This morning I met with and welcomed representatives from two of the World Heritage Committee’s technical advisory bodies, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
The technical advisory bodies are visiting Tasmania this week at the request of the World Heritage Committee, and in response to the invitation issued by the Tasmanian Government.
We very much appreciate the opportunity to have the technical advisers to the World Heritage Committee on the ground in Tasmania so that they can inform themselves about the management of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and have the opportunity to meet with stakeholders.
We welcome this proactive engagement with the World Heritage Committee and its technical advisory bodies and we are listening carefully to what they have to say.
The technical advisers will spend the week in Tasmania assessing the state of conservation of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and will provide advice on the finalisation of the draft Management Plan for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
While in Tasmania, the technical advisory bodies will meet with Australian and Tasmanian government officials, representatives from the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, non-government organisations, tourism and forestry sectors, researchers and subject matter experts.
The technical advisers will also be provided with an update on the preparation underway for the cultural heritage values study of the World Heritage property.
Following completion of the mission, IUCN and ICOMOS will provide recommendations to the Government and the World Heritage Committee.
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is expected to publish the mission report prior to the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee in July 2016.
This visit by the technical advisory bodies will be another important step in finalising a new management plan for Tasmania's unique and precious World Heritage Area.
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