Decision 44 COM 7B.12

Stone Town of Zanzibar (United Republic of Tanzania) (C 173rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7B.51, adopted in its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Acknowledges the progress made by the State Party in establishing the Cross-Cutting Task Team and in the emergency stabilisation of the Tippu Tip House, welcomes the development of the Stone Town Mobility Management Plan and the Michenzani Green Corridor Project (MGCP);
4. Notes the conclusions of the 2019 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission that the state of conservation of the property remains a point of great concern, that re-enforcement of conservation guidelines and building control is urgent, and that the management system of the property is not functioning effectively;
5. Also notes the recommendations of the 2019 Reactive Monitoring mission and requests the State Party to implement them without delay;
6. Further notes the progress made in drafting the new integrated Conservation and Heritage Management Plan (CHMP), and also requests the State Party to submit it to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies as soon as possible and to implement it as soon as agreement has been reached on its content following this review;
7. Notes with concern the recent collapse of a large section of the House of Wonders, and urges the State Party to:
   1. Ensure that the still-remaining portion of the building is safeguarded in the long term,
   2. Salvage, keep safe and make an inventory of all possibly reusable components of the building from the collapsed portion of the building,
   3. Expand the proposed technical team proposed to assist in developing the museum displays to assist and advise it on the investigations required to come to a rehabilitation strategy that supports the contribution of this important attribute of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV),
   4. Design, advised by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies and the proposed technical team, and implement a research project to investigate the chronological history of the building and its constructing technologies through archival and on-site investigations,
   5. Develop alternative proposals for the rehabilitation of the building advised by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies and the proposed Scientific Committee and submit these to the World Heritage Centre for consideration by the Committee;
8. Also acknowledges the support of the State Party of Oman for the stabilization of the Palace Museum , and reiterates its request to the State Party to submit information on the renovation approach for the rehabilitation project of the Palace Museum to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies as soon as possible and before the project is implemented;
9. Further requests that:
   1. The important attributes of the Malindi Harbour be inventoried and the future redevelopment of the Malindi Harbour and the development of the Maruhubi Harbour be subject to Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs), conforming to Paragraph 118 bis of the Operational Guidelines,
   2. The Darajani Corridor Business Centre be reconceptualised and aligned with the Zanzibar City Centre Local Area Plan and the Michenzani Green Corridor Project plan, the new design for the Darajani Corridor Business Centre be reviewed through an HIA process, and the plans and HIA be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies,
   3. Alternative proposals for the Tippu Tip House that ensures public educational use appropriate to its significant contribution to the OUV of the property be developed,
   4. In the mid-term, a Strategic Development Plan be developed for the property to coordinate all development projects within the site including its aquatic buffer zone, within the framework of the Zanzibar Town Master Plan, and be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies,
   5. A multi-year community-driven action plan be urgently developed to address the state of conservation of the built fabric of the property;
10. Acknowledges the invitation by the State Party for a joint UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICCROM Advisory mission to the property and requests furthermore the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the property in early 2023 to assess its overall state of conservation and, in particular, progress on the implementation of the new integrated CHMP and assess whether the state of conservation of the property and development pressures warrant the inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger;
11. Notes furthermore that, if not addressed, the lack of effective conservation management, combined with the poor state of conservation of the property and development pressures, could warrant a future inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger, in accordance with Paragraph 179 of the Operational Guidelines;
12. Thanks the State Party of Oman and the World Monuments Fund for their contributions to the recovery activities related to the House of Wonders in the Stone Town of Zanzibar World Heritage property, the State Party of Oman for its further financial commitments made to its future rehabilitations, further welcomes the actions undertaken by the State Party of the United Republic of Tanzania to safeguard the remainder of the building, and requests moreover that the rehabilitation of the House of Wonders be developed as exemplary research project for recovery, repair and maintenance of traditional Swahili buildings in this and other World Heritage properties on the east African coast;
13. Callsfor an increased mobilization of the international community to provide more financial and technical support to the State Party, including through International Assistance, to implement the short- and medium-term measures to improve the state of conservation of the property;
14. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, a 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.