Phase 4 - Reporting and acting on findings

It is only worth doing an assessment if it leads to concrete conclusions, and there is a willingness to implement recommendations and follow-up actions. Although this may sound obvious, there is a risk that completing the worksheets is seen as the end of the assessment process. A good assessment requires a final reflection to explore the implications of what has been learned by using the different tools.

Doing this final reflection will likely require a final workshop. This can be scheduled once the implementation team has compiled all the information gathered throughout the different phases of the assessment, drafted conclusions and identified clear and practicable recommendations for action. The recommendations and follow-up actions (mainly resulting from the use of Tool 12) should:

• be sufficiently clear and specific in order to improve conservation practices;
• be realistic enough to ensure feasible solutions are found for priority issues; and
• include short- and long-term priorities, with an indication of the time-frame, necessary budget and the responsibility for implementation (e.g. institution, department or group, including the need for collaboration).

While some recommendations will be relatively straightforward, others might be complex to implement. Recommendations may include the need to fill gaps in knowledge, to better understanding of existing human and financial capacities or to develop additional monitoring programmes. Sometimes, recommendations will address critical and strategic issues – such as a need for improved understanding of the values and attributes of the World Heritage property or a need to revise and more clearly formulate management objectives.

The analysis should also identify the extent to which challenges derive from lack of management measures, rather than from other causes, some of which may be beyond the managers’ control. Having a well-developed management system in place might not completely eliminate threats to 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 – for instance, factors related to climate change or social dynamics. Conversely, some properties with inadequate management systems may continue to maintain their values. It is important to understand the causes of success or failure of the management system, otherwise attempts to improve management mechanisms may be ineffective.

This final workshop is also an opportunity to discuss how the assessment findings will be presented in the final assessment report and communicated to relevant policy-makers, rights-holders and key stakeholders. The report should include the following components:

• An introduction setting out the context of the assessment, the process followed and who was involved.
• A clear, plain-language summary including the analysis resulting from using the different tools, and key conclusions.
• The recommendations and follow-up actions identified, and who will be responsible for their implementation.

The convenor is usually in the best position to publish and/or communicate the assessment report, once it has been approved by all the participants. However, this may not always be the case, so you should consider who else might be suitable to do this. It is important to share the report as soon as possible after publication in order to communicate the work and support the implementation of the assessment findings