Pyu Ancient Cities

• Lack of a conservation plan for the burial sites
• Need to strengthen capacity-building in the conservation of these particularly fragile and vulnerable sites

Total amount provided: 1,892,032 USD from Italian Funds-In-Trust on Capacity building for safeguarding cultural heritage in Myanmar project (Phase I & II, 2011-2015), partially contributed to the property

On 30 November 2015, the State Party submitted a full report concerning the state of conservation of the property, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1444/documents/. The report provides information on the progress achieved in implementing the recommendations adopted at the time of the property’s inscription on the World Heritage List. The State Party reported that a comprehensive strategy was developed to address the World Heritage Committee's recommendations, based on the following:

• A comprehensive inventory and conditions assessment of all burial sites at the property;
• Technical capacity-building activities were carried out for site management staff in cooperation with Pyay Field School of Archaeology;
• Pilot conservation activities were carried out at selected burial sites;
• Conservation facilities at the property were upgraded;
• Protocols for identification, excavation and conservation of archaeological remains and objects were developed;
• The management staff was re-organised into teams with specific tasks (archaeology, conservation and research);
• A moratorium on future excavations was declared and the preservation, documentation and interpretation of previously excavated sites were prioritized;
• Additional technical assistance by UNESCO, through a multi-year Italian Funds-in-Trust project, is expected in 2016 to enable the authorities and experts to continue to implement the above and strengthen the overall capacity of the management body.

The resolved commitment of the State Party to the conservation and management of the property should be noted; the most urgent recommendations made by the Committee at the time of inscription in 2014 have been acted upon.

The State Party has made remarkable progress with the inventory and documentation of the state of conservation of the burial sites in the property, as well as with the elaboration of a conservation programme and the associated technical capacity building activities. Several training activities have been completed, involving many staff members; guidelines and protocols have been established for the archaeological vestiges and demonstrations carried out for testing and capacity building purposes, thanks to a multi-year Italian Funds-in-Trust project (2011-2015) in partnership with UNESCO.

After having taken action upon the most urgent issues, there is a need for the State Party to sustain these efforts and to complement the Management Plan with a risk preparedness strategy, a tourism management strategy/plan to prepare for an increase in visitors, and the addition of key priorities and an action plan that addresses ways to improve the living standards of local villages, and to manage an increased numbers of pilgrims.

On 13 April 2016, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake occurred in Myanmar. The epicenter was about 149.6 to Halin site of the property. At the time of preparing this report, according to the initial assessment made by the State Party, no damage has been reported at Pyu Ancient Cities.