Decision 45 COM 7B.143

Byblos (Lebanon) (C 295)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 42 COM 7B.56, 43 COM 7B.48 and 44 COM 7B.130 adopted at its 42nd (Manama, 2018), 43rd (Baku, 2019) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
3. Acknowledges the submission of the State Party's report in light of the severe national economic crisis affecting all sectors and society as a whole;
4. Notes that all works on the ‘Diplomatic Club’ touristic beach resort project remain suspended, as requested by the Committee in its previous Decision, and that no further archaeological investigations have yet been conducted in this location since;
5. Requests that any future projects that may have an impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property or its setting should be preceded by appropriate investigations and be subject to impact assessments prepared in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, prior to any decision on their implementation, to ensure appropriate environmental and archaeological outcomes for the World Heritage property;
6. Invites the State Party to inform the Committee, through the World Heritage Centre, of any future plans for major restoration or new construction projects that may affect the OUV of the property, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
7. Urges the State Party to implement the recommendations of the 2018 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoing mission, with particular attention to the following:
   1. Exploring synergies with the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,
   2. Developing a management plan with provisions for sustainable tourism, conservation activities, and regular maintenance,
   3. Establishing a national data management strategy that ensures making documentation and inventory information available for site management and research at the local level,
   4. Considering the Historic Urban Landscape approach for integrating the management plan with the urban development for the Old Town of Byblos;
8. Encourages the State Party to submit an International Assistance request to support efforts in the elaboration of the required management tools;
9. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, 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 47th session.