its work between June 2016 and June 2017. The Expert Group was tasked with developing proposals and recommendations for the revision and updating of the Periodic Reporting process and questionnaire in response to Committee requests and feedback gathered from States Parties after the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting.
The results of the work of the group were thus presented to the Committee in a final report accompanied by a proposed revised format of the questionnaire. An extensive number of changes and improvements have been introduced into the revised format of the questionnaire, which now fully integrates the Sustainable Development approach, highlights synergies with other conventions and programmes relevant to World Heritage and incorporates a monitoring indicator framework for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.A suite of guidance materials to assist States Parties and site managers complete their Periodic Reports is currently being prepared by the World Heritage Centre and will be available on the Periodic Reporting webpage in early 2018.
Periodic Reporting is a core monitoring process of the World Heritage Convention with four key objectives; assessing the application of the World Heritage Convention by States Parties, assessing whether values of the properties inscribed on the World Heritage List are being maintained over time, gathering updated information about the properties, and serving as a mechanism for regional co-operation and exchange of information and experiences between States Parties with regards to World Heritage. For further information on the Third Cycle, visit the recent developments on the Periodic Reporting platform.
Decisions (1)
The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/10A,
- Recalling Decisions 38 COM 5F.2, 39 COM 10B.5, and 40 COM 10A, adopted at its 38th (Doha, 2014), 39th (Bonn, 2015) and 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) sessions respectively,
- Notes with appreciation the successful implementation of the Reflection Period by the Secretariat, in consultation with the Advisory Bodies, and the use of innovative and cost-effective working methods;
- Commends the Periodic Reporting Reflection Expert Group for the extensive and in-depth work carried out;
- Thanks all States Parties who volunteered to participate in the Testing Phase for their active engagement in the Periodic Reporting Reflection;
- Welcomes the recommendations and improvements proposed with regard to the format, content, relevance, analysis and use of data in the Periodic Reporting process;
- Also welcomes the inclusion in the revised questionnaire of questions relating to synergies with other international instruments and programmes on cultural and natural heritage; questions relating to the implementation of the 1972 UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Protection, at National level, of the Cultural and Natural Heritage and to the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, as well as questions assessing the implementation of the World Heritage Policy for integrating a sustainable development perspective into the processes of the World Heritage Convention, and of other key policies adopted by the World Heritage Committee;
- Further welcomes the development of strengthened and comprehensive indicators to improve follow-up on progress made by State Parties in the implementation of the Convention as well as the 1972 Recommendation concerning the Protection, at National Level, of the Cultural and Natural Heritage, further to the Recommendation of the Evaluation of UNESCO’s Standard-Setting Work of the Culture Sector (Part III – 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage);
- Takes note with appreciation of the analytical framework developed by the Expert Group and decides that it will be used as a global template for the analysis of data, for all regions, during the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting;
- Also takes note of the feasibility study concerning the production of a global World Heritage report and recommends that further work on the format and resourcing of the report be carried out using responses from States Parties and Site Managers in the first years of the Third Cycle;
- Also decides to maintain the order of regions and the 6-year periodicity of the Periodic Reporting cycles, with one region reporting every year (Arab States, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and North America) and one year between cycles for a reflection, if necessary, and for the production of a global report on the basis of the outcomes of the cycle across all regions;
- Further decides to officially launch the Third Cycle (2017-2022), but in view of the need to allow sufficient time for appropriate preparation, by the Secretariat, and by the States Parties of the Arab States region, exceptionally postpones the start of the Periodic Reporting of all regions by one year, starting with the Arab States region in 2018, followed by the Africa region in 2019, and so on;
- Encourages the active engagement of the States Parties in the following reporting cycles, and furthermore decides, that, in view of the current financial and human resources constraints of the World Heritage Centre, its role should consist of ensuring a holistic approach across regions, by providing overall coordination, guidance tools and analysis, as well as facilitating a State Party-driven approach, and invites the States Parties to contribute extrabudgetary resources for this purpose, and further decides, in case the resources are insufficient to ensure continuity, to supplement the funding of an extra-budgetary position from the Periodic Reporting budget line in the World Heritage Fund;
- Approves the revised Chapter V of the Operational Guidelines “Periodic Reporting on the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention” and the revised Annex 7 to the Operational Guidelines, on the Format of the Periodic Reporting Questionnaire, contained in Annex IV of Document WHC/17/41.COM/10A.