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To: States Parties to the World Heritage Convention (Non-Committee Members) Culture Sector World Heritage Centre Ref.: CLT/WHC/PSM/23/44 18 July 2023 Subject: Invitation to the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 10-25 September 2023 Dear Sir/Madam, On behalf of the Director-General, I have the honour of inviting you to participate as an observer in the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee. The Committee session will take place in Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) at the Al Faisaliah Centre, from 10 to 25 September 2023. Further details regarding the venue and timing of the opening ceremony will be communicated in due course of time. According to Rule 8.1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Committee, "States Parties to the Convention which are not Committee Members may attend the sessions of the Committee as observers". I would be grateful, therefore, if you could inform the UNESCO World Heritage Centre ([email protected]) of the name(s) and title(s) of the person(s) designated to represent your Government at the forthcoming session of the Committee. 1. Meeting documents Please find enclosed the Provisional Agenda and Timetable for the session, as well as the General Information document containing complete details of all the arrangements made for the session. All working and information documents for the extended 45th session can be consulted in both English and French at https://whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/45COM starting from 19 July 2023, and as they become available. In an effort to minimize environmental impact and reduce costs, hard copies of the documents will not be provided. The working languages of the Committee are English and French. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in both languages. Thanks to the generosity of Spain and of the Russian Federation, interpretation will be also available in Spanish throughout the session and in Russian from 11 to 20 September. Please note that the debates of the meeting will be transmitted on https://whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/45COM in real time by webcast. 2. Registration of participants and logistics All participation requests shall be submitted online and will follow a 2-step process. To register, please follow the instructions at the following address: https://whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/45COM United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, Place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP France T: +33 (0)1 45 68 11 01 In order to register as an Observer State Party Non-Committee Member, kindly note that your access code is RIYADH45SP. All delegates who wish to attend the extended 45th session are strongly encouraged to register as soon as possible, and before 10 August 2023. This will enable the organizers, as well as the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, to process the information rapidly and prevent any inconvenience for the participants. Should you require any assistance, encounter any difficulties with online registration process, or if you have not received a confirmation e-mail, please reach out by using the contact form available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/45COM. Participants are encouraged to book their hotels as soon as possible, following their online registration and accreditation. Please note that the travel, accommodation, subsistence expenses and all insurance costs of participants are their own responsibility. Further information on hotels is available in the General Information document and on the Host Country’s dedicated website at https://45whcriyadh2023.com. Please note that any information or requests sent to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre regarding hotel reservations will be considered for information purposes only and will not be forwarded to the Host country. 3. Visas For all enquiries concerning visas and other formalities required to enter the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, please refer to the General Information document. To ensure visas are issued in time for the meeting, all participants are strongly encouraged to take the necessary steps to obtain their visa as soon as possible following the completion of their online registration and accreditation. I would like to inform you that no individual letter will be provided to support your visa application process, nor will the UNESCO World Heritage Centre be able to intervene regarding decisions taken by the Host country on visa applications. Please accept, Sir/Madam, the assurances of my highest consideration. Lazare Eloundou Assomo Secretary, World Heritage Convention Enc. - Provisional Agenda of the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee - Provisional Timetable of the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee - General Information document - Rules of Procedure of the World Heritage Committee 2/2