Ouadi Qadisha (the Holy Valley) and the Forest of the Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab)

• Absence of coordination mechanisms
• Degradation of the mural paintings and buildings
• Financial resources: Lack of resources for the management structure
• Housing
• Illegal activities: Illegal constructions and urban encroachments
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
• Land conversion
• Legal framework: Absence of legislative framework
• Livestock farming / grazing of domesticated animals
• Major visitor accommodation and associated infrastructure: Uncontrolled tourist development and absence of visitor management
• Management systems/ management plan: Absence of a comprehensive management plan

Total amount granted: USD 500,000 from the Italian funds-in-Trust for the rehabilitation and valorization of the Qadisha Valley

On 1 February 2021, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, an executive summary of which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/850/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented, as follows:

• Presentation and restoration projects at four sites in the Holly Valley have been finalized, and similar projects in the Houlet-Hadshit Valley are being studied and implemented. A path to join both valleys is foreseen;
• Details on the nomination of a Director for the Management Committee and information on the Committee’s functions, goals and tasks have been provided;
• Measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic have been applied within the property;
• The process of revising the boundaries of the property was started, but has been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic;
• The first phase of the “Rehabilitation and Valorization of Ouadi Qadisha” project is being implemented. Financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, it includes the rehabilitation and conservation of different components of the property. The second phase has been validated by the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) and its implementation has been scheduled for 2021;
• Regarding implementation of the Action Plan (prepared in close cooperation between the General Directorate of Antiquities (DGA) and the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut and approved in 2015), four projects on the presentation and restoration of monuments have been finalized and five conservation projects in the Hadshit Valley are ongoing. A project to build a suspension bridge in order to improve accessibility to the village of Qannoubine has been proposed. The conservation of the textiles of the Assi El Hadath mummies by the Abegg foundation in Switzerland will be executed following a contractual agreement with the Ministry of Culture;
• Two projects, the first one related to a road to access the Hadshit cemetery and the second to a roadway connecting the village of Hadath el Jebbeh to the village of Qannoubine, were determined by the State Party to have impacts on the authenticity of the property. As a result, the DGA halted work on the cemetery access road in 2019 and proposed an alternative that involves dividing the project into three sections to avoid further damage to the property. Upon the DGA’s request, ICOMOS Lebanon submitted a study recommending corrective measures. In relation to the road connecting Hadath el Jebbeh to Qannoubine, the State Party indicates that, for the moment, the DGA has withheld authorization.

It is noted that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and other difficulties, the State Party has managed to progress in the implementation of projects such as the “Rehabilitation and Valorization of Ouadi Qadisha” with the support of the UNESCO Beirut Office, as well as other activities related to the presentation, restoration and conservation of the property and its movable heritage. The Ouadi Qadisha project falls within the framework of the Action Plan for the development of cultural assets of the Qadisha Valley and is envisaged to have positive impact concerning sustainable tourism. Given the current health situation and other challenges faced, it is recommended that more awareness-raising activities and sustainable solutions be proposed within the framework of this project.

Information on the Management Committee has been provided, including the recent nomination of a Director as well as the regular activities undertaken by the Committee.

The halt to the ongoing revision of boundaries of the property and its buffer zone due to the COVID-19 pandemic is well noted. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to continue this process in close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS, once the situation allows, and to submit a Boundary Clarification to be followed by a Minor Boundary Modification in line with Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies.

The State Party reported on a number of activities that have either been implemented or are underway within the framework of the agreed upon Action Plan and previous Committee decisions. Nevertheless, the State Party has not commented on the long-term implementation of the Action Plan in a holistic manner. It is therefore recommended that the Committee reiterate its request to the State Party to continue to ensure the holistic implementation of the Action Plan for the World Heritage property.

It is welcomed that the inappropriate construction of the road to access the Hadshit cemetery has been halted and that alternative corrective measures have been proposed. It is recommended that more details on the proposed solution, and on the project for the roadway connecting Hadath el Jebbeh to Qannoubine, be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for examination by the Advisory Bodies, including a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for each proposed project.