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Opening of the General Assembly by the Director-General

Document type
Decision
Reference number
1-6
Date
Oct 30, 1987
Source
UNEP, InforMEA
Status
Active
Subject
Wild species & ecosystems
Treaty
Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (Nov 23, 1972)
Meeting
6e Assemblée générale des Etats parties
Website
whc.unesco.org
Abstract
  1. The Sixth General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage met in Paris, on 30 October 1987, during the twenty-fourth session of the General Conference.
  2. Seventy-three of the ninety-six States which were Parties to the Convention as at 30 October 1987 and which thus had the right to vote, were represented at the meeting. Their names are given in the attached List of Participants.
  3. Representatives of ten States not Parties to the Conven­tion participated as observers in the General Assembly. Repre­sentatives of four Non-Governmental Organizations and of one Intergovernmental Organization also attended the meeting in an observer capacity.
  4. The List of Participants to the General Assembly is given in Annex I to this document.
  5. In accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly, the Secretariat of the Assembly was assumed by the Secretariat of Unesco.
  6. In opening the General Assembly, the Director-General drew attention to the progress achieved in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. He informed the Assembly that the number of States Parties had increased from 87 to 96 since the last General Assembly and that the number of cultural and natu­ral sites inscribed on the World Heritage List had risen from 186 to 247. He then recalled the role of the Committee, on the one hand in establishing the World Heritage List where it seeks to maintain balance, selectivity and representativity and, on the other hand, in protecting listed sites. He added that the assistance provided to the States Parties under the World Heri­tage Fund for the preservation of their inscribed sites was the most concrete expression of the system of solidarity instituted by the Convention, and he recalled that this assistance mainly depended on the contributions made by the States Parties. In this respect, he informed the Assembly that the budgetary si­tuation of the World Heritage Fund had improved, particularly because many contributions had been paid towards the end of the 1984-1985 biennium and because many States Parties had made ef­forts to pay earlier their mandatory or voluntary contributions during the following biennium. In concluding, the Director-General recalled the bonds of cooperation created by the Convention among States Parties whose common goal was to safe­guard for future generations the most precious legacy of the world.