Decision 41 COM 7A.35

Samarra Archaeological City (Iraq) (C 276 rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 40 COM 7A.12, adopted at its 40th session (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016),
3. Commends the State Party for documenting the damage done to the affected monuments, and requests the State Party to submit a copy of this documentation for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
4. Encourages the State Party to continue to pursue efforts to ensure the protection of the property, despite the difficult prevailing situation;
5. Expresses its great concern about the continuing lack of information on the state of conservation of the property, and also requests the State Party to keep the World Heritage Centre informed about the situation on the ground;
6. Urges all parties associated with the situation in Iraq to refrain from any action that would cause further damage to cultural heritage of the country and to fulfil their obligations under international law by taking all possible measures to protect such heritage;
7. Launches an appeal to all UNESCO Member States to cooperate in the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural heritage coming from Iraq as per the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2199 of February 2015, 2253 of December 2015 and 2347 of March 2017;
8. Calls on all UNESCO Member States to support emergency safeguarding measures, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund;
9. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2018, 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 42nd session in 2018;
10. Decides to retain Samarra Archaeological City (Iraq) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.