Decision 39 COM 7B.52

Petra (Jordan) (C 326)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 7B.50, adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013),
3. Notes the considerable progress made by the State Party to improve the conservation and management of the property in response to the concerns voiced by the World Heritage Committee, and in particular the adoption of the Petra conservation action plan;
4. Reiterates its request to pursue the progress made to manage the property and submit a Management Plan for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, while ensuring synergies with existing planning initiatives (e.g. the 2015 Conservation Action Plan and the Petra Archaeological Park Operational Priorities Plan of 2010-2015), and undertake the necessary adoption process to ensure its effective enforcement;
5. Encourages the State Party to sustain its efforts in creating opportunities for sustainable local development around the property;
6. Also encourages the State Party to create the conditions necessary for the sustainable livelihood of the local communities displaced from the World Heritage property;
7. Requests the State Party to sustain on-going efforts, with particular attention to the following:
   1. Pursue the progress made to adopt the buffer zone and develop adequate regulatory measures to ensure its protection, and submit a minor boundary modification proposal by 1 February 2017, for review by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017,
   2. Strictly control urban development in accordance with the planned buffer zone, until the adoption of the above minor boundary modification,
   3. Pursue the efforts to address Disaster Risk Reduction and secure the necessary resources for its implementation, prioritizing the stabilization of the Siq;
8. Also requests the State Party to submit the final architectural drawings for the Petra Museum Project for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies prior to the start of the works;
9. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2016, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017.