Decision 44 COM 7A.29

Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam (Afghanistan) (C 211 rev)

Decision: 44 COM 7A.29

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7A.42 adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Welcomes the efforts made by the State Party to address the critical situation caused by the floods of May 2019, the deployment of security forces and the planning of future actions;
4. Notes with serious concern however the continued lack of sustainable financial resources and the alarming security situation, which, combined with natural disasters, brought another layer of difficulties in implementing conservation work based upon the 2017 Conservation Action Plan (CAP) and the corrective measures adopted by the Committee;
5. Urges the State Party to seek the necessary means to implement the following:
   1. Installation of a monitoring instrument on the Minaret of Jam to measure its inclination,
   2. Emergency stabilization work for the wooden staircases, in order to prevent further destabilization of the minaret’s structure,
   3. Construction of a footbridge over the Hari Rud and the reconstruction of the site office at the property, in order to improve access to the property and site security;
   4. Ensure the completion of the emergency cleaning of sediment from the riverbeds and the reconstruction of the damaged retaining wall, as well as the implementation of preventive measures such as the extension of gabion walls, tree planting, and monitoring of the height and flow of the Hari Rud and Jam Rud rivers;
6. Also notes with concern that action for emergency stabilization work for the wooden staircases of the property, established on the basis of the documentation work of September 2017, was delayed to 2020, but acknowledges the efforts of the State Party to establish the overall action plan, in cooperation with relevant government organizations and the UNESCO Office in Kabul;
7. Regrets that the boundaries of the property and its buffer zone still remain to be precisely defined, and reiterates its request to the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, a proposal for a Minor Boundary Modification, taking into consideration the topographical map produced in 2012 to facilitate the delineation of these boundaries, in conformity with the CAP and in accordance with Paragraphs 163-164 of the Operational Guidelines;
8. Notes with satisfaction that the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH) has made available USD 1.92 million to support the implementation of the CAP, which is part of the strategy to implement the corrective measures adopted in Decision 31 COM 7A.20 (Christchurch, 2007) for the property;
9. Requests the State Party to sustainably allocate the necessary financial and human resources for the safeguarding of the property through its national budget and, to this end, strongly encourages the State Party to seek external funding, such as International Assistance under the World Heritage Fund and other extra-budgetary resources, to address conservation issues at the property, including the boundary modification, the establishment of the overall action plan of CAP as well as capacity building;
10. Reiterates its call to the international community to provide technical and financial support for the safeguarding of the property, in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
11. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, 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 45th session;
12. Decides to retain the Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam (Afghanistan) on the list of World Heritage in Danger.