Decision 40 COM 7A.28

Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Georgia) (C 710)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/16/40.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 7A.40 and 39 COM 8B.35, adopted at its 39th session (Bonn, 2015),
3. Welcomes the progress made by the State Party in the implementation of the corrective measures concerning the Gelati Monastery, one of the components of the property;
4. Notes the information provided by the State Party inter alia in response to Decision 39 COM 8B.95, regarding the significant boundary modification of the property, and in particular:
   1. The clarified Management procedures and responsibilities of the various agencies and organisations involved,
   2. The details on putting measures in place by the major stakeholders, including the development of the draft of the Code on Cultural Heritage, to ensure adequate protection and management of the property,
   3. The Revised Draft Management Plan, submitted, and subsequently reviewed by ICOMOS,
   4. The legally adopted extended buffer zone of Gelati Monastery,
   5. The secured adequate resources for long-term programmes of restoration for the fabric of the monastery and its mural paintings,
   6. The developed system of documentation for conservation and restoration work,
   7. Details on the construction of the visitor centre outside the Gelati Monastery linked to a visitor management strategy, which started in 2015 in conformity with the June 2013 ICOMOS review recommendations;
5. Urges the State Party to formally resubmit the significant boundary modification of the property to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2017, in conformity with Paragraph 159 of the Operational Guidelines, for examination at its 41st session in 2017;
6. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 Febuary 2017, an updated report 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;
7. Decides to retain Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Georgia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.