ICOMOS World Heritage Panel 2025-2026

Structure of the panel

The Panel meeting was divided in three parts. Firstly, Panel members examined and discussed the cultural and mixed sites nominated for inscription. Secondly, delegations from each nominating States Parties had the opportunity to hold meetings with the ICOMOS Panel. Finally, Panel members adopted provisional recommendations and discussed the content of the Interim reports and additional information requests.

Moreover, and as prescribed by the Operational Guidelines, interim reports were delivered to each nominating State Party by the end of December 2025.

Before the discussions took place, Panel members rigorously examined a range of documents including:

• the nomination dossiers and additional information submitted by States Parties;
• ICOMOS technical evaluation mission reports;
• desk reviews, and
• information provided by relevant ICOMOS National Committees.

Following these examinations, Panel members were requested to provide a written report.

Related additional meetings

1. January 2026: an extraordinary session of the ICOMOS World Heritage Panel examined a nomination for which the Technical Evaluation Mission was carried out in January 2026;
2. March 2026: a second meeting of the ICOMOS World Heritage Panel discussed the responses received from the States Parties and adopted the final recommendations for all nominated sites;
3. June 2026: a second Extraordinary session of the ICOMOS World Heritage Panel evaluated a property nominated on an Emergency basis;
4. Early July 2026: the ICOMOS World Heritage Panel was consulted only as regards the emergency character of a second property nominated on an Emergency basis.

About the panel members

Confidentiality

All Panel members must declare any potential conflict of interest. In all cases, an ICOMOS Panel member whose nationality is the same as that of the subject of the evaluation is absent from the discussion and decision-making process. At the beginning of the meeting, all Panel members must sign the ICOMOS World Heritage Policy Paper and the ICOMOS Commitment of Confidentiality.

The Panel members undertake to respect the confidentiality of the discussions and of the ICOMOS recommendations agreed upon. In finalising and releasing the outcomes of the evaluations, communication with States Parties should be conducted solely via the ICOMOS International Secretariat.

Diversity

The ICOMOS Panel brings together about thirty professionals and is made up of individual experts appointed by ICOMOS from its network (ICOMOS Board, representatives of ICOMOS International Scientific Committees, ICOMOS members) and beyond. They collectively possess a wide range of relevant world heritage skills and experience. The Panel members are selected each year depending on the nature of the properties nominated (e.g., rock art, 20th century heritage, industrial heritage, etc.) and on the basis of geo-cultural balanced representation. The collective expertise of the Panel is complimented by the advice which the ICOMOS advisors provide. Most importantly, they represent the various professional, geographic and cultural sensibilities present at the international level.

For the 2025–2026 evaluation cycle, the Panel’s composition reflects ICOMOS’s regional balance, with approximately 20% of Commission members representing each of the five regions.

In the framework of a collaboration between ICOMOS and the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), experts from the Africa region received funding to participate to Panel meetings in person. ICOMOS hopes this fruitful collaboration will continue throughout the coming years, as this ensures a balanced and solid regional representation in accordance with the standards of the ICOMOS evaluation procedure.