Madame Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I introduce the World Heritage Convention Bill to the National Assembly this afternoon.

This Bill is designed to create a legal and administrative framework that will allow the first three cultural and natural sites in South Africa to be granted World Heritage Status by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations' Environmental Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

With this legislation I am confident that in December this year UNESCO will award our first three nominations -- Robben Island, the first hominid sites at Sterkfontein and the Greater St Lucia wetlands -- their rightful status in the world alongside the Acropolis in Athens, the Grand Canyon in America and Great Zimbabwe. The status of these three areas as World Heritage Sites will considerably enhance our tourist industry at a time when this sector of the economy is seen as being of vital strategic importance for economic growth and job creation as the country's fastest growing industry.

The World Heritage Site status in itself provides extensive marketing for a country's tourism industry.

The value of such status for generic tourism marketing is best exemplified in Australia where, for example, the Great Barrier Reef, one of their World Heritage sites, has become an icon of its many tourism attractions.

The World Heritage process thus has the potential of contributing at relatively low cost to our international marketing campaigns.

But the status not only enhances the economic value of these places, it also protects and preserves them for posterity.

Some of the world's most successful and famous tourism, cultural and natural areas are World Heritage Sites -- from the Pyramids in Egypt to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

There has been measure of concern from some provincial and local government agencies that the Bill will appropriate some of their powers with regard to management of heritage sites.

This is not the case. The Bill gives a heritage management authority the powers to liaise extensively with relevant cultural and nature conservation bodies and, indeed, allows for established local and other institutions to act as an authority.

At the request of a province, a regional council or a local government -- and with the minister's consent -- an authority may perform functions on contractually agreed terms. An authority may also enter into contracts with a province, regional council or local government to facilitate its duties.

The Bill is also seen as a seminal example of how development, growth and job-creation can be combined with the preservation of cultural heritage and the conservation of biodiversity.

This balance between protection and development in the Bill is particularly important in developing countries such as South Africa where we cannot afford unbridled development which destroys forever our natural and cultural heritage, but at the same time we mustprovide a framework for responsible and sustainable development.

Madam Speaker, this Bill will signal to the World Heritage Committee that we as a country are fully committed to the implementation of the Convention, while helping to ensure that the precious sites in our country derive all the benefits of the international convention.

Its main purpose is to incorporate the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage into South African domestic law; to ensure that everything done in terms of this Bill conforms with the Convention and its operational guidelines; and to provide the institutional framework for managing World Heritage Sites in South Africa.

The Bill does this by, for example:

Establishing certain fundamental principles aimed at safeguarding the integrity of World Heritage Sites and the sustained development of these sites.
Spelling out the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism's responsibilities regarding the enforcement and implementation of the World Heritage Convention, and the identification and nomination of World Heritage Sites in South Africa.
Strengthening existing authorities, or where necessary establishing new authorities, to - oversee the management and development of World Heritage Sites in a culturally and environmentally responsible manner. Specific provisions are included to facilitate tourism and other developments in and around such sites.
Introducing various measures that will ensure the effective protection, conservation and presentation of World Heritage Sites in our country through the integrated management plans, regular monitoring and reporting, and proper financial control.

In conclusion Madam Speaker this Bill breaks new ground in our country as we address issues of job creation and tourism promotion while maintaining the integrity of sites and conservation.

It gives definition to the principles of co-operative governance, and seeks to clarify the roles and functions of all spheres of government in implementing the World Heritage Convention and managing World Heritage Sites.

The Bill allows the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism oversight over the implementation of the Convention and management of World Heritage Sites, while at the same time providing enough flexibility to accommodate provincial differences.

I thank you for allowing me to introduce the Bill and look forward to its speedy passage through this Assembly.