No Go in World Heritage sites and other protected areas: success stories in leveraging the private sector and remaining challenges

This session will explore in a participatory way, how cooperation with the private sector, including mining, oil and gas, the insurance and financial sector can be a driving force to ensure that World Heritage sites and protected areas be safeguarded from certain developments which might irreversibly affect their values. It will take stock of the World Heritage natural sites experience in implementing the “No Go" commitment, including its growing uptake by financial institutions and insurance companies, and it will assess the opportunity for the development of practical guidance to implement effectively the IUCN Recommendation WCC-2016-Rec-102. The session is designed for business representatives (including financial institutions and insurance companies), NGOs, protected areas managers, government officials, certification schemes’ representatives.