VII.15 Sangay National Park (Ecuador)
At its last session (Merida, 1996), the Committee reiterated its concerns regarding road construction, poaching and colonisation and its call for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the road construction project. The Bureau, at its twenty-first session in June 1997, was informed that colonisation, and small scale mining activities had been stopped, a new management plan was nearing finalisation and that several conservation projects funded by WWF had begun.
The Committee decided to retain Sangay National Park in the List of World Heritage ...
Sites: Sangay National Park
VII.24 Royal Palaces of Abomey (Benin)
Having taken note of the amount of work accomplished at the site:
i) collection and analysis of documentation;
ii) elaboration of a maintenance plan for the buildings;
iii) training of craftsmen in co-operation with representatives of the Royal families;
iv) consideration of the anthropological dimension of the site;
v) site of living culture, international meeting "Present-Past-Future" on the Royal Palaces of Abomey which was held in Abomey in September 1997, bringing together international and governmental organizations;
vi) request for ...
Sites: Royal Palaces of Abomey
VII.25 Angkor (Cambodia)
The Secretariat reported on the efforts made by the Royal Government of Cambodia and progress made in the safeguarding activities of this site, including those co-ordinated by UNESCO and funded by France, Indonesia, Italy and Japan. The Secretariat reported that the safeguarding activities, which had been interrupted due to the unrest in the region of Angkor in July 1997, had recommenced and were progressing normally. The Delegate of Japan indicated that the second phase of the Japanese project for the safeguarding of Angkor would begin upon the completion of the ...
Sites: Angkor
VII.26 Old City of Dubrovnik (Croatia)
The Delegate of Croatia informed the Committee that considerable progress had been made in the reconstruction and restoration of Dubrovnik and that an expert committee will meet in January 1998 to review the state of conservation of the city and that the Croatian authorities will inform the Bureau and the Committee of its findings.
The Committee decided to defer the examination of the state of conservation of Dubrovnik and requested the Croatian authorities to submit a report on the state of conservation by 15 April 1998 for examination by the ...
Sites: Old City of Dubrovnik
VII.27 Timbuktu (Mali)
Mosques of Sankoré, Djingareyber, Side Yahia
In accordance with paragraph 56 of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, the Committee invited the Mali authorities to:
i) co-ordinate international aid for the mosques and the City of Timbuktu;
ii) inform the World Heritage Committee, through the UNESCO Secretariat of their intentions to undertake or authorize in a zone protected by the Convention, major restoration work or new constructions, which could modify the value of the World Heritage site, and
iii) evaluate in ...
Sites: Timbuktu
VII.28 Bahla Fort (Oman)
The Committee decided that full information on the work undertaken would be submitted to the Bureau, in June 1998, based on the report of the expert mission which visited the site in October 1997.
Sites: Bahla Fort
VII.29 Chan Chan Archaeological Zone (Peru)
The Secretariat informed the Committee that it had received, on 27 November 1997, a report from the Peruvian authorities on the actions and programmes implemented between 1985 and 1997 for the conservation and management of the site, as well as on tourism infrastructure and educational activities. It also informed the Committee of the recommendations of an ICOMOS expert mission regarding the need to establish a management plan, the importance of the Earthen Architecture Research Centre at Chan Chan and the need to carefully monitor the ...
VII.30 Wieliczka Salt Mines (Poland)
The Committee noted that the installation of the dehumidifying equipment for the site, for which the Committee allocated an amount of US$ 100,000 in 1994, was being completed. The Delegate of Poland thanked the World Heritage Committee and the Government of the United States of America for their support to safeguard the salt mines and informed the Committee that the effectiveness of the dehumidifying system could only be assessed in the second half of 1998. An assessment report will be presented to the next Committee session.
The Committee decided to ...
21 COM VII.C.33-34
SOC: Okapi Faunal Reserve & Kahuzi Biega National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
VII.33 Okapi Faunal Reserve (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
At its last session in June 1997, the Bureau, noted that equipment and facilities in this site had been looted and wildlife poached. Fortunately, the staff in this site did not suffer any harm although they had not been receiving any salaries. The Bureau was informed by IUCN that recently a US-based conservation foundation has come forward with financial assistance to pay staff salaries. There are reports of illegal gold mining in the Park occupied by the militia, and the staff have neither facilities nor resources to manage ...
VII.45 Islamic Cairo (Egypt)
Al-Azhar Mosque
Anxious to preserve the authenticity of the Al Azhar Mosque in Cairo, the Committee recommended
1) that the concerned national authorities immediately halt all work in the Mosque;
2) that UNESCO seeks the co-operation of the Organization for the Islamic Conference;
3) that the World Heritage Centre in agreement with the national authorities concerned designate an expert to identify the conservation activities to be undertaken; and
4) that a meeting be organized to sensitize the persons responsible for the management of the religious ...
Sites: Historic Cairo
VII.46 Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela (Ethiopia)
At the request of the Chairperson, the consultant who visited the site in April-May 1997, provided a synthetic report on the situation at this site, which is the object of an international safeguarding campaign. Recalling the principal characteristics of the Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela which should be considered with an overall approach, he emphasized the importance given to their preservation and informed the Committee that the European Commission is prepared to release important funds for the construction of temporary shelters to ...
Sites: Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela
VII.47 Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (Germany)
The Committee examined in detail the third report on the state of conservation of Potsdam submitted by the Minister for Science, Research and Culture of the Land Brandenburg.
The Committee also listened to the observations made by the UNESCO expert who undertook various missions to Potsdam for extensive discussions with German authorities on the Federal, Land and local levels. The expert informed the Committee that when he started the discussions, the planning for the so-called 'Postdam Center' was already concluded. The expert ...
VII.48 Roman Monuments, Cathedral and Liebfrauen Church in Trier (Germany)
As requested by the Bureau at its twenty-first session, the Minister for Culture, Youth, Family and Women of the Land Rheinland-Pfalz submitted a report on the protection and management mechanisms for the Roman Amphitheatre and its surroundings.
The Committee took note of the report given by the Representative of ICOMOS concerning a workshop which took place in Trier on 28 November 1997 concerning the archaeological remains and current construction works in the vicinity of the Roman amphitheatre.
The Committee ...
VII.49 Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town in Quedlinburg (Germany)
In response to the request of the World Heritage Bureau, the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Land Sachsen-Anhalt submitted a report on the state of conservation and development plans for the City of Quedlinburg. At the same time and as requested by the Bureau, ICOMOS undertook a mission to Quedlinburg.
The mission reported favourably on the effectiveness of the measures already in place and the competence and commitment of those responsible for the management of the historic town. It also stressed the ...
VII.50 Sun Temple of Konarak (India)
The Committee took note of the report of the Secretariat and requested the Government of India to report on the findings of the structural studies to be undertaken with the World Heritage Fund emergency assistance grant at its twenty-second session of the Bureau in June/July 1998. Furthermore, it requested the Government of India to keep the Secretariat informed in the meantime, to enable UNESCO to mobilize additional international cooperation to ascertain the present condition of the property to undertake corrective measures as required.
The ...
Sites: Sun Temple, Konârak
VII.51 Tyre (Lebanon)
Noting that the Directorate General of Antiquities had already carried out a series of conservation activities, but concerned with regard to existing threats, the Committee commended the Lebanese authorities for the quality of the protection work carried out successfully and recommended that particular attention be paid to the rapid preparation of a master plan covering all the archaeological zones of Tyre and its surroundings, including the City of Tyre. The Committee reminded the Lebanese authorities that the Secretariat had already stated its willingness to ...
Sites: Tyre
VII.53 Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzin, Grenada (Spain)
Following the session of the Bureau in June 1997, the work on the Rey Chico festivities hall situated between the Alhambra and the Albayzin on the left bank of the Rio Darro had been halted and a UNESCO-ICOMOS mission was undertaken in November 1997.
The conclusions of the mission were the following:
1. the building as such does not pose major problems,
2. however, the use of the building as a festivities hall for 1000 people is incompatible with the site (access roads, traffic, noise etc.). It is recommended, therefore, that ...
VII.31 The Bureau at its twenty-first extraordinary session examined reports on the state of conservation of fifty-one properties inscribed on the World Heritage List (nineteen natural, three mixed and twenty-nine cultural). The Committee examined twenty-one of them (nine natural, one mixed and eleven cultural properties) and noted the decisions of the twentyfirst extraordinary session of the Bureau on the remaining properties as reflected in working documents WHC-97/CONF.208/4B (Report of the Bureau) and WHC-97/CONF.208/8B.Rev.
VII.32 Manovo-Gounda-St.Floris National Park (Central African Republic)
The Committee recalled that it inscribed this property on the World Heritage List in 1988, following assurances given by the State Party in respect of its commitment to improve the conditions of integrity of the Park, notably with regard to poaching and illegal grazing. A 10- year project, financed by the European Union (EU) at a cost of US$ 27 million, and launched soon after the inscription of this site on the World Heritage List, was expected to show positive results in the future.
The Committee was seriously ...
VII.35 Iguacu National Park (Brazil)
The Bureau at its twenty-first session learned that a local organisation had started a campaign to re-open a road, closed in 1986 to strengthen protection of the Park, and that in early May 1997, 800 people had invaded the Park and set up camp to begin unauthorised work to clear that road. IUCN informed the Bureau that the road has been closed, but plans to rehabilitate damaged areas were uncertain and political pressure to re-open the road still prevailed.
The Centre informed the Committee that a facsimile was received from the Brazilian ...
Sites: Iguaçu National Park