Regarding the proposed Connection by Solivagant about Comparative Studies needed to overturn a Deferral (or Referral):

I just had an offline e-mail conservation with Solivagant, I found the ones below doing a search directly on my database:

I'm checking them all now, to see if they fit the criteria. Including the additional ones Assif submitted.

1087 – Bremen- Needs comparative study of town halls >> a comparative study, which has since been provided by the State Party (2004 - out because done by the State Party alone)
695 – Roskilde - Bureau - until a comparative study on religious brick Gothic architecture is completed. - prepared by Professer Hans Andersson of the Department of Archaeology, University of Lund <Sweden> (in, seems independent enough)
586 – Rohtas - Await comparative study into Military Architecture of region - In fact, two comparative studies have been carried out: Military architecture in the geo-cultural region Central and South Asia: a comparative study by Niels Gutschow, lhsan Nadiem. Abdul Rehman, and Zeki Siinmez (January 1997) and Fort de Rohtas, Pakistan: Etude comparative by Pierre Bnm (April 1997). (in)
381- Salamanca - Until after comparative studies of University towns of Middle ages + Renaissance - ICOMOS carried out a comparative study on old European university towns
429 – New Lanark - comparative study on the industrial sites of 19th C – TICCIH prepared a comparative study of "Workers' villages as elements of the industrial heritage," at the request of ICOMOS (submitted with nomination of Crespi d'Adda 7 years later)
492 – Taos Pueblo - Until a comparative evaluation of Pueblo culture sites had been carried out - seems not to have taken place
625 – Mir Castle - Until a comparative Study of similar castles in the area has been carried out - no reference found that it took place
516 – Paquimé - Bureau -pending the results of a comparative study of property of this type located in Mexico and the United States. (Referral) - seems not to have taken place
565 – Kasbah of Algiers - Also ICOMOS to carry out a comparative study of "Medinas" - has not taken place: ICOMOS has prepared terms of reference for such a comprehensive study which would examine cultural values, authenticity and protective mechanisms among such sites. Completion of the study would require 6-8 months. (ICOMOS satisfied Algeria committed to preserve)
1226 – Stone Circles of Senegambia - Bureau - want comparative study of megalithic monuments in NW Africa - seems to not have taken place
797 – Verona - Bureau - combine it with an eventual nomination of the Historic Centre of Verona OR await completion of Comparative study (possibly of amphitheatres) -> no evidence found to this statement (or Verona) in Bureau files of 1997
686 – Miguasha - Bureau - importance recognised but lacked context in which to judge comparatively. Centre to organise a study into sites covering Earth's evolutionary history - Only found; The State Party commissioned a study, published in 1998, to establish the relative scientific and
conservation significance of the world's Devonian fossil sites. (out)
785 – Semmering Railway - Bureau - want comparative study by TICCIH - A comparative study of outstanding railway systems of
technological and historical importance has been prepared by TICCIH at the request of ICOMOS. The Semrneringbahn complies with all the criteria for evaluation set out in that study

Vlkolinec - study on Central European villages - ICOMOS presented to the Bureau the results of the comparative study on "Traditional Villages in the Carpathian Basin and its immediate surroundings"

Fort Jesus - Expand the comparative analysis to include other relevant fortresses and go beyond the Portuguese context; - seems to be in context of nom file (out)

Skogskyrkogarden - comparative study of this type of property (ie cemeteries). - Polish National Committee of ICOMOS organized an international colloquium in Wroclaw (Poland) in October 1993. A working group was charged with drawing up a list of the most important cemeteries in the world, which were worthy of consideration for inclusion on the World Heritage List.

Lunenburg - comparative study into colonial planned settlements - ICOMOS feelS therefore that priority should be given as part Of the Global
Strategy to a comparative study Of all the cultural properties of this type, perhaps supported by both the excolonial
powers and the "hOst" States parties. It is worthy Of note that a seminar covering part of this field, the DutCh colonial heritage, was organized in January 1995 in Sri Lanka. >> NB: site was not formally Deferred (AB overruled), Bureau discussion (Out)

Kunta Kinteh - Bureau - want comparative study of early colonial trading settlements in West Africa - no reference found that it took place

Ban Chiang - Bureau - pending more study of Ban Chiang and comparative studies of similar sites (similar to Lunenburg, not formally Deferred and not referred to anymore)

I was trying to find something done by TICCIH on this matter and came across that organisation's "Bulletin".
The latest (2nd Q 2016) has an item titled "20th Century Thematic World Heritage Study re-starts"
I quote (There is) "a huge need for World Heritage Studies to contextualise individual World Heritage Nominations. The types of 'OUV' – Outstanding Universal Value – suitable for each type of tentative World Heritage Site need to be more closely defined so that the criteria & attributes justifying a particular site or building's suitability for inclusion on the World Heritage List becomes clearer."
So they have identified
"11 categories of 20th century sites: education; religion; commerce and industry; government and public activities;
culture, recreation and leisure; transportation and communications; housing; health care; military activities; mixed used districts and communities & society."
and
"21 areas of particular interest to the period: Air Transport, Chemicals, Civil Engineering, Communications, Factories, Food Industry, Housing, Industrial Communities, Iron & Steel, Manufacturing Industries, Mechanical Engineering, Minerals, Power & Energy, Rail Transport, Road Transport, Seaside Holidays, Sea Transport, Service Industries and Textiles."
This all seems to be an excellent framework for considering 20th C Heritage!!!
See page 17 of http://ticcih.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/TB72162.pdf
This seems to be an initiative worth "keeping in touch with"!
I wonder also if is worth putting our discussions on Thematic studies on a separate Forum subject

Done!

Overview of thematic studies by ICOMOS:

http://www.icomos.org/en/what-we-do/disseminating-knowledge/publicationall/monographi c-series/198-thematic-studies-for-the-world-heritage-convention

Limited access, but some of you may be able to read "Contested Townscapes: The Walled City as World Heritage"
https://www.jstor.org/stable/40026204?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

ICOMOS has also initiated a thematic study on the Tea Landscapes of Asia that it is
planning to finalize by the end of 2017.

Tentative Nomination(s)
- Ancient Tea Plantations of Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er (China)

Potential Tentative Nomination(s)
- Ceylon Tea plantations - Dambatenne estates and Loolkadura (Sri Lanka)

This thematic study could lead to nominations from Japan and Korea in regards to tea landscapes.

The second edition of the thematic study on the Cultural heritages of water in the arid,
semi-arid and Mediterranean regions of the Middle East and the Maghreb is planned
for June 2017.

Reports on the Advisory Bodies

See also this recent discussion paper by ICOMOS on "Sites Associated with Memories of Recent Conflicts"

https://www.icomos.org/images/DOCUMENTS/World_Heritage/ICOMOS_Discussion_paper_Sites_ associated_with_Memories_of_Recent_Conflicts.pdf

This may shed light also on the negative advice for the 2018 nomination of the WWI sites: "Given the complexities and sensitivities raised by these current and proposed nominations, and the questions they raise in relation to the purpose and scope of the Convention, it is suggested that a period of reflection could be beneficial."

Thanks for that Els, I guess with other such sites in the pipeline (Rwanda, D-Day Beaches, I'm sure there are others) perhaps they want to lay down a large marker to say not every commemorative site will be inscribed and this is the site they have chosen to do it on.

New Thematic Study (2019)
Rock Art in East Asia

3 Nominations where primary claim for OUV is based on Rock Art
- Petroglyphic Complexes in the Mongolian Gobi (Mongolia)
- Daegokcheon Stream Petroglyphs (Republic of Korea)
- Petroglyphs of Sikachi-Alyan (Russian Federation)

New one by IUCN: World Heritage thematic study for Central Asia - Priority sites for World Heritage nomination under criteria (ix) and (x)
https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2020-003-En.pdf

They recommend:
Sites already inscribed in the WH List that could be extended
- Golden Mountains of Altai Russian Federation (potential for extension in Kazakhstan)
- Saryarka – Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan Kazakhstan
- Western Tien-Shan Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan

Sites currently included on Tentative Lists:
- Tigrovaya Balka Tajikistan
- Badhyz and Kopetdag Mountains Turkmenistan
- Northern Tien-Shan Kazakhstan
- Repetek State Biosphere Reserve Turkmenistan (potential for serial nomination in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan)

Areas not included on Tentative Lists:
- Southern Ustyurt Plateau Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
- Cold Winter Deserts of Central Asia Transnational

Well this thematic report (pg. 50) would have been really useful when we were discussing Africa! A list of 20 priority sites with information about criteria and a summary of potential OUV. We did get some proposals with some overlap, but we also missed quite a bit. Maybe we should have a special addendum (2-day extension for Africa when all regions are complete)? This could lead to couple more potential nominations with this resource as a guide and perhaps some clarification around very sparse info on proposal summaries?

Bale Mountains National Park (Ethiopia)
Benguela Current Marine Ecosystem Sites (Namibia)
Biosphere reserve of the Bijagos Archipelago (Guinea-Bissau)
Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape (contiguous site) (South Sudan)
Dinosaur Fossil Beds of Niger (Niger)
Erte Arle and the Danakil Depression (Ethiopia)
Madagascar Dry Forests (Madagascar)
Sudd Wetland (South Sudan)

The Eastern Arc Coastal Forests (Transnational - Kenya and Tanzania)
- Arabuko-Sokoke and Shimba Hills (Kenya)
- The Tana Delta and Forests Complex (Kenya)
- Jozani-Chwaka Bay Conservation Area (Tanzania)

Lake Tanganyika (Transnational - Burundi, DR Congo, Tanzania and Zambia)
- Le lac Tanganyika (Burundi)
- Sumbu National Park (Zambia)
- Mahale Mountains and Gombe Stream National Parks (Tanzania)

Equatorial Atlantic Coastal Forests (Transnational - Congo and Gabon)
- Conkouati-Douli National Park (Congo)
- MoukalabaDoudou National Parks (Gabon)
- Mayumba National Park (Gabon)
- Loango National Parks (Gabon)

Montane Forests of the Southern Albertine Rift (Transnational - Burundi, DR Congo, and Rwanda)
- Kibira National Park (Burundi)
- Itombwe Natural Reserve, Kabobo and Ngandia Reserves (DRC)
- Nyungwe National Park (Rwanda)

Mozambique Channel (Transnational - Comoros, France, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania)
- The Quirimbas Archipelago (Mozambique)
- Tofo-Bazaruto (Mozambique)
- Ecosystemes marins de l'archipel des Comores (Comoros)
- NOSYnaka (Madagascar)
- Madagascar Plateau (the deep south) (Madagascar)
- Îles Éparses (French Indian Ocean Territory)

Protected Forests of the Gulf of Guinea (Transnational - Cameroon and Nigeria)
- Korup National Park (Cameroon)
- Takamanda National Park (Cameroon)
- Oban Hills/Korup (Nigeria)
- Afi River Forest Reserve (Nigeria)
- Cross River National Park (Okwangwo Division)

Succulent Karoo Protected Areas (Transnational - Namibia, South Africa)

Tropical Moist Forests of the Upper Guinea Biodiversity Hotspot (Transnational - Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone)

- Kakum National Park (Assin Attandanso Reserve) (Ghana)
- Ankasa and Bia National Parks (Ghana)
- Gola Rainforest National Park (Sierra Leone)
- Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary (Sierra Leone)
- Western Area Peninsula National Park (Sierra Leone)

Volcanic Islands and Forests of the Gulf of Guinea and Cameroon Highlands (Transnational - Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and São Tomé and Príncipe)

- São Tomé, Príncipe and Annobón
- Bioko
- Mount Cameroon

Arab States
Chott el Jerid (Tunisia)
Great Western Desert (Egypt)

I think it is a good idea. I would do the same for other regions too. As said, I think our analysis of Europe-North America superseded what we did for other regions. For example, nature in Russia, Canada and USA were considered in more detail that their parallels in Australia, India and China.

I just found the 2nd thematic study / discussion paper by ICOMOS on the "Sites associated with memories of Recent Conflicts". It is dated May 2020.

See:
https://www.icomos.org/en/documentation-center/75913-sites-associated-with-memories-of-recent-conflicts-and-the-wh

Spoiler alert:
ICOMOS gives a negative advice about allowing such sites (such as the WWI and WWII sites, the Rwanda genocide memorial) in under the current concept of the World Heritage Convention. Mostly because "it would not be in line with a positive message of Outstanding Universal Value and the peace mandate of UNESCO".

Current Tentative List sites associated with memories of recent conflicts:

World War 1 – sites from Slovenia, Belgium and France, Turkey
- Funeral and memorial sites of the First World War (Western Front), Belgium and France
- The Walk of Peace from the Alps to the Adriatic – Heritage of the First World War, Slovenia
- Çanakkale (Dardanelles) and Gelibolu (Gallipoli) Battles Zones in the First World War, Turkey

World War II – sites from France and Russian Federation
- Les Plages du Débarquement, Normandie, 1944, France
- Mamayev Kurgan Memorial Complex "To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad", Russian Federation

War against apartheid – site from Angola
- Cuito Cuanavale, Site de Libération et Indépendence, Angola – monument to a
battle by Angolans and Cubans against the former apartheid regime in South
Africa.

Civil war – serial site from Rwanda
- Sites mémoriaux du génocide : Nyamata, Murambi, Bisesero et Gisozi, Rwanda
- Torture sites & jails – Argentina, Campo Verde, India
- ESMA Site Museum - Former Clandestine Centre of Detention, Torture, and
Extermination, Argentina
- Camp de concentration du Tarrafal, Capo Verde – camp built as a prison camp
and for extermination
- Cellular Jail, Andaman Islands, India – for political dissidents

If I had to decide inscription for all of these sites or Not Inscribe, it would be an easy choice.

The Water Industry as World Heritage (2018)
http://ticcih.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/TICCIH-Water-Report.pdf