From 23 to 25 May 2014, the 4th Annual Coordination Meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage-related Category 2 Institutes and Centres (C2C) was held in Shanghai China. The annual meeting is convened by the World Heritage Centre (WHC), following Resolution 17 GA 9, adopted by the General Assembly of State Parties to the World Heritage Convention in 2009. The fouth meeting was hosted by WHITRAP. WHC, ICCROM, ICOMOS, IUCN and 10 C2Cs were invited, and about 38 participants attended the meeting.

Ms. CHEN Zheng, on behalf of Mr. ZHANG Xinsheng, Chairman of WHITRAP’s Governing Board, extended a warm welcome to the guests. He revisited the Hangzhou Declaration and stressed the opportunities and challenges in front of World Heritage-related C2Cs to work closely and strategically with the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies towards sustainable development. Mr. Kishore RAO, on behalf of WHC, recognised the annual C2C meeting is a useful channel for communication, exchange of knowledge and networking. Moreover, it is essential to decentralize services through capacity building and research, particularly during the restructuring of UNESCO.On the other hand, Mr. Giovanni BOCCARDI highlighted the expectations in line with newly adopted 37 C/4 Medium-Term Strategy (2014-2021) and C/5 Programme & Budgets.

Recommendations were put forward on May 24, including the following :
1.Develop or revise their strategies incorporating Result-Based Managment approach through a common reporting format by WHC/NWHF ;
2.Contribute within their capacity to the implementation of the World Heritage Strategy for Capacity Building (35 COM 9B) and strengthen their roles in the follow-up programmes and actions resulting from the regional Periodic Reporting exercises, in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre, UNESCO field offices, and Advisory Bodies ;
3.Strengthen synergies and cooperation at the regional level with UNESCO Chairs, IUCN regional networks and ICOMOS National Committees, and at the thematic level with ICCROM, ICOMOS International Scientific Committees and the UNESCO UNITWIN Networks;
4.The WHC and ABs will suggest an outline at the 5th annual meeting for a common strategy for all World Heritage-related C2Cs as a network, which should form the basis for further work by C2Cs ;
5.Enhance the collective identity and visibility of World Heritage-related C2Cs by holding a joint event at the 39th Session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in 2015, to present the work of C2Cs and mobilize support in their favour;
6.Approve the design and content of the updated version of brochure for World Heritage-related C2Cs, highlighting their achievements, to be distributed widely at the 39 WH COM ;
7.identify and develop case studies and best practices as a tool for effective capacity building programmes, highlighting lessons generated and focusing on agreed priority issues (resilience, post-disaster recovery, sustainable tourism for instance) and shared them among them ;
8.ARC-WH and AWHF to organize a side event at the 38 WH COM in Doha on “C2Cs contribution to sustainable development and to peace”.