Decision 45 COM 7A.47

Historic Town of Zabid (Yemen) (C 611)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7A.25 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Expresses its continuing concern that the Historic Town of Zabid has incurred irreversible damages and continues to be vulnerable to extreme weather conditions and security challenges, and continuing limited support and resources for both heritage management and physical conservation;
4. Commends the efforts undertaken in capacity building, awareness raising, damage assessment, documentation and emergency interventions at the property, and requests that they continue in consultation with UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies;
5. Reiterates its previous requests to the State Party to:
   1. Submit information on major projects to the World Heritage Centre, in compliance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies,
   2. Elaborate proposals for a boundary clarification and a minor boundary modification in close coordination with UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies, to be submitted in line with Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines,
   3. Consider ratifying the Second Protocol (1999) of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict;
6. Commends the outcomes of the first phase of the UNESCO/EU Cash for Work Project in Yemen, and the launch of the new EU-funded UNESCO Project ‘Youth Employment through Culture and Heritage;
7. Notes with concern that current circumstances and lack of resources continue to prevent progress with the National Strategy for the Preservation of the Historic Cities, Sites and Monuments 2016-2020 and the implementation of the Emergency Action Plan for the Safeguarding of Yemen’s Cultural Heritage;
8. Reiterates the need for a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to advise on repair and conservation works, and to contribute to the processes required to enable the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, including the implementation of corrective measures, as soon as the situation in Yemen allows;
9. Continues to urge all parties involved in the conflict to refrain from any further action that would cause damage to the cultural heritage of Yemen and the OUV of the property, and to fulfil their obligations under international law, in particular the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, by taking all possible measures to protect such heritage, especially sites on the World Heritage List and those included in the Tentative List of Yemen, and appeals to all States Parties to cooperate in the protection of cultural heritage during armed conflict as per the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347;
10. Reiterates its previous calls to the international community to provide technical and financial support, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund, for the implementation of the Emergency Action Plan for the Safeguarding of Yemen’s Cultural Heritage, including funding for capacity building and first-aid restoration and protection measures;
11. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2024, 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 46th session;
12. Decides to retain Historic Town of Zabid (Yemen) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.