Report on the Reactive Monitoring Mission to the World Heritage site of Tyre (Sour), Lebanon, 8-14 September 2012

At its 33rd session (Seville, 2009) with decision 33COM 7B.57 the World Heritage Committee noted with great regret the many difficulties being experienced by the State Party in protecting the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, as identified in the World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS joint reactive monitoring mission of 16-20 February 2009 and the State party was requested to invite another joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS monitoring mission to the property to help develop a recovery programme addressing the key issues identified by this report and the previous requests of the Committee. However, in February 2010, the Minister of Culture stated that he did not consider such a mission necessary.

At its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010) with Decision 34COM 7B.57 the World Heritage Committee reiterated this request since the annual report of the State party did not comment or respond to the recommendations of the 2009 joint reactive monitoring mission so that the Committee remained concerned.

During the 35th session (UNESCO Paris, 2011), the World Heritage Committee took note that the State Party had provided a state of conservation report for the property and additional information on the management system, on improved institutional mechanisms, and information and studies related to on-going developments at the property. However the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies concluded that there was a lack of any indication that the recommendations of the 2009 World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission had been addressed thoroughly, nor the World Heritage Committee’s previous decisions. The World Heritage Committee reiterated therefore its request to the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS monitoring mission to the property. The mission was foreseen in spring 2012 and finally took place from 9-14 September 2012, thus after the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee.