The World Heritage Committee,

1. Welcomes the State Party's co-operation with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/Global Environment Facility (GEF) in an effort to conserve and protect the Volcanoes of Kamchatka World Heritage property;

2. Commends the State Party for beginning to implement Phase I of the project;

3. Regrets that the Russian authorities did not provide the report requested by 1 February 2003 (26 COM 21 (b) 20) until 20 May 2003;

4. Welcomes the invitation by the State Party for an IUCN and UNESCO mission to visit the property in spring 2004, to provide a report in order that the World Heritage Committee can examine the state of conservation of the property at its 28th session in 2004.