The World Heritage Committee,
1. Takes note of the excellent Progress Report on the Evaluation of Emergency Assistance;
2. Requests the World Heritage Centre to:
a) ensure that, exceptionally, if resources from the World Heritage Fund for emergency assistance are insufficient, properties already inscribed on the World Heritage List receive such assistance on a priority basis,
b) give priority to properties that are on the List of World Heritage in Danger,
c) verify that Emergency Assistance will be used only to address emergency situations strictly relating to the conservation of the World Heritage Site,
d) ensure that decisions on Emergency Assistance are taken in a timely way and that funds are transferred promptly. In the case of funds transferred to a Regional Office, ensure that the office disburses funds in accordance with the Emergency Assistance plan,
e) prepare further concrete proposals on the basis of the recommendations made in the evaluation report, notably in regard to the Emergency Assistance application process, selection process, implementation of assistance, monitoring and reporting requirements to be presented to
the Committee at its 29th session in 2005,
f) develop in the coming year an evaluation of the other components of the International Assistance to be presented to the Committee at its 29th session in 2005,
g) prepare on the basis of the evaluation of Emergency Assistance and the evaluation mentioned in paragraph e) a set of proposals in order to provide a comprehensive framework for optimisation of International Assistance with special attention to definition of the role and responsibilities of the World Heritage Committee, Advisory Bodies, World Heritage Centre, Regional Offices, and States Parties so as to ensure adequate transparency, monitoring, and accountability. This would be presented for further discussion to the Committee at its 30th session in 2006 ;
3. Invites the World Heritage Centre, in co-operation with the States Parties, Advisory Bodies, and other international agencies and non-governmental organisations concerned by emergency interventions, to prepare a riskpreparedness
strategy to be presented to the Committee at its 30th session in 2006 ;
4. Recommends that States Parties include risk preparedness as an element in their World Heritage Site Management plans and training strategies.