The Conference of the Parties

1. Welcomes the organization of the international conference Benefits Beyond Inscription: Leveraging the UNESCO Brand for Sustainable Tourism Development in Central European Regions held on 5 May 2017 in Bardejov, the Slovak Republic, especially with reference to the panel discussion on World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism in the Carpathians and its conclusions;

2. Notes the paper World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism in the Carpathians outlining the natural and cultural heritage in the region and its potential for development of sustainable tourism, and recommendation for closer cooperation with relevant partners in this respect;

3. Welcomes the concept of promoting the World Heritage Sites in the Carpathians with an aim to support sustainable tourism development in the region, requests the Secretariat to take needed actions in this respect in close cooperation with the Working Group on Cultural Heritage and Traditional Knowledge (hereinafter WG Cultural Heritage), and potentially with the WG Tourism;

4. Noting the lack of progress made regarding the implementation of paragraph 4 of Decision COP4/7, welcomes the proposal by Hungary to host the next meeting of the WG Cultural Heritage, requests the WG Cultural Heritage to identify priorities for the implementation of Article 11 of the Carpathian Convention and to propose next steps to the CCIC, including the possibility of the development of a redrafted Protocol on Cultural Heritage and Traditional Knowledge.