Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha

• Management Systems/Management Plan
• Management activities
• Legal framework
• Ritual / spiritual / religious and associative uses
• Commercial Development (Impact of the new structure of the Maya Devi Temple constructed in 2002 on the archaeological remains and the main sight lines of the property)
• Interpretative and visitation facilities
• Air pollution
• Housing
• Industrial areas

Total amounts provided: 2006: USD 7,200 from the UNESCO/Italy Funds-in-Trust; 2008-2020: 49,376 EUR and USD 105,000 from the Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance; 2009-2024: USD 2,831,237 from the UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust

On 31 January 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, and an update report on 1 March 2023. Both reports are available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/666/documents/ and provide the following information:

● The Integrated Management Framework (IMF), which was developed with support from the UNESCO/Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFiT) Project, was adopted by the Government of Nepal in May 2022;

● Site managers are committed to undertaking comprehensive Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) prior to implementing significant development projects, none of which are currently planned. Procedures and a format for HIA in Nepal are to be adopted by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and implemented through the Department of Archaeology;

● A range of conservation and development activities has taken place, including treatment of fungi that has affected the brickwork of the marker stone, removal of intrusive vegetation, and improvement of drainage within the buffer zone;

● The Lumbini World Peace City Master Plan has been approved in principle by the Government of Nepal. The Lumbini Development Trust organized an initial implementation discussion with central and local stakeholders. The International Buddhist Meditation and Conference Hall was inaugurated during the Buddha Jayanti in May 2022. The project was subject to an HIA which concluded that there would be no significant impact to the property;

● The Lumbini Development Trust, in close coordination with the Department of Archaeology, is working with the Department of Environment of Nepal, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Nepal to reduce industrial activity in the vicinity of the property;

● International meetings have been organised to facilitate conservation and management of the property, including an Interdisciplinary Technical Meeting (ITM) and a management meeting focused on priority actions, held in November 2022. The International Scientific Committee (ISC) established under the UNESCO/JFiT project is playing an instrumental role in the protection and management of the Greater Lumbini Area and the State Party is committed to using this forum to support the holistic conservation of the property, its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and wider setting.

● The joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission requested by the Committee in Decisions 43 COM 7B.71 (Baku, 2019) and 44 COM 7B.148 (Fuzhou/online, 2021) took place from 21 to 28 March 2022.

The Lumbini 2023 ISC met in March 2023 and has provided detailed recommendations to the State Party and the property managers.

The formal adoption of the IMF is a welcome step, and its implementation, including allocation of necessary resources, should now be a major priority. The commitment to comprehensive HIAs as a precursor to significant development projects is welcome, as are the maintenance and repair works that have been reported. In view of the recent practice of proceeding with projects without prior notification, both within and in the vicinity of the property, the Committee may wish to remind the State Party that details of major projects, including HIAs, should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre, in line with Paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies before any decision is made that would be difficult to reverse. The Committee may also wish to request that the draft procedures and format for HIA in Nepal be reviewed prior to adoption, to ensure consistency with the new Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context.

The 2022 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission found that the State Party and Site Manager have undertaken considerable work to improve the state of conservation, protection and management of the property. However, the mission noted that the property is facing deterioration of its significant attributes, which potentially puts its integrity, authenticity, and thus its OUV at risk. The mission report sets out helpful findings and specific recommendations regarding governance, site management, regulations and supporting documents, the submission of information to the World Heritage Centre, and specific projects, including the World Peace City initiative, the Mayadevi shelter, and the Buddhist Meditation Hall. These findings are consistent with and supplemented by recommendations from the recent meeting of 2023 ISC. It is recommended that the Committee endorse the recommendations of the Reactive Monitoring mission and 2023 ISC meeting.

As previously reported to the Committee, the Lumbini World Peace City initiative was approved by the National Government prior to the submission of details and the HIA for the project, and despite the provisions of Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines. Although the reported engagement with local stakeholders is welcome, the previously expressed concerns about potential adverse impacts on the OUV of the property remain. A comprehensive HIA should be prepared and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before implementation.

The 2022 mission noted the need for practical and effective measures to prevent more damage to the remains from the wet environment created by high water levels and water penetration in and around Mayadevi shelter. The mission has recommended that interdisciplinary surveys and associated discussions should proceed immediately to decide how to further ensure the adequate management of the property, how a better shelter could be created as a mid- to long-term goal, using the latest surveys and technologies, and noted that facilities for pilgrims and visitors in and around the shelter should be improved. These concerns are also addressed in the recommendations of the March 2023 ISC meeting.

The establishment of the ISC is welcome, as is Phase IV of the UNESCO/JFiT project in Lumbini (3 years, USD 512,017), launched in March 2022. The ISC and the project should contribute to the protection and management of the Greater Lumbini Area and the conservation of the property and its wider setting. However, the State Party is yet to respond to the Committee’s previous request that it outline a clear strategy encompassing a holistic approach and specific actions for the protection of the Greater Lumbini Area, including Tilaurakot and Ramagrama. Nevertheless, the commitment by several agencies to work to reduce industrial activity in the vicinity of the property is a welcome initiative, and the Committee may wish to request more information from the State Party on this point.

Finally, as recommended by the mission, the Committee may wish to examine the state of conservation of the property at its 46th session, with a view to considering its possible inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger in the absence of significant progress with the implementation of the Committee’s previous requests and the recommendations of the 2022 Reactive Monitoring mission, including mitigation measures to address the ascertained threats to the property’s OUV.