Israel reduces its UN budget after Hebron decision -
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/israel-un-budget-jewish-heritage-museums-unesco-wor ld-heritage-site-hebron-protest-palestinian-city-a7830391.html

I am happy to visit Gulangyu last year. The island is really nice but already overload with Chinese tourists. The inscription will double or triple the visitors! Ah just imagine of numbers of people pack on that island, already make me goosebump.

They have visitor limitations set from June 15, according to the AB evaluation (15,000 a day).

Hello everyone, ready for this great day?

There have been a few negative comments about the Chairman - mainly in regard to his "time management". Actually I thought he handled the conflicts reasonably well and time management is always a problem at the WHC.
Anyway - those of you watching the WHC might be interested in his CV on Wiki (in Polish but the auto translation is ok)
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacek_Purchla

I think the chairmanship standard was set very high by the lady chairperson who had chaired the 2015 WHC.

YAZD continued
So - Criterion iii is to be removed with "general agreement"
Finland suggests agreeing with ICOMOS and removing Criterion iv AS WELL
Which just leaves Criterion v and Finland has more to say on this if Crit iv is agreed to be removed
BUT Azerbaijan NOW says it wants Crit iii left in and Kuwait agrees (they see the way the wind is blowing on this and don't want to be left with a "dodgy" Crit v!!!)
So now there is a "Persian Market" on which Criteria to leave in and take out - iii and iv or just iii or just iv .....?
So now they delete iv and leave iii in - what a way to make decisions!
Finland wants continued studies on justification of Crit iii and v - but in that case how can they inscribe?
Suddenly, without it being absolutely clear that all parties have had their say Chairman says he finds the amended decision accepted and ...... silence!!!
No one seems quite sure what has happened and he has to remind the entire gathering that this means that Yazd has been "Inscribed" ......Applause!!!! (Albeit that more study/investigation is required on its OUV!!!)

The Chair (having heard every delegation support the inscription of all 8 Japanese islands) tries to prevent yet more speeches along the same lines and tries ONLY have a speech from anyone disagreeing with this.
Portugal disagrees and makes a rather interesting statement - "There is a political dimension to all this"!!!!!
i.e ALL delegates should be given the chance to show VISIBLE, PUBLIC and RECORDED support even if they are otherwise adding nothing since the nomination is clearly going to be inscribed as a whole.
This all about "pay back time" - I supported YOUR favoured nomination publicly and would now ask YOU to do the same with mine!!! Thus do WHS get inscribed

At a quick count we have 5 Nominations from countries who are represented on the WHC this year - Sheki (Azerbaijan), Tarnowski (Poland) and Aphrodisias (Turkey), Venetian Forts (Croatia - as part of multi nat nomin), "W" extension (B Faso as part)
This is higher I think than other recent years (though it used to happen rather more in early days) - some countries of course have honourably refused to put forward nominations whilst they are on the WHC (e.g NL)

I am not sure if the operational guidelines or even common "Fair practice" limits what such State Parties can do during the discussions on their proposal. All SPs have a right to make certain matters clear even if they are not actually ON the WHC so presumably even WHC members continue to have this right - but presumably NOT to make arguments in favour or suggest amendments??

This, and the fact that Poland is the host, is my only hope that Tarnowskie Góry might be inscribed. But personally I would like to see the rule of no proposals from a country represented on the WHC (especially in the view of that Portuguese delegate's statement).

On the basis of the Sheki discussion, it seems indeed that the State Party in this case is not "allowed" to comment except when called upon by the Chairperson (I remember this was also the case in previous sessions). Which of course doesn't mean that they can't discuss it bilaterally or during lunch / "side events".

Sheki is Referred BTW

Venetian Works seems to be proceeding in accordance with the recommendation of ICOMOS (6 components only to be inscribed). No discussion this time to add more of the other components.

Venetian Works inscribed. A comparatively fast one.

So - is a "European" country (Denmark) going to get the same sort of widespread support which developing countries have been getting to reduce the impact of ICOMOS recommendations???
It looks as if it is possible. And of course they are likely to look at it from a Greenlandic rather than a Danish point of view - Inuit are a bit like the San - everyone "likes" them!!
This would be my 3rd Visited site this morning if it goes through (With Yazd and Venetian forts)!!

First time I can remember the argument being used (Correctly in my point of view) that delaying inscription CAN actually INCREASE the chances of bad events happening to a site

Because of the overlap with several other WHS and its location in Europe my money is on the Venetian defence works having the highest visited count when everything shakes out.