Outcomes of the Third Cycle of the Periodic Reporting Exercise Regional Report and Action Plan for the Arab States
ARC-WH is pleased to announce the outcomes of the ‘Report on the results of the Third Cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise in the Arab States’ (WHC/21/44.COM/10A). The Report can be accessed from the working and information documents for the Extended 44th session of the World Heritage Committee, set to take place in Fuzhou (China)/online from 16 to 31 July 2021 (https://whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/44com/documents/).
Periodic Reporting is a self-reporting process conducted by States Parties of each region and is essential for the conservation and monitoring of World Heritage Sites. The resulting Regional Reports provide vital information on the effectiveness of the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and helps to establish regional Action Plans to address the main issues identified.
The Third Cycle of the Periodic Reporting in the Arab States was launched in 2018 following Decision 41 COM 10A during the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Krakow, Poland.
From 1 July 2018, ARC-WH, in close collaboration with the World Heritage Centre (WHC), organised regional activities, workshops and meetings as part of the first phase of the process for the completion of Sections I and II of the questionnaires. Regional meetings were organised to assist WHC in providing technical assistance and support for the Arab States Parties. ARC-WH also translated both sections of the questionnaire to Arabic and reviewed the translation of ‘Periodic Reporting: A Handbook for Site Managers’ to Arabic in order to ensure accessibility to the Arab States.
Once the data was compiled and analysed following the completion of the questionnaire by regional Focal Points and Site Managers, ARC-WH coordinated with WHC on the completion of phase two, which included drafting the Regional Report and preparing the Action Plan framework for the Third Cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise in the Arab States. These draft documents were shared with national Focal Points for their final review and contributions in March 2021.
ARC-WH would like to thank the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee, and the States Parties in the Arab region, notably the Focal Points and Site Managers, as well as the UNESCO Field Offices and the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, for their contribution and collaborative efforts in the completion of the Third Cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise.
