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Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley

Afghanistan
Factors affecting the property in 2021*
  • Commercial development
  • Ground transport infrastructure
  • Housing
  • Other Threats:

    Risk of collapse of the Giant Buddha niches; Irreversible deterioration of the mural paintings

Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Commercial development
  • Ground transport infrastructure
  • Housing
  • Others (Risk of collapse of the Giant Buddha niches; Irreversible deterioration of the mural paintings)
Threats for which the property was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger
  • Site security not ensured
  • Long-term stability of the Giant Buddha niches not ensured
  • State of conservation of archaeological remains and mural paintings not adequate
  • Management Plan and Cultural Master Plan (the protective zoning plan) not implemented
Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger
Corrective Measures for the property
Timeframe for the implementation of the corrective measures
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2021

Total amount granted: USD 7,324,120 (2003-2018) from the UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust; USD 159,000 (2011-2012) from the UNESCO/Switzerland Funds-in-Trust; USD 6,845,121 (2013-2021) from the UNESCO/Italy Funds-in-Trust; USD 7,336,166 (2013-2019) from UNESCO/Republic of Korea Funds-in Trust; USD 1,500,000 (2017-2026) from the Government of Afghanistan; USD 3.8 million from the Japanese Government for the project ‘Sustainable Management of the Property - Preparing the Removal of Bamiyan from the List of World Heritage in Danger’ (2020-2022)

International Assistance: requests for the property until 2021
Requests approved: 2 (from 2002-2021)
Total amount approved : 35,000 USD
Missions to the property until 2021**

November 2010: World Heritage Centre/ICCROM Advisory mission; April 2011: UNESCO Kabul/ICOMOS Advisory mission; May 2014: ICOMOS technical Advisory mission; UNESCO expert missions in the context of the implementation of specific international assistance projects

Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2021

On 30 January 2020, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/208/documents/ and provides updated information on the implementation of the Committee’s previous decisions, as follows:

  • Consultations on the Bamiyan Cultural Master Plan (CMP) were organized with local stakeholders in 2019 through the ongoing UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust project and by the State Party. The CMP was previously approved by the Afghan Ministry of Urban Development in 2006. The meetings raised awareness of heritage management among local community members and allowed to assess the level of integration between the Cultural Master Plan and the City Master Plan;
  • Monitoring and coordination efforts have been deployed by the central and local authorities to prevent development, and especially housing development, at historical sites;
  • The Ministry of Interior Affairs employed specialised police officers for the protection of the property components within the Bamiyan Valley, with the aim of controlling illegal or unauthorized access to the sites;
  • As part of its report, the State Party submitted a ‘Draft Action Plan concerning the Future Treatment of the Buddha Niches and the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley’. In this draft Action Plan, the Technical Working Committee (TWC) considers that all four proposals concerning the reconstruction of eastern Buddha niche discussed at the Tokyo meeting in 2017 need to be studied further by considering similar cases at World Heritage properties around the world, while also expressing its intention to invite further proposals. The TWC recommends further investigation into the potential impacts of any proposed reconstruction at the World Heritage property and strongly suggests that priority be given to the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger;
  • Further to the consolidation of parts of Shahr-i-Gholghola, a joint mission by a UNESCO expert and a national expert from Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) was organized in 2019. The MoIC hopes to continue consolidation works from 2020 onwards, with support from UNESCO and the international community;
  • The State Party indicates that it does not have sufficient financial resources to implement conservation activities at each of the eight component sites spread out along the valley and requires continued assistance from UNESCO and the international community to do so.

The State Party also submitted to the World Heritage Centre, as per the Committee’s previous request, the Strategic Master Plan (SMP) for Bamiyan, finalized in 2018 with the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and Florence University (Italy) and endorsed by the President of Afghanistan, for review by the Advisory Bodies. Details on the traffic plan and bypass road project, requested at earlier sessions, were provided in November 2019.

The World Heritage Centre received third-party information in June 2020, reporting the completion of the road construction at Tepe Almas, in the vicinity of Sharh-i-Gholghola. Information was provided to the World Heritage Centre in July 2020 and the ICOMOS Technical Review on the road construction and the SMP were transmitted to the State Party on 27 July 2020.

Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2021

The steps taken by the State Party to ensure due consultations with relevant stakeholders, including local communities, are welcome. It is recommended that the Committee acknowledge this fact and strongly encourage the State Party to continue such outreach activities and inscribe consultation mechanisms as a permanent component of the management system.

The July 2020 ICOMOS Technical Review of the SMP advises that several aspects should be discussed and integrated into a further revised version of the document, such as the concept of cultural landscape, community engagement, or the revision of the buffer zones. In its July 2020 Technical Review of the road from Dasht-e Isa Khan to Gholghola Bazaar, ICOMOS indicates that the project would have an adverse impact on the setting of the component site of Shahr-i-Gholghola and advises that aspects such as archaeology be further investigated and a detailed traffic and road hierarchy plan created. The Committee may wish to remind the State Party of Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines regarding the submission of complete technical documentation to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

The suggestion by the TWC in the Action Plan to prioritize the removal of Bamiyan from the List of World Heritage in Danger over reconstruction efforts should be noted with satisfaction. To this end, the ICOMOS Technical Review of the Action Plan suggests revisions to the Action Plan in order to clarify the required actions for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger and to ensure that the technical assignments foreseen through the operational projects are aligned with the requirements of the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), approved by the Committee in Decision 31 COM 7A.21. Overall, it is recommended that the Committee welcome the steps taken towards the establishment of the Action Plan to achieve the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) and recommend close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to agree on all the necessary work to finalize the Action Plan along with a timeline to achieve its full implementation.

It is recommended that the Committee express its appreciation of the substantial new funding provided by Japan (USD 3.8 million), aiming at supporting the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee may also encourage all stakeholders to make full use of the support provided via this project to develop a costed Action Plan. Details of the technical assignments and work plan foreseen by the project funded by Japan should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, and the project should be implemented so as to strengthen the active involvement of the Afghan authorities and foster a sense of ownership towards the various ongoing processes at the property.

Security measures and the coherence of management frameworks are dependent on the State Party’s perennial commitment to planning and its demonstrated capability to ensure these conditions. It should be noted that the permanent deployment of on-site guards for all components of the property remains vital for site security, and the State Party’s actions to ensure this important element of the DSOCR should be welcomed.

As was pointed out in earlier reports to the Committee, the successful management of the property is dependent on self-sufficient funding for all heritage-related activities. Therefore, it is recommended that the Committee encourage again the State Party to prepare a long-term strategy to ensure that the necessary resources for the most important operations are continuously available.

As 2021 marks the tragic 20th anniversary of the destruction of Buddha statues in Bamiyan (see https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2253), the Committee may wish to reaffirm its support to the Afghan people and reinforce its commitment to stand together in protecting and safeguarding our shared cultural heritage. The Committee may also wish to call upon the international community to provide further technical and financial support in order to assist the State Party in achieving the DSOCR for the property.

Finally, it should be noted that, despite earlier requests, no information was provided on the progress and planned use of the Bamiyan Cultural Centre. The Committee may therefore wish to strongly encourage the State Party to use this on-site facility to enhance the interpretation of the World Heritage property, providing information on its tangible as well as associative heritage values.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2021
44 COM 7A.28
Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley (Afghanistan) (C 208 rev)
Decision: 44 COM 7A.28

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7A,
  2. Recalling Decisions 42 COM 7A.1 and 43 COM 7A.41 adopted at its 42nd (Manama, 2018) and the 43rd (Baku, 2019) sessions respectively,
  3. Welcomes the steps taken by the State Party to ensure due consultations with relevant stakeholders, including local communities, and strongly encourages it to continue such outreach activities and inscribe consultation mechanisms as a permanent component of the management system;
  4. Acknowledges the submission of the Strategic Master Plan (SMP) for Bamiyan, developed in 2018 with the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and Florence University (Italy), and requests that the State Party further develop the SMP, taking into account the recommendations of the ICOMOS Technical Review;
  5. Noting that details on the traffic plan and bypass road project were provided, as requested at earlier sessions, takes note with great concern of the reported completion of the construction of the road in Tepe Almas near Shahr-i-Gholghola, and also requests the State Party to take the advice of the ICOMOS Technical Review into consideration, to fully comply with the provisions of Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and not to take any decision that would be difficult to reverse before obtaining the approval of the Committee;
  6. Also requests the State Party to provide the World Heritage Centre with information about any restoration and proposed projects and their potential impact on the OUV of the property, including detailed information on Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs), prepared in conformity with the 2011 ICOMOS Guidelines on HIAs for World Heritage cultural properties, and in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
  7. Also welcomes the submission of the draft Action Plan for Bamiyan, prepared by the Technical Working Committee (TWC) in conjunction with new funding from the Government of Japan, notes with satisfaction the TWC’s suggestion to prioritize the removal of Bamiyan from the List of World Heritage in Danger over reconstruction efforts, and urges the Afghan authorities to revise the Action Plan and the timeline for its implementation in order to achieve the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) as soon as possible, in close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, and to work towards its full implementation;
  8. Thanks the Government of Japan for supporting activities towards the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger by providing funding through UNESCO, encourages all stakeholders to make full use of the support provided by this project to strengthen the involvement of the Afghan authorities and the fostering of a sense of ownership of all processes at the property, and to develop a cost projection for the implementation of the agreed Action Plan to achieve the DSOCR, and further requests that the technical assignments and work plan for the project funded by Japan be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies as soon as possible;
  9. Also notes with satisfaction the State Party’s efforts to increase site security, reiterates that the successful management of the property is dependent on sustainable financial and human resources, and also encourages the State Party to prepare a long-term strategy to ensure that the necessary resources for the most important operations towards the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger and its sustainable management are continuously available;
  10. Reaffirms its support to the Afghan people on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the destruction of the Buddha statues, expresses again its strong commitment to stand together in protecting and safeguarding our shared cultural heritage, and reiterates its call to the international community to provide further technical and financial support in order to assist the State Party in achieving the DSOCR for the property;
  11. Regrets that, despite earlier requests, no information was provided on progress with the Bamiyan Cultural Centre and its planned use, and also strongly encourages the State Party to use this on-site facility to enhance the interpretation of the World Heritage property, providing information on its tangible as well as associative heritage values;
  12. Requests furthermore 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;
  13. Decides to retain the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley (Afghanistan) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
44 COM 8C.2
Update of the List of World Heritage in Danger (Retained Properties)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined the state of conservation reports of properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger (WHC/21/44.COM/7A, WHC/21/44.COM/7A.Add, WHC/21/44.COM/7A.Add.2, WHC/21/44.COM/7A.Add.2.Add),
  2. Decides to retain the following properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger:
  • Afghanistan, Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley (Decision 44 COM 7A.28)
  • Afghanistan, Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam (Decision 44 COM 7A.29)
  • Austria, Historic Centre of Vienna (Decision 44 COM 7A.32)
  • Bolivia (Plurinational State of), City of Potosí (Decision 44 COM 7A.35)
  • Central African Republic, Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park (Decision 44 COM 7A.39)
  • Côte d'Ivoire / Guinea, Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (Decision 44 COM 7A.40)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Garamba National Park (Decision 44 COM 7A.41)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Decision 44 COM 7A.42)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Decision 44 COM 7A.43)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Virunga National Park (Decision 44 COM 7A.45)
  • Egypt, Abu Mena (Decision 44 COM 7A.5)
  • Honduras, Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Decision 44 COM 7A.55)
  • Indonesia, Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Decision 44 COM 7A.52)
  • Iraq, Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (Decision 44 COM 7A.6)
  • Iraq, Hatra (Decision 44 COM 7A.7)
  • Iraq, Samarra Archaeological City (Decision 44 COM 7A.8)
  • Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls (site proposed by Jordan) (Decision 44 COM 7A.10)
  • Kenya, Lake Turkana National Parks (Decision 44 COM 7A.47)
  • Libya, Archaeological Site of Cyrene (Decision 44 COM 7A.11)
  • Libya, Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna (Decision 44 COM 7A.12)
  • Libya, Archaeological Site of Sabratha (Decision 44 COM 7A.13)
  • Libya, Old Town of Ghadamès (Decision 44 COM 7A.14)
  • Libya, Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus (Decision 44 COM 7A.15)
  • Madagascar, Rainforests of the Atsinanana (Decision 44 COM 7A.48)
  • Mali, Old Towns of Djenné (Decision 44 COM 7A.1)
  • Mali, Timbuktu (Decision 44 COM 7A.2)
  • Mali, Tomb of Askia (Decision 44 COM 7A.3)
  • Mexico, Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California (Decision 44 COM 7B.56)
  • Micronesia (Federated States of), Nan Madol: Ceremonial Centre of Eastern Micronesia (Decision 44 COM 7A.30)
  • Niger, Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Decision 44 COM 7A.49)
  • Palestine, Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir (Decision 44 COM 7A.17)
  • Palestine, Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town (Decision 44 COM 7A.16)
  • Panama, Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo (Decision 44 COM 7A.36)
  • Peru, Chan Chan Archaelogical Zone (Decision 44 COM 7A.37)
  • Senegal, Niokolo-Koba National Park (Decision 44 COM 7A.50)
  • Serbia, Medieval Monuments in Kosovo (Decision 44 COM 7A.33)
  • Solomon Islands, East Rennell (Decision 44 COM 7A.53)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Aleppo (Decision 44 COM 7A.18)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Bosra (Decision 44 COM 7A.19)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Damascus (Decision 44 COM 7A.20)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient Villages of Northern Syria (Decision 44 COM 7A.21)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (Decision 44 COM 7A.22)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Site of Palmyra (Decision 44 COM 7A.23)
  • Uganda, Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi (Decision 44 COM 7A.4)
  • United Republic of Tanzania, Selous Game Reserve (Decision 44 COM 7A.51)
  • United States of America, Everglades National Park (Decision 44 COM 7A.54)
  • Uzbekistan, Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz (Decision 44 COM 7A.31)
  • Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Coro and its Port (Decision 44 COM 7A.38)
  • Yemen, Historic Town of Zabid (Decision 44 COM 7A.25)
  • Yemen, Old City of Sana’a (Decision 44 COM 7A.26)
  • Yemen, Old Walled City of Shibam (Decision 44 COM 7A.27).
Draft Decision: 44 COM 7A.28

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7A,
  2. Recalling Decisions 42 COM 7A.1 and 43 COM 7A.41 adopted at its 42nd (Manama, 2018) and the 43rd (Baku, 2019) sessions respectively,
  3. Welcomes the steps taken by the State Party to ensure due consultations with relevant stakeholders, including local communities, and strongly encourages it to continue such outreach activities and inscribe consultation mechanisms as a permanent component of the management system;
  4. Acknowledges the submission of the Strategic Master Plan (SMP) for Bamiyan, developed in 2018 with the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and Florence University (Italy), and requests that the State Party further develop the SMP, taking into account the recommendations of the ICOMOS Technical Review;
  5. Noting that details on the traffic plan and bypass road project were provided, as requested at earlier sessions, takes note with great concern of the reported completion of the construction of the road in Tepe Almas near Shahr-i-Gholghola, and also requests the State Party to take the advice of the ICOMOS Technical Review into consideration, to fully comply with the provisions of Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and not to take any decision that would be difficult to reverse before obtaining the approval of the Committee;
  6. Also requests the State Party to provide the World Heritage Centre with information about any restoration and proposed projects and their potential impact on the OUV of the property, including detailed information on Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs), prepared in conformity with the 2011 ICOMOS Guidelines on HIAs for World Heritage cultural properties, and in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
  7. Also welcomes the submission of the draft Action Plan for Bamiyan, prepared by the Technical Working Committee (TWC) in conjunction with new funding from the Government of Japan, notes with satisfaction the TWC’s suggestion to prioritize the removal of Bamiyan from the List of World Heritage in Danger over reconstruction efforts, and urges the Afghan authorities to revise the Action Plan and the timeline for its implementation in order to achieve the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) as soon as possible, in close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, and to work towards its full implementation;
  8. Thanks the Government of Japan for supporting activities towards the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger by providing funding through UNESCO, encourages all stakeholders to make full use of the support provided by this project to strengthen the involvement of the Afghan authorities and the fostering of a sense of ownership of all processes at the property, and to develop a cost projection for the implementation of the agreed Action Plan to achieve the DSOCR, and further requests that the technical assignments and work plan for the project funded by Japan be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies as soon as possible;
  9. Also notes with satisfaction the State Party’s efforts to increase site security, reiterates that the successful management of the property is dependent on sustainable financial and human resources, and also encourages the State Party to prepare a long-term strategy to ensure that the necessary resources for the most important operations towards the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger and its sustainable management are continuously available;
  10. Reaffirms its support to the Afghan people on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the destruction of the Buddha statues, expresses again its strong commitment to stand together in protecting and safeguarding our shared cultural heritage, and reiterates its call to the international community to provide further technical and financial support in order to assist the State Party in achieving the DSOCR for the property;
  11. Regrets that, despite earlier requests, no information was provided on progress with the Bamiyan Cultural Centre and its planned use, and also strongly encourages the State Party to use this on-site facility to enhance the interpretation of the World Heritage property, providing information on its tangible as well as associative heritage values;
  12. Requests furthermore 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 in 2022;
  13. Decides to retain the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley (Afghanistan) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Report year: 2021
Afghanistan
Date of Inscription: 2003
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)
Danger List (dates): 2003-present
Documents examined by the Committee
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2020) .pdf
Initialy proposed for examination in 2020
arrow_circle_right 44COM (2021)
Exports

* : The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).

** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.


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