29. The General Assembly felt that these elections showed that the voting system as set out in the Rules of Procedure was no longer suitable to the present situation. On the one hand, the requirement of obtaining an absolute majority had necessitated nine ballots, and, on the other hand, the system did not guarantee an equitable representation of the different cultures and regions of the world. Consequently, the General Assembly recommended that the revision of this item of its Rules of Procedure should be inscribed on the agenda of its next session, and requested the Secretariat to propose modifications which would take account of the different suggestions made during this session, especially regarding the requirement of absolute majority, the creation of a General Assembly Candidates Committee, and the obligation for outgoing States to abide by the Recommendation not to seek immediate re-election. The States Parties were also invited to forward to the Secretariat their written proposals in this regard.

30. Under other matters, the General Assembly recommended that its future sessions devote more time to debates of substance aimed at defining general policy directives for the implementation of the Convention.

31. The Representative of Colombia informed the General Assembly that the seventeenth session of the World Heritage Committee would be held in her country, in Cartagena, and invited all the States Parties to attend the meeting.

32. Finally, the General Assembly adopted the following declaration and requested that it be widely diffused:

"The Representatives of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, meeting at UNESCO on 29 and 30 October 1993, in the framework of their General Assembly:

Express their grave concern in the face of the multiplication of risks brought about by armed conflict, turmoil and acts of terrorism, which increasingly threaten the very existence of the world cultural and natural properties;

Urgently request all State Parties to the Convention to make use of the media, to strengthen educational programmes and cultural events, and to encourage all populations world-wide to respect the cultural and natural heritage of their fellow men".

33. The Chairman then closed the ninth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention.