Tool 12 - Review of Management Effectiveness Assessment Findings

1. To combine the findings from the individual tools and gather an overall picture of the effectiveness of the management system.
2. To identify what improvements to the management system should be made and devise a strategy to implement necessary actions in the short, medium and long term.
3. To help prioritize follow-up actions necessary to address identified gaps and challenges.

If the management system is not delivering (or only partly delivering) desired outcomes and protecting the values and attributes of the property, it may be tempting to think that external causes are mostly to blame. However, there can be shortcomings within the management system itself, and carrying out a management effectiveness assessment will help you to identify where these might be. A thorough application of the EoH 2.0 tools should, at this point in the process, reveal a considerable body of information on the management system for the World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. or other heritage place. The assessment will have identified strengths and weaknesses, as well as challenges and opportunities. However, the assessment of the management system is only an initial step: assessments are only worth the time and energy needed to undertake them if they lead to improvements in management measures to address identified gaps and challenges. Therefore, all assessments must conclude with the development of an action plan or strategy to prioritize and implement findings and follow-up actions.

Assessments of management effectiveness will often be linked to specific management requirements or ongoing projects (such as revisions to the management plan), development of annual work plans and budgets, or to support various reporting requirements. As well as informing such requirements, the assessment will also indicate where additional management measures are needed. For example: developing new monitoring programmes or strengthening existing ones; revising staff work practices; revisiting governance arrangements; and strengthening planning processes. In some cases, follow-up actions can be implemented immediately; other actions may take many years and require long-term funding. It is essential that any action plan or strategy identify time-frames and funding sources, as well as ensure the commitment of all relevant actors to implementing management measures.

A key purpose of periodically assessing management effectiveness is to check that the management system continues to perform efficiently and effectively, particularly in response to new and emerging needs. Heritage places are constantly changing. Therefore, management systems need to adapt and continuously improve in order to effectively respond to growing uncertainty and change.

For each of the tools provided in this Toolkit, there are rows at the end of each worksheet to record opportunities, recommendations and follow-up actions identified during each part of the assessment. Worksheet 12 allows you to list the follow-up actions identified during the assessment process. For tools and worksheets that were not used – either because certain management mechanisms were not in place or because you decided to only use a selection of tools at this point in time – state the reasons why. Once compiled, Worksheet 12 provides a basis for the development of a strategy and/or action plan that can be used to implement the findings of the management effectiveness evaluation. The evaluation, as well as the action plan or strategy, should inform the revision of the next management plan or other primary planning instrument for your World Heritage property A cultural, natural or mixed heritage place inscribed on the World Heritage List and therefore considered to be of OUV for humanity. The responsibility for nominating a property to the World Heritage List falls upon the State(s) Party(ies) where it is located. The World Heritage Committee decides whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, taking into account the technical recommendations of the Advisory Bodies following rigorous evaluation processes.
When used as a general term, World Heritage refers to all the natural, cultural and mixed properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. or other heritage place.