Developing a participatory approach to World Heritage management in Mtskheta (Georgia)

National and local stakeholders are brought together in the Georgian World Heritage Protection Council. The Council reviews all proposals within the World Heritage properties and buffer zones and ensures adequate planning, management and collaborative decision making.

About the city of Mtskheta

Mtskheta is one of oldest cities of Georgia, located approximately 20 kilometres north of the capital, Tbilisi, at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers. Mtskheta was the ancient capital of Kartli, the East Georgian Kingdom from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD, and the location where Christianity was proclaimed as the official religion of Georgia in 337. To date, it still remains the headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church.

The Historical Monuments of Mtskheta were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994 under criteria (iii) and (iv). The historic churches of Mtskheta, including the Holy Cross Monastery of Jvari, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Samtavro Monastery, are outstanding examples of medieval religious architecture in the Caucasus. They show the high artistic and cultural level attained by the ancient kingdom of East Georgia, representing the development of the building typology from the 4th to the 18th centuries.

The site of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2009, due to serious concerns about the privatisation of land situated in the vicinity of the World Heritage property, the lack of an integrated management plan and the loss of authenticity of some components due to restoration works conducted using unacceptable methods (Decision 33 COM 7B.102 ). The property was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2016, after important work and commitments by the State Party. Actions taken include the proclamation of the Decree on the Moratorium on Urban Development and Land Privatisation, establishment of a unified buffer zone, encompassing the landscape surrounding the components; and working on an Urban Land-Use Master Plan with the property’s Outstanding Universal Value in its core, amongst others (Decision 40 COM 7A.29).

The State of Conservation Reports presented to the World Heritage Committee between 2017 and 2021 indicate that, although there has been considerable progress, a number of challenges remain. The preservation of the historic fabric of the city and the natural landscape surrounding it has been a concern for the World Heritage Committee and the Advisory Bodies for nearly two decades. Consequently, the World Heritage Committee, in its 44th session, encouraged the State Party of Georgia to finalise the planning and legal instruments, including the Mtskheta Urban Land-Use Master Plan. The Committee requested Heritage Impact Assessments for developments within the property and its buffer zone, as well as an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of previous Committee decisions, to be examined during its 46th session (Decision: 44 COM 7B.48).

Developing a participatory approach to World Heritage management in Mtskheta (Georgia)

In response to previous World Heritage Committee’s decisions, the national and local authorities involved in the management of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta have worked to develop a sustainable management framework for the property. This process has included the definition of World Heritage property boundaries and buffer zones, drafting building and planning guidelines, and developing a management plan and urban planning tools, amongst others.

The development of the management framework needed to take into consideration a large number of stakeholders, such as national authorities, the local residents represented by the Municipality of Mtskheta, the Patriarchate of Georgia, and business and tourism developers. Each of these stakeholders had a different understanding of the property and different priorities: for instance, local residents were most concerned about local livelihoods and quality of life, while the Patriarchate sought to preserve and continue the role of Mtskheta as the spiritual centre for Christianity in Georgia. At the same time, business and tourism developers wanted to promote economic development, while cultural heritage authorities aimed to preserve the property’s Outstanding Universal Value.

Due to the complex management of the site and the large number of stakeholders present, it was necessary to create a forum for all stakeholders to meet and reach a consensus on key decisions regarding the World Heritage property. In 2016, at its 40th session, the World Heritage Committee recommended the State Party of Georgia to pursue a stakeholder involvement strategy and methodology, and address governance issues at the local level in order to ensure adequate planning, efficient management and decision making (Decision 40 COM 7A.29).

Additionally, the joint UNESCO World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS / ICCROM Reactive Monitoring Mission, undertaken in February 2018, highlighted the importance of a coordinated inter-ministerial and institutional decision-making process and continuous dialog and transparency between all stakeholders. At the same time, the Mission identified the need to reinforce the role of the municipality in training and capacity building programmes and in raising awareness about World Heritage values amongst local authorities, residents and stakeholders.

It recommended the establishment of a Steering Committee that would review all project proposals within the property and buffer zone, in order to ensure that “no project, independently of its contents and potential positive or negative impacts, could be realised without the active support of all relevant stakeholders, including the Local Authorities, and without the approval of a Heritage Impact Assessment”.

In response to the Reactive Monitoring Mission recommendation and previous Committee decisions, a participatory approach to World Heritage management was developed by Georgian national authorities, working in collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies. Since 2020, following the Governmental Decree # 976, dated 31 December 2019 on the extension of the Moratorium, and the order #02/15 (02/03/2019) of the Director-General of the National Agency of Cultural Heritage Protection of Georgia, the Georgian World Heritage Monuments Protection Council brings together representatives from:

National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia (NAPRG)
Municipalities
Patriarchates of Georgia
Georgian Ministry of infrastructure and regional development
Georgian Ministry of education, science, culture and sport
Professional institutions (ICOMOS, Centre for Cultural Heritage Studies, and more)
Independent field experts

The Georgian World Heritage Protection Council reviews all projects within the World Heritage properties and buffer zones, implementing World Heritage Committee decisions, as well as national and local laws. All prospective projects within the World Heritage property and buffer zone are submitted to the relevant Municipality. If the Municipality approves them, they are sent to the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia, who acts as a secretariat for the Georgian World Heritage Protection Council. The proposal is then reviewed by the Council; if it is approved, it will be sent to the World Heritage Centre for revision by the Advisory Bodies.

The Council was launched in April, in spite of the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Between April and December 2020, 93 projects were submitted to the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia. 28 projects were approved, 15 were rejected, and 50 were referred back to the Municipality for additional documentation.

The number of referred proposals evidenced a lack of technical capacities at local level. Consequently, the Georgian World Heritage Monuments Protection

Council arranged consultation meetings and workshops, mainly with local staff at the Mtskheta Municipality, in order to improve the quality of submissions to the National Agency. The workshops have been part of a constructive collaboration with local authorities, which aims to build a sustainable management system that preserves the property’s Outstanding Universal Value while promoting sustainable local development and quality of life for local citizens.

The formation of Georgian World Heritage Monuments Protection Council was included in the State of Conservation Report that was reviewed by the World Heritage Committee in its 44th session (2021). Upon its review, the Committee acknowledged the considerable progress made by Georgia to implement the Committee’s recommendations, while encouraging Georgia to finalise the working documents and implement the recommendations of the 2018 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission (Decision: 44 COM 7B.48).

Source: Ms Manana Vardzelashvili, National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia, 2020-2021, World Heritage Committee Decisions’ reports, 2001-2021.

Contribution towards the implementation of the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape

The project aims to contribute to the implementation of the Historic Urban Landscape approach by:

Protecting the wider urban and landscape heritage values, going beyond a focus on monuments only
Developing a collaborative decision-making process that brings together a diverse number of stakeholders

Historic Urban Landscape Tools

Regulatory systems

Contribution towards Sustainable Development

If fully implemented in accordance with the described plans, the initiative could contribute towards Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Target 11.3: the initiative aims to enhance inclusive and sustainable urban development, and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management.
Target 11.4: the initiative aims to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

Note: the described potential impacts of the projects are only indicative and based on submitted and available information. UNESCO does not endorse the specific initiatives nor ratifies their positive impact.

To learn more

Watch the presentation by Ms Manana Vardzelashvili during the International Conference “World Heritage Sites: Sustainable Development Practices for Urban Heritage”, which took place on 10 December 2020 on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the inscription of “Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Visit www.heritagesites.ge

Image credits

Cover image: Historical Monuments of Mtskheta / Amos Chapple © OUR PLACE The World Heritage Collection

Note: The cases shared in this platform address heritage protection practices in World Heritage sites and beyond. Items being showcased in this website do not entail any type of recognition or inclusion in the World Heritage list or any of its thematic programmes. The practices shared are not assessed in any way by the World Heritage Centre or presented here as model practices nor do they represent complete solutions to heritage management problems. The views expressed by experts and site managers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Heritage Centre. The practices and views shared here are included as a way to provide insights and expand the dialogue on heritage conservation with a view to further urban heritage management practice in general.

News 3

State of conservation of Historical Monuments of Mtskheta

8 February 2018

Historical Monuments of Mtskheta, Georgia, removed from List of World Heritage in Danger

13 July 2016

Georgia’s Historical Monuments of Mtskheta inscribed on Danger List

28 June 2009

Events 1

World Heritage City Lab – Sustainable Development Practices for Urban Heritage

30 Nov 2021 - 30 Nov 2021

Decisions / Resolutions (3)

44COM 7B.48 expand_more

Code: 44COM 7B.48

The World Heritage Committee,

Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
Recalling Decision 42 COM 7B.24, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
Acknowledges the considerable progress made by the State Party to implement the Committee’s recommendations;
Welcomes the development of the Mtskheta City Master Plan Concept database that encompasses all the buildings and plots of the town and the surroundings in 3D representations, complemented by basic data, a key tool in subsequent phases of the Master Plan, as well as for future monitoring of its implementation and strongly suggests the timely completion of the Mtskheta City Master Plan;
Encourages the State Party to continue on-going work on the development of the “Management Documentation for Spatial Territorial Development of Mtskheta”, including Mtskheta Urban Land Use Master Plan (ULUMP), and to submit drafts of the main components of this plan to the World Heritage Centre for review by ICOMOS International by at the latest 1 February 2022;
Also acknowledges the State Party’s decision to maintain the “Enactment of Special Regime of Regulation of Urban Development and Land Privatization in the Cultural Heritage Protection Zones of Mtskheta Municipality” (the Moratorium) until the “Management Documentation for Spatial Territorial Development of Mtskheta” has been adopted, and control and monitoring is fully in place; and also welcomes the decision by the State Party to extend the Moratorium until further notice, or until all the necessary systems and approvals are in place;
Supports the on-going 2019-2020 Advisory assistance and endorses the recommendations of the 2018 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission and invites the State Party to implement these recommendations that relate to:
1. The development of the ULUMP,
2. The need to address existing urgent conservation issues that if left unresolved could have a negative impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property,
3. The need for the development of a long-term vision for the historic urban landscape of Mtskheta, to guide the management of change resulting from increased commercial tourism with an approach that integrates cultural heritage with sustainable development;
Requests the State Party to continue submitting, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, detailed information on any proposed development projects within the property, its buffer zone and setting, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies prior to any decisions being taken that could be difficult to reverse;
Reiterates its request to the State Party to undertake a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for developments within the property and its buffer zone as a timely and appropriate method of assessing the multiple and cumulative impacts of current and planned developments, taking into account potential impacts on the OUV of the property, in conformity with the ICOMOS Guidelines on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage properties, prior to allowing any developments to take place and prior to the finalization and implementation of the ULUMP;
Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, 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.