222 EX/4.INF PARIS, 12 August 2025 English and French only Job: 2500602E Executive Board Item 4 of the provisional agenda FOLLOW-UP TO DECISIONS AND RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD AND THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT THEIR PREVIOUS SESSIONS VENUE OF THE 43rd SESSION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE SUMMARY By 42 C/Resolution 82, the General Conference decided that its 43rd session will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The General Conference requested the Director-General to present to the Executive Board, at its 219th session and its following sessions, updates on different aspects of the preparation of the session. The present document contains relevant information therein. Two hundred and twenty-second session222 EX/4.INF – page 3 UNESCO official side events in the margin of the General Conference 16. As per usual practice, and in accordance with 35 C/Resolution 99, a series of UNESCO official side events will be held alongside the main proceedings of the General Conference, providing a platform to showcase the Organization’s flagship programmes and key priorities. 17. UNESCO’s official visual identity for the 43rd session of the General Conference, will be consistently applied across all materials and activities. A single unified exhibition, coordinated by the Division of Communications and Public Engagement (CPE), will be held within the Blue Zone, showcasing UNESCO’s impact and key achievements. 18. In addition to this official exhibition, Member States may organize side events in the margins of the General Conference, outside the Blue Zone, including in hotels or other venues throughout the host city. Printed on recycled paper222 EX/4.INF – page 2 Environmental aspects 9. The Government of Uzbekistan committed to ensuring that the General Conference is organized in an environmentally responsible manner and to reducing its environmental impact. A Green Action Plan was developed by UNESCO and the Government of Uzbekistan, describing in detail practical measures that will be implemented before, during and after the session. These measures include eliminating single-use plastics, minimizing paper use, implementing energy and water efficiency measures at hotels and the conference venue, offering vegetarian and plant-based meal options and providing eco-friendly local transportation. The Green Action Plan also includes precise actions, by the Government of Uzbekistan, to measure the environmental impact by a collection of detailed data regarding travel, energy, waste, water, which will be offset or compensated according to the UNESCO Environmental Sustainability Strategy. 10. In response to Member States’ concerns about the environmental aspects of the upcoming 43rd session, as also reflected in 42 C/Resolution 82, the Secretariat of the Governing Bodies is implementing environmentally-friendly measures, including a significant reduction in the printing of working documents and the provision of print-on-demand services only for delegates who explicitly request a printed copy in writing. UNESCO Workforce 11. Regarding the UNESCO workforce, special temporary human resources measures are being put in place to support Secretariat staff involved in the 43rd session of the General Conference, whether travelling to Samarkand or providing support remotely from Headquarters or field offices. An all-staff information meeting about the 43rd General Conference in Samarkand was held on 10 June 2025. Measures with respect to participants to the General Conference 12. The invitation letter to Member States and Associate Members was sent by the Director- General on 28 May 2025. United Nations bodies, programmes and specialized agencies, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations, as approved by the Executive Board at its 221st session, have also received the invitation. 13. The online INDICO registration system has been operational since 2 June 2025.The official website of the General Conference provides further information and instructions on the relevant procedure, while the Host country facilitates the logistical and protocol arrangements, also contained in document 43 C/INF.2. Member States were also notified on 30 May 2025 about the procedure for the submission of credentials to the 43rd session of the General Conference and on 16 June 2025, about the details concerning participation in the General Policy Debate. Special meetings 14. By 221 EX/Decision 24.II the Executive Board approved the draft plan for the organization of the work of the 43rd session of the General Conference, including the special meetings to be organized during the session. 15. The General Assembly of States Parties to the 1972 World Heritage Convention decided at its extraordinary session on 17 March 2025, to open its 25th ordinary session during the 43rd session of the General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to consider the items of the provisional agenda related to the opening of the General Assembly, the election of the Chairperson, Vice- Chairpersons, and Rapporteur of the General Assembly and the adoption of the agenda and timetable. It further decided to consider subsequent items of the provisional agenda of the 25th session of the General Assembly at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, after the 43rd session of the General Conference.222 EX/4.INF Background 1. At the 219th session of the Executive Board, the Director-General presented, in document 219 EX/5.INF, the environmental impact of holding the 43rd session of the General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, based on UNESCO’s Environmental Sustainability and Management Policy, containing calculations of the organization of the session and the related use of facilities. 2. At the 220th session of the Executive Board, document 220 EX/5.INF described progress on overall coordination between UNESCO and the Government of Uzbekistan. Progress was also reported on the logistical set-up of the facilities and IT needs for the General Conference, as well as on the identification of the physical perimeter of the venue (the “Blue Zone”) and on the optimal allocation of spaces. 3. At its 221st session, the Executive Board was informed of the progress on IT needs, logistical, environmental, financial, and security aspects, as well as visa and travel arrangements. The report also covered the Green Action Plan for minimizing the environmental impact. The delimitation of the Blue Zone and of the single official exhibition therein, as well as all related security aspects were agreed upon with the Uzbek Authorities and were reflected in the signed Statement of Requirements. Further the Uzbek authorities proposed revised floorplans of the venue in July 2025. Thus, as a follow-up, UNESCO and the Uzbek authorities are finalizing the General Conference space layout and the delimitation of the Blue Zone. 4. On the margins of the 221st session of the Executive Board, two information sessions were organized by the Permanent Delegation of Uzbekistan to UNESCO, for Permanent Delegations of all Member States on 14 and 15 April 2025, focusing on the practical arrangements for participants of the 43rd session of the General Conference. 5. A further mission is planned in September 2025, which will focus on the finalization of all logistical arrangements, in coordination with the UNESCO Tashkent Office, as well as on the preparation of the Youth Forum, to be held on 27 and 28 October 2025 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, immediately before the opening of the session. Host Country Agreement 6. The Host Country Agreement and its annex, the Statement of Requirements (SoR), were signed on 1 April 2025 by UNESCO’s Deputy Director-General and the Chairperson of Uzbekistan's National Commission for UNESCO, thus formalizing the cooperation framework between UNESCO and the Government of Uzbekistan, clearly defining mutual responsibilities for the organization of the 43rd session of the General Conference and specifying the logistical, security, and operational support to be provided by the host country, ensuring optimal conditions for participants, as well as environmental sustainability measures. Budgetary provisions 7. The General Conference, by its 42 C/Resolution 82, requested that updates on preparations for the organization of the work of the session presented to the Executive Board also include provisions ensuring that all additional costs of holding the 43rd session away from Headquarters, comprising those associated with the additional carbon footprint, are budgeted for. 8. The financial obligations related to hosting the 43rd session were articulated in detail in the Statement of Requirements, ensuring the financial provisions necessary for the organization of the session. The Government of Uzbekistan transferred the first deposit to UNESCO’s bank account on 26 June 2025. This includes coverage of additional costs identified in the Host Country Agreement and its Statement of Requirements.