Japanese's media reported that the 21 members of WHC are in dilemma between a virtual teleconference this year or postponement to next year. The main problem is China! Chinese government insist to host a physical meeting with grand opening ceremony in China this year! Since postponement to next year, China will lost its presidency of the meeting which they don't want.

https://www.jiji.com/sp/article?k=2020101000385&g=pol

So we may see one of the strangest WHC meeting with grand opening ceremony and WHC members are sitting in 2 places, in the meeting hall in Fuzhou and in virtual room! Or special resolution that give China another year of presidency!!

If they do a World Heritage Conference "bubble" and avoid excursions it can be probably be done in a fairly safe manner (with all safety protocols observed). The risk factors are the representatives tend toward being older and much of the world is beginning/going through a "2nd Wave". I suppose we will see what they decide!

Let me rephrase: I think this is how it should be. Deviations from expert feedback should be the exception. It hasn't been of late with plenty of low quality sites inscribed.


Feels like a really wrong message to send to one travel only for the photo up. Both on the Covid as well as the CO2 side of things.

Postpone to June 2021

Many Japanese media report that WHC decided to postpone the meeting as well as decision on new WHS to June next year! The formal decision will be made during the meeting in early November.

Thanks for the update, Durian! Any hints whether 2020 and 2021 nominations will then be combined in 1 session, or whether everything just will move up by 1 year?

elsslots

Unfortunately no. All the report are very short, for Japanese, they seem to concern only that they have to wait further till April next year to know the IUCN's decision on their Okinawa island proposal.

jonathanfr

Thanks a lot for this jonathanfr. So the 26 (2019) + 22 (2020) nominations will now be deliberated within one session (44 COM) in June/July 2021. Hmm.. will that now be a month-long session? Haha

The examination of the 2021 nominations will be limited to "the ones for which the evaluation missions took place,". This implies that certain sites have not been visited by an evaluation mission. I don't see any heavy lockdown countries on the list for 2021, but it may also have had an effect on travelling to remote places (Gabon?)

And the document does not state where the combined meeting will take place. Guessing it will be China.

"At its 14th extraordinary session, held online on 2 November 2020, the World Heritage Committee has decided to hold an extended 44th session in June/July 2021 in Fuzhou, China. The exact dates will be determined at a later stage by the Chairperson of the Committee in consultation with the Secretariat."

https://whc.unesco.org/en/35/
https://whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/14EXTCOM

So 0 site this year and long months to wait before being able to enjoy new inscriptions.

At the bottom of this article is a link to another from a week ago that gives some more background information. It sounds like the Karen had been there for a fairly long time, with a relatively traditional lifestyle. I wonder if submitting this application as a Mixed Site might have helped to avoid these issues?