Decision 41 COM 7A.48

Crac des chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (Syrian Arab Republic) (C 1229)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 38 COM 7A.12, 39 COM 7A.36, and 40 COM 7A.17, adopted at its 38th (Doha, 2014), 39th (Bonn, 2015) and 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) sessions respectively,
3. Taking into account Decision 41 COM 7A.50 on the World Heritage properties of the Syrian Arab Republic,
4. Encourages the State Party to implement the recommendations of the Technical Assistance Workshop organized by the World heritage Centre, and undertake:
   1. The urgent and necessary small and medium scale consolidation and restoration works,
   2. The studies needed for complex restoration works,
5. Encourages the State Party to develop a conservation plan for the property, including a risk management plan, to address restoration works, future conservation projects and regular maintenance;
6. Reiterates to the State Party the need to limit restoration works to first aid interventions until the security situation improves;
7. Calls on all UNESCO Member States to support emergency safeguarding measures, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund;
8. Takes note of the State Party’s invitation of a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to proceed to a comprehensive assessment of the state of conservation of the property and identify measures needed to reverse the decay and ensure the conservation and protection of the property, as soon as the security situation allows;
9. 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 the Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (Syrian Arab Republic) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.