The Bureau reviewed state of conservation reports on thirteen of the fifteen natural World Heritage sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Bureau was informed that no new information was received with regard to the two natural World Heritage sites of the United States of America, namely the Everglades and Yellowstone National Parks, and that up-to-date information on the state of conservation of those two sites, based on reports requested from the State Party by 15 September 1998, and expected to be received by then, will be submitted to the twenty-second session of ...
The Bureau recalled that the Committee, at its nineteenth session (Berlin, 1995), had requested the Bulgarian authorities to submit, in 1998, a status report on measures taken to mitigate threats to the integrity of this site. Hence, the Bureau requested the Bulgarian authorities to submit the threat mitigation status report to the Centre before 15 September 1998, and IUCN to review that report and to make recommendations to the twenty-second session of the Committee.
The Bureau suggested that the State Party consider inviting an IUCN mission to the site for verification of the results ...
Sites: Srebarna Nature Reserve
The Bureau recalled that the Committee, at its last session, was seriously concerned about the uncontrolled poaching by armed groups which had resulted in the death of four members of the Park staff in 1997 and the decimation of more than 80% of the Park's wildlife populations. Deteriorating security conditions had brought tourism to a halt. The Committee had welcomed the efforts of the Government of CAR to assign site management responsibilities to a private Foundation and had requested the Centre and IUCN to contact the State Party and the Foundation to prepare a detailed state of ...
Virunga National Park, Garamba National Park, Kahuzi Biega National Park, Okapi Faunal Reserve
The Bureau recalled that the four sites under consideration were declared as World Heritage in Danger by the Committee, during the years between 1994 and 1997, when the country had been affected by war and civil strife. The Bureau after reviewing the report of the Secretariat, based on the reports received through IUCN and other international NGO partners, decided to:
(i) reiterate the Committee’s concerns for the conservation and management of the four sites and recommended that ...
The Bureau noted that at its last session, the Committee was informed that colonisation and small-scale mining activities had been stopped, a new management plan was nearing finalisation and that several conservation projects funded by WWF had begun. The Committee had also urged the Centre, in collaboration with IUCN, agreement with the State Party and possible support from WWF, to plan and organise a site visit to address the problem of the Guamote-Macas road construction project and other threats to the integrity of the site.
The Bureau learnt that IUCN has received considerable ...
Sites: Sangay National Park
The Bureau recalled that the Regional authorities in Bahir Dar, where Simen National Park is located, had expressed their disagreement with the decision of the Committee, taken at its twentieth session (Merida, 1996), to include Simen in the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Bureau noted with satisfaction the efforts undertaken by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Ethiopia and the UNESCO Office in Addis Ababa to provide more information to the Bahir Dar authorities on the meaning and implications of the Committee’s decision to include Simen in the List of World ...
Sites: Simien National Park
The Bureau recalled that the Committee, at its last session, had requested the State Party (Guinea) and the Centre to contact the relevant mining companies, which foresee exploiting an iron-ore mine in the vicinity of the Reserve, to learn more details of their interest and willingness to set up an international foundation for the conservation of Mt. Nimba. The Bureau was informed that the Secretariat was intending to participate at a meeting, on 25 June 1998, jointly organised by the “Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique” (CNRS) and a certain number of French ...
The Bureau recalled that the Committee included this site in the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1996, and requested the State Party to implement the eleven-point corrective action plan that had been endorsed by the Minister for the Environment of Honduras. The Bureau noted that the elaboration of a management plan is being carried out with a contribution of US$ 30,000 from the World Heritage Fund, as part of a large scale project for strengthening the conservation of Rio Platano financed by GTZ-KFW (Germany). Furthermore, the Bureau learnt from IUCN that a hydroelectric development ...
The Bureau recalled the fact that the Committee, at its last session, had noted that the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) of India and the State Government of Assam had begun implementing a 2-3 year rehabilitation plan at a total estimated cost of US$ 2,135,000 of which US$ 235,000 had been requested by the State Party as emergency assistance from the World Heritage Fund. The Committee was satisfied with the use of the first instalment of US$ 75,000, approved by the Bureau at its twenty-first session in June 1997. This was used for the purchase of three vehicles, two boats and ...
Sites: Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
The Bureau recalled that the Committee at its twentieth (Merida, 1996) and twenty-first (Naples, 1997) sessions approved a mission to this site to: evaluate the state of conservation of the site; determine the significance of prevailing threats to the site; compare data and information on the Reserve before and after its inclusion in the List of the World Heritage in Danger (1992); prepare a long-term action plan for the protection of the site with the assistance of the IUCN field project staff; and prepare a detailed report for the twenty-second session of the Committee. Although a ...
The Bureau recalled that the Committee inscribed Ichkeul on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1996 and requested the Tunisian authorities to provide a programme of corrective measures to reverse the degradation of the site. It alerted them to the possibility of the deletion of Ichkeul from the World Heritage List, if rehabilitation of the site were not possible. Following discussions on a "Report on the action programme for the safeguarding of Ichkeul National Park", submitted by the "Ministère de l'environnement et de l'aménagement du territoire", which had been critically reviewed ...
Sites: Ichkeul National Park
The Bureau welcomed the progress made in the implementation of the corrective measures at Butrinti and the start of the process that should lead to the adoption of a management plan for the site. It recommended that due attention be given to the problem of illicit traffic of archaeological objects from Butrinti as well as the unauthorised constructions in its vicinity.
The Observer of Greece repeated the interest of her country to collaborate in and provide expert advice for the preservation of Butrinti.
The Bureau requested the Secretariat to submit a progress report to the ...
Sites: Butrint
The Bureau expressed its appreciation for the report of the Secretariat and for the continued efforts of UNESCO in mobilising international co-operation for the protection, preservation and presentation of the site of Angkor, especially through the International Co-ordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of Angkor.
The Bureau, however, requested UNESCO to continue its work in the strengthening of training activities for local and national capacity-building, especially in measures prohibiting and preventing the illicit traffic of cultural property. In this regard, and ...
Sites: Angkor
The Secretariat informed the Bureau that the Croatian authorities had submitted a substantive report on the state of conservation of Dubrovnik requesting the Committee to delete the Old City of Dubrovnik from the List of World Heritage in Danger. ICOMOS informed the Bureau that it was greatly impressed by the restoration works undertaken in Dubrovnik and that it strongly supported the request made by Croatia.
The Bureau congratulated the Croatian authorities on the progress made in the restoration and rehabilitation of the city. With great satisfaction, the Bureau decided to recommend ...
Sites: Old City of Dubrovnik
Having taken note of the report of the Secretariat concerning the situation at the Bahla Fort, the Bureau thanked the Omani authorities for their effort in safeguarding the site. However, considering the serious deterioration of the monument, the Bureau requested the Omani authorities to continue the collaboration with the international expert and inform the Committee of the progress through the Secretariat. In this connection, it approved the continuation of co-operation on a cost-sharing basis as previously agreed, to continue rehabilitation and prepare a management plan for the site. ...
Sites: Bahla Fort
The Bureau commended the Government of Peru for its initiative to prepare a management plan for the Chan Chan Archaeological Zone. It requested the Government to submit a second report on the progress made in this respect by 15 September 1998 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its twenty-second session. The Bureau furthermore requested the Government to inform the Committee on the impact of the El Nino phenomenon, as well as an assessment of the effectiveness of the emergency measures taken.
The Bureau, at its twenty-first extraordinary session in November 1997, requested that the Australian authorities provide specific information on the results of the financial review of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). The Bureau noted that the Minister for the Environment of Australia has informed the Centre that the financial review of the GBRMPA has been completed, and that more detailed information on the recommendations of that review would be made available to the Centre as soon as the Government has considered those recommendations and has taken relevant ...
Sites: Great Barrier Reef
The Observer of Australia informed the Bureau that the granting of a petroleum exploration permit, on 29 November 1996, by the State Government of West Australia was brought to the attention of the Commonwealth Government in January 1997. In Australia decisions to issue mining exploration permits are taken at the level of the State Government. The State Government appeared to have been unaware that the area for which an exploration permit was issued was located within the World Heritage site. Following the intervention of the Commonwealth Government of Australia, the Environmental ...
Sites: Shark Bay, Western Australia
The Observer of Australia informed the Bureau that based on the concern that clearing may have occurred within the World Heritage property, the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment appointed a senior officer from the Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA) as an inspector under the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act (1983). This official would determine the nature of any vegetation clearance that may have occurred on private properties within the World Heritage area.
The investigator reported three cases of clearing, two of which were within the World Heritage area. Based on ...
Sites: Wet Tropics of Queensland
The Bureau recalled that at its twenty-first ordinary session it requested the Brazilian authorities to close the 18km road traversing the Park that had been illegally re-opened by local people. The Committee at its last session (Naples, 1997), was informed by IUCN that the road had been temporarily closed, and that several actions had been undertaken by the Brazilian authorities to strengthen management of the Park. Nevertheless, the Committee called for the permanent closure of the road and requested the Brazilian authorities to provide information concerning the rehabilitation of the ...
Sites: Iguaçu National Park
The Bureau recalled that the Committee, at its twenty-first session, noted with concern that logging activities, carried out under commercial, as well as sustainable forestry schemes, are contributing to the growing biological isolation of the Reserve and are not welcome by the local people. An IUCN project is aiming to minimise the degree of the Reserve's isolation through the establishment of a buffer zone and a protected corridor linking Dja with adjacent forests. Moreover, logging roads facilitate access for hunters, and concessionaires have logged forests up to the boundary of the ...
Sites: Dja Faunal Reserve
The Bureau recalled that the Committee, at its twenty-first session, expressed its serious concerns with regard to potential threats to the integrity of this site due to the proposed Cheviot Mine Project, designed to exploit a large, open-pit coal mine, located 2.8 km from the Jasper National Park portion of this World Heritage area. A range of conservation organisations and Parks Canada had expressed concern regarding the negative impacts which the proposed mining project would have on the integrity of the World Heritage site. Nevertheless, the Federal Government of Canada and the ...
The state of conservation of this Park was the subject of an extensive review submitted by a representative of Colombia's Ministry of Environment at a Regional World Heritage Workshop held in the Everglades National Park in November 1997. IUCN drew the attention of the Centre to serious threats to the integrity of this Park, caused by a breakdown of law and order in the area. The Centre contacted the Colombian authorities for confirmation of reports received by IUCN on the state of conservation of Los Katios. The Bureau noted that the Colombian authorities have provided a report on 19 ...
Sites: Los Katíos National Park
IUCN and the Centre have been informed of a proposed cable car construction project through the centre of the Park. The feasibility of the project, proposed by a private individual concerned with tourism development, is questionable due to the heavy rains, high winds and steep terrain which characterise the site. The construction of major access facilities in this area is not consistent with the management plan of the Park. IUCN was advised by the Dominican authorities that they will exercise great caution when considering the feasibility of this proposal.
The Bureau requested the Centre ...
The Bureau recalled that the Committee at its twenty-first session invited the Government of Ecuador to notify in a timely fashion, the Chairperson of the Committee of the final enactment and entering into force of the Galapagos Special Law. The Committee, although it did not include the site in the List of World Heritage in Danger, decided that if, by the opening date of the twenty-second session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee, the Government of Ecuador had not notified the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee of the enactment and entry into force of the ...
Sites: Galápagos Islands
The Bureau recalled that it was informed of an interim plan submitted by the authorities of Oman in 1997, which foresaw a new outer boundary, and provisional boundaries for five management zones, the construction of an administrative headquarters, visitor and local service centres and other facilities. Also foreseen was the launching of pilot projects in a variety of fields, including environmental tourism, and possible allocation of financial and human resources for the development of the site as Oman's first national park. As requested by the Bureau, the authorities of Oman submitted a ...
The Bureau noted that a Canadian/Peruvian mining consortium is in the final stages of obtaining approval to develop one of the world's largest copper and zinc deposits found at Antamina, located 20km east from this Park. Mining would commence in 2001 and have a life span of 20 years. The concentrates from this mine would be transported either via an existing road through or around the Park to the coast.
The Bureau noted the Centre’s consultations with INRENA (Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales), the site managers and NGOs during a recent mission to Peru, and that a meeting ...
Sites: Huascarán National Park
The Bureau recalled the report by IUCN at the twenty-first session of the World Heritage Committee reviewing a proposed mining project, the location of which was determined to be about 5 km outside of the Bystrinsky portion of the World Heritage area. The location of the mine will disrupt migratory wildlife that inhabit the region and impact fishery resources. IUCN has been in contact with proponents of the mine and has had a request from Canada regarding financial service support that could be provided by the Export Development Corporation (EDC). In this request it is noted that "as a ...
Sites: Volcanoes of Kamchatka
The Bureau recalled that the Committee, when it inscribed this property on the World Heritage List at its twentieth session, noted that the Special Lake Baikal Law was in its second reading in the Duma, and expressed its concern over a number of integrity issues, including pollution of the Lake. The Bureau, at its twenty-first extraordinary session, expressed its concern regarding the inadequacy of the legal basis available for the protection of the entire World Heritage site. It requested the Russian authorities to provide, before 1 May 1998, detailed information on the status of the ...
Sites: Lake Baikal
The Bureau at its twenty-first session expressed its serious concern about the proposed gold mining project in the World Heritage site and requested the Russian authorities to provide, before 1 May 1998, detailed information on the proposal, including any environmental impact studies that may have been carried out. In addition, the Bureau requested the Russian authorities to keep the relevant authorities in the Komi Republic fully informed of the Bureau's concerns and involve them in discussions aimed at ensuring the integrity of the World Heritage site. A letter from the Deputy Minister ...
Sites: Virgin Komi Forests
Information indicated that a toxic spill in southern Spain upstream from Donana has caused an ecological disaster, and will seriously affect this World Heritage site. The crisis began on 25 April 1998, when a giant holding pool of the Aznalcollar mine owned by a Canadian-Swedish company burst. The toxic spill affected the surrounding areas of the World Heritage site. The Ramsar Convention Bureau informed IUCN that whilst the main toxic flow may have been diverted away from the National Park itself, the adjoining areas, including the Regional Natural Park 'Entorno de Donana', have been ...
Sites: Doñana National Park
The Bureau recalled that the Committee at its twenty-first session expressed its concern with regard to the integrity of the Canaima National Park due to considerable threats posed by a proposal to erect a series of power transmission lines across the Park. The Committee invited the Director-General to write to the President of the State Party asking his intervention to search for possible alternatives and to determine the appropriate boundaries of the World Heritage site. The Venezuelan Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, wrote a letter to the Centre on 12 March 1998, explaining the actual ...
Sites: Canaima National Park
The Bureau recalled that at its twenty-first session, it urged the Vietnam authorities to co-operate with the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) in designing and implementing the study on environmental management for Ha Long Bay. A draft of the scope of work for the environmental study was provided to the World Heritage Centre by the Head of the Ha Long Bay Management Department. The draft has been transmitted to IUCN for information, review and comments. The study on environmental management for Ha Long Bay is to be carried out from February 1998 to October ...
The Bureau recalled that at its twenty-first session it had requested the Park management to submit a map showing the proposed modification of the Park's boundaries to excise a 40 ha. area around the village of Zabljak, which had already been approved by the Government of the Republic of Montenegro. Furthermore, the Bureau had sought clarification from the Park authorities on whether they considered that an engineering evaluation of the earthen containment structures in the flood plains of the Tara River was needed. The Bureau had expressed its concerns regarding plans for tapping the ...
Sites: Durmitor National Park
The Secretariat recalled that the Bureau, at its twenty-first extraordinary session in November 1997, had invited the Australian authorities to provide the World Heritage Centre with any new information concerning the proposed uranium mine at Jabiluka in Kakadu National Park. The Australian authorities were requested to provide information pertaining to their efforts to ensure that the proponents of mining in the enclave, within but outside of the boundaries of the Park, address the seventy-seven environmental conditions imposed by the Government. The Bureau was informed that the ...
Sites: Kakadu National Park
The Bureau noted that the Tasmanian Regional Forestry Agreement (RFA) signed by the Commonwealth and the Tasmanian Governments on 8 November 1997, has enabled the following:
establishment of a significantly increased reserve system for Tasmania’s Forest Estate;
participation by the signatories in further World Heritage assessment of relevant Australia-wide themes; and
initiation of discussions between the signatories on possibilities for further World Heritage nominations of parts of Forest Estate as “Dedicated Reserves”, or additions to the present World Heritage ...
Sites: Tasmanian Wilderness
IUCN informed the Bureau that the Department of Conservation in New Zealand has recently submitted a progress report on a number of management issues at Tongariro National Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List under both natural and cultural criteria. The report was distributed to the Bureau.
IUCN reported that Mount Ruapehu had erupted in 1995 and 1996 draining the volcano’s crater lake and creating a build-up of ash that blocked the lake’s outlet. IUCN noted that the best available scientific opinion is that, when the crater lake refills, probably within the next few ...
Sites: Tongariro National Park
The Bureau recalled that the World Heritage Committee examined the state of conservation of Machu Picchu at earlier occasions and that it had made specific recommendations to the State Party on the basis of the recommendations of a joint ICOMOS/IUCN mission on the management, preservation and planning for the Sanctuary. These recommendations and the report of the IUCN/ICOMOS mission were transmitted to the Peruvian authorities for response.
The Secretariat stressed that Machu Picchu is a mixed World Heritage site that includes the well-known ruins of the Inca City, as well as an ...
The Bureau took note of the information on the fire that occurred in Mompox and the damage caused to six of its historic buildings. The Bureau noted that the Chairperson had approved emergency assistance for the restoration of the six damaged buildings, as well as technical co-operation for the purchase of fire-fighting equipment and the training of a voluntary fire brigade. It urged the national and local authorities to take the necessary measures for fire-prevention and requested the Colombian authorities to keep the Committee informed on the measures taken in this respect as well as on ...
The Bureau took note of the information provided by the Secretariat and the interventions made by the Delegates of Morocco and Lebanon addressing the importance of awareness-building of those responsible for religious properties in the Arab region and their good conservation. The Moroccan Delegate proposed a new version of the recommendation concerning this property.
Consequently, the Bureau encouraged the national authorities to present a strategy and a conservation programme of Historic Cairo, to the next session of the Committee. With regard to the Al-Azhar Mosque, the Bureau ...
Sites: Historic Cairo
The Bureau thanked the civil and religious authorities of Ethiopia and the Delegation of the European Union for the support they have provided for the integrated preservation of the site of Lalibela. It noted the positive results of the mission organized by the World Heritage Centre which took place in February 1998, and requested that information on the implementation of the mission’s recommendations be communicated to the World Heritage Committee at its twenty-second session in December 1998.
The Bureau expressed the wish that the co-operation between Ethiopia, UNESCO and the ...
Sites: Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela
In response to the report provided by the Secretariat on the construction of a media library at the square of the Reims Cathedral, the Observer of France pointed out that French legislation for the protection of monuments provides for a protective zone of five hundred meters around classified monuments. She clarified that this zone can be considered the buffer zone and that any modification or new construction in this zone has to be object of approval by the Architect des Bâtiments de France or by the Minister of Culture himself. In the case of the media library, the building permit ...
The Bureau took note of the report provided by the German authorities and of the information provided by ICOMOS on the participation of its expert in a consultative meeting on the Roman amphitheatre that took place in February 1998. It was reported that the planned buildings north of the amphitheatre are now at an acceptable distance from the theatre and that their overall volume had been reduced considerably.
The Bureau expressed its satisfaction that the main requirements to protect the integrity and authenticity of the Roman amphitheatre had now been fulfilled by reaching a compromise ...
The Bureau requested the Secretariat to assist the State Party, if necessary, to ensure that the report on the structural stability study on the Sun Temple of Konarak is ready in time for examination by the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau.
Sites: Sun Temple, Konârak
In view of the information provided by ICCROM and the Secretariat, the Bureau requested the Government of Iran to keep the Secretariat informed on the progress of the Japanese Trust Fund project for the conservation and management of Tchoga Zanbil, especially in relation to the urgently required measurement of the moisture content of the ziggurat of Tchoga Zanbil. This information will enable a structural analysis to be made for its appropriate conservation. The Observer of Iran thanked the Japanese authorities, UNESCO and ICCROM for their efforts to identify the problems at the site and ...
Sites: Tchogha Zanbil
After having taken note of information provided by the Secretariat, the Bureau warmly commended the Jordanian authorities effort to follow-up to the recommendation made by UNESCO in 1994. The Bureau also thanked UNESCO for the forthcoming transfer of a specialist to the UNESCO Office in Amman to provide technical co-operation on cultural heritage, mainly for Petra.
Sites: Petra
After having taken note of the report of the Secretariat, the Bureau requested the Jordanian authorities to reconsider the proposed location of the Visitors’ Centre because of its excessive visibility and proximity to the monument. Furthermore, the Bureau also requested the authorities to study the possibility of diverting the present road.
Sites: Quseir Amra
After having taken note of the report of the Secretariat, the Bureau requested the Secretariat to follow-up with the Lebanese authorities on the recommendations of the report, mainly the removal of any military presence from the vicinity of the site.
Sites: Anjar
After having taken note of the report of the Secretariat and the Delegate of Lebanon, the Bureau commended the Lebanese authorities for the relocation of the construction of the planned technical school outside of the inscribed zone. Moreover, the Bureau noted that the ongoing works for the Centenary exhibition foreseen in November at the site are totally reversible. Furthermore, the restoration work of the Grand Mosque is controlled by the Directorate General of Antiquities. The Bureau also thanked the Lebanese authorities for having requested technical assistance from the World Heritage ...
Sites: Baalbek
After having taken note of the report of the Secretariat, the Bureau warmly commended the Lebanese authorities for their co-operation and their decision to change the location of the new harbour. The Bureau also thanked the Technical University of Delft for its contribution and requested the authorities to begin the preparation of a management plan for the site in accordance with the recommendations of the specialist mission of the University, thus preventing other uncontrolled development taking place within the perimeter of the property, and improving its protection and ...
Sites: Byblos
After having taken note of the report of the Secretariat and the information provided by the Delegate of Lebanon, the Bureau congratulated the Lebanese authorities for the official launch of the International Campaign of Tyre. The Bureau encouraged the Lebanese authorities to continue the Campaign in co-operation with UNESCO, and requested the Secretariat to promote it broadly. Finally, the Bureau urged the Lebanese authorities to immediately halt all works endangering the heritage of Tyre, to reinforce co-operation between the national institutions involved in the region of Tyr and to ...
Sites: Tyre
The Bureau noted that the international assistance to Puebla had been concluded and that the National Institute for Anthropology and History (INAH) in collaboration with the State Council for the Historical Centre of Puebla had prepared a conservation plan and urban and architectural ordinance for the Paseo del Rio San Francisco in Puebla. It requested the Mexican authorities to provide the Secretariat with the details of this plan for information.
The Bureau took note of the intervention of the Observer of Mexico who stated that the results of the expert meeting on Indicators for ...
Sites: Historic Centre of Puebla
The Bureau took note of the report submitted by the Mexican National Institute for Anthropology and History (INAH) on the actions taken for the management and conservation of Teotihuacan and thanked the Mexican authorities for the positive response given to the recommendations made by the 1997 UNESCO expert mission.
The Bureau expressed concern over the continued demolition of traditional buildings of architectural value and illegal new development within the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage site, despite the building control efforts made by His Majesty's Government of Nepal and the concerned local authorities. It requested that the Report of the Joint UNESCO/ICOMOS/Government of Nepal Mission be submitted to its members well in advance of the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau to enable a careful examination of the progress made in building control and the programme of corrective ...
Sites: Kathmandu Valley
The Bureau took note of the information on the emergency situation at Chavin caused by the El Nino phenomenon and that the Chairperson had approved emergency assistance to take corrective measures at the site. It requested the Peruvian authorities to keep the Committee informed on the measures taken in this respect as well as on the impact of El Nino on the site. It also encouraged the authorities to plan for long-term preventive measures and the stabilization of the site in the context of a comprehensive management plan.
Sites: Chavin (Archaeological Site)
The Secretariat informed the Bureau that it had not received a response from the State Party to its request to provide information on the new development proposal for a marina in the Bay of Angra. The Director of the Cultural Heritage Division of UNESCO pointed out that a mission to the site was recently carried out by an expert, the Co-ordinator of the UNEP Action Plan for the Mediterranean, at the invitation of the Mayor and Municipality of Angra do Heroismo, who are responsible for the approval of the project. The expert has transmitted a report to the Secretariat.
ICOMOS informed the ...
The Bureau was not able to examine the eventual impact of infrastructural works in the River Douro on the World Heritage values of Porto, due to the lack of response from the State Party to enquiries made by the Secretariat.
The Bureau requested the State Party to submit detailed information and an assessment of the impact of the works on the World Heritage site by 15 September 1998 for examination by the Bureau at its twenty-second extraordinary session.
The Bureau urged States Parties to respond in due time to Secretariat’s requests for information which would greatly facilitate ...
The Bureau took note of the report presented by the Principal Director of the Culture Sector on the plans to enhance the site of the Fortress of Burgos. The Bureau expressed its satisfaction to the local authorities for the decision to re-study the project for the site of the Fortress, taking into account the authenticity of the cultural landscape and the adequate interpretation and presentation of the historical remains.
It recommended the authorities to undertake a complete and integral study (including aspects of landscaping, urbanism, architecture and archaeology) of the hill on ...
Sites: Burgos Cathedral
After having taken note of the report of the Secretariat and information provided by the Observer of Spain, the Bureau thanked the national, regional and local authorities for the efforts undertaken and the results achieved in the conclusion of the matter concerning the new construction of the Rey Chico. The Bureau also commended the UNESCO Centre of Andalucia for the success of the seminar in revitalising the Albayzin and thanked those who contributed towards its convening and successful outcome. It finally thanked the Mayor’s Office, the Junta of Andalusia and the religious and ...
After having noted the report of the Secretariat, the Bureau commended the authorities of Cuenca as well as those of the Castilla-La Mancha for the positive attitude that they adopted in favour of the appropriate protection and management of the site. The Bureau requested that the authorities present to the Secretariat, as soon as it is ready, a special plan for Cuenca, and requested the Secretariat to provide technical assistance to the Town of Cuenca to this end. The Bureau then thanked ICOMOS-Spain for the positive role they played in this matter.
The Bureau took note of the reports from ICOMOS, the Secretariat and the Permanent Delegation of Sri Lanka. The Bureau expressed its deep concern over the terrorist bombing in the Sacred City of Kandy, and requested the Secretariat to appeal to the international community to assist the State Party to complete restoration work. Furthermore, in light of the increasing conflicts which threaten heritage sites around the world, the Bureau strongly encouraged the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention to keep abreast with new developments in the 1954 Hague Convention. The Bureau was ...
Sites: Sacred City of Kandy
22 BUR V.B.63
Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications (Sri Lanka) / Golden Temple of Dambulla (Sri Lanka)
ICOMOS will undertake a mission to these two sites, as well as to Kandy, in autumn of 1998, and will present a report at the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau.
The Bureau took note of the final report on fire protection measures for the Old City of Berne and thanked the State Party for its effort in improving the fire protection measures at this World Heritage site.
Sites: Old City of Berne
After having taken note of the report of the Secretariat, the Bureau thanked the Syrian authorities for their efforts in addressing the issue of Tekiya Suleymaniah. It also requested the Syrian authorities to continue informing the Secretariat of the progress of the consolidation work. It finally requested the Centre to continue this co-operation as requested by the authorities.
Sites: Ancient City of Damascus
After having taken note of the report of the Secretariat, the Bureau recommended that the Secretariat provide support to the Syrian authorities to elaborate the necessary management and development plans and to ensure capacity-building training courses.
Sites: Site of Palmyra
The Secretariat informed the Bureau on the European Union-funded project on the Feasibility Study for the Rehabilitation of the Areas of Balat and Fener of Fatih District, Istanbul executed by the World Heritage Centre. This study initially included the area of Zeyrek, renowned for the wooden buildings of the Ottoman period, which is part of Fatih District and one of the three districts of the historic centre of Istanbul that is protected under national law as a conservation area. The three districts contain monuments, sites or buffer zones of the World Heritage site.
It was reported ...
Sites: Historic Areas of Istanbul
The Bureau took note of the report presented by ICOMOS and commended the State Party on the importance it has attached to restoration and rehabilitation projects at these two sites. The Bureau, however, expressed concern over the development projects within the two sites, and urged the State Party to give special attention to the upgrading of street surfacing and furniture in the vicinity of the major monuments, to the control over non-listed buildings in the historic centres, and in the case of Bukhara, to the clearance of blocked cisterns and channels so as to lower the water ...
The Bureau requested the State Party to reconsider its hotel-building policy and specific hotel projects in respect of their historical context. It requested the authorities to submit a report on this matter by 15 September 1998 for consideration by the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau.
The Bureau expressed its satisfaction with the management and presentation proposals for the Stonehenge World Heritage site. It stressed, however, the need for the closure of the road passing close to the monument, foreseen when the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986 and for the completion of a management plan with the minimum delay.
After having taken note of the report of the Secretariat, the Bureau invited the Yemeni authorities to prepare an overall management plan in collaboration with the Secretariat. The Bureau also requested the Secretariat to study the impact of the new sewerage project on the architecture and conservation of buildings of the city.
Sites: Historic Town of Zabid
After having taken note of the report of the Secretariat, the Bureau invited the Yemeni authorities to prepare an overall management plan in collaboration with the Centre. The Bureau also requested the Centre to study the possibility of initiating a large-scale rehabilitation programme in co-operation with potential regional and international partners.
Sites: Old Walled City of Shibam
NATURAL HERITAGE
Dominica (Technical Co-operation for the Morne Trois Pitons National Park inscription ceremony and Regional Conference on the World Heritage Convention)
The Bureau approved US$ 30,000 for the organization of this regional conference.
United Republic of Tanzania (Technical Co-operation for a Natural Heritage Workshop for “Kilimanjaro Stakeholders”)
The Bureau approved US$ 30,000, subject to the Tanzanian authorities providing information concerning other organizations contributing to the activity and confirming the exact dates of the Workshop.
CULTURAL ...
Sites: Ancient City of Bosra Angkor Boyana Church Historic Areas of Istanbul Kilimanjaro National Park Morne Trois Pitons National Park National Archeological Park of Tierradentro Sacred City of Kandy
II.1 Upon the conclusion of the opening remarks, the Chairperson requested the Committee to adopt the Provisional Agenda and Timetable. At the request of the Delegate of Canada, the Committee agreed to include two additional matters under Item 9: the Green Note of the Director-General concerning the organization of the World Heritage Centre, and the workload of the Committee. It was agreed that the increasing number of nominations and state of conservation reports the Committee is expected to evaluate each year requires a review of its working method. The Agenda and Timetable as amended ...
III.1 As proposed by the Delegate of Thailand, and endorsed by the Republic of Korea, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Benin, Canada, France, Australia, United States of America, Italy, Ecuador and Finland, Mr Koichiro MATSUURA (Japan) was elected as Chairperson by acclamation. The following members of the Committee were elected as Vice-Chairpersons by acclamation: Benin, Cuba, Italy, Morocco, and Republic of Korea, and Mr Janos Jelen (Hungary) as Rapporteur. It was mentioned that Cuba, Republic of Korea and Hungary would be members of the Bureau for the first time.
III.2 The Committee warmly thanked ...
VI.1 The Secretariat introduced Working Document WHC-98/CONF.203/6. It pointed out that this document referred to the periodic reporting by the States Parties under Article 29 of the World Heritage Convention and did not include considerations on the reactive monitoring that is foreseen for reporting on World Heritage properties that are under threat. It informed the Committee that this document had been discussed by the Bureau at its twenty-second session. Reference was also made to Working Document WHC-98/CONF.203/16 that included the corresponding revision of Section II of the ...
VII.3 Manovo-Gounda-St.Floris National Park (Central African Republic (CAR))
The Committee, at its last session (Naples, 1997), was seriously concerned about the uncontrolled poaching by armed groups which had led to the death of four members of the Park staff, decimated more than 80% of the Park's wildlife populations and brought tourism to a halt. The Committee had welcomed the efforts of the Government of CAR to assign site management responsibilities to a private Foundation and had requested the Centre and IUCN to contact the State Party and the Foundation to prepare a detailed state ...
VII.5 Sangay National Park (Ecuador)
The Committee, at its last session was informed that colonization and small-scale mining activities had been stopped, a new management plan was nearing finalization and that several conservation projects funded by WWF had begun. The Committee had urged the Centre, in collaboration with IUCN, and agreement with the State Party and possible support from WWF, to plan and organize a site visit to address the problem of the Guamote-Macas road construction project and other threats to the integrity of the site. The Committee was informed that the Bureau, ...
Sites: Sangay National Park
VII.11 Ichkeul National Park (Tunisia)
The Committee inscribed Ichkeul National Park on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1996 and requested the Tunisian authorities to provide a programme of corrective measures to reverse the degradation of the site. The Committee was informed that the Bureau, at its twenty-second ordinary session (June 1998), received a report from IUCN, which provided technical data to indicate that the salinity of the water in the lake may have reached excessively high proportions and that the chances of recovery of the World Heritage values of the site may ...
Sites: Ichkeul National Park
VII.12 Everglades National Park (United States of America)
At its last session (Naples, 1997), the Committee noted significant progress made in the state of conservation of this site following generous Federal and State allocations of financial and human resources. The Delegate of the United States of America provided a detailed state of conservation report on this site, which outlined important measures undertaken to ensure continuing progress in the restoration of this site. In particular, the Committee noted the following:
(i) US$ 26 million worth of land purchases have been ...
Sites: Everglades National Park
VII.13 Yellowstone National Park (United States of America)
At its last session (Naples, 1997), the Committee noted that the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Lands and Minerals Management and the Under Secretary of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment had both signed, on 12 August 1997, the decision authorizing the withdrawal of mineral entry from 22,065 ha near Cooke City, Montana. The potential threat due to the extraction of the New World Mine by Crown Butte was thus mitigated. The Delegate of the United States of America informed the Committee that since then his ...
Sites: Yellowstone National Park
VII.24 Lake Baikal (Russian Federation)
At its twenty-second session, the Bureau was informed that a number of laws for the national protection of the Lake existed and that the Duma had adopted the Federal Law on "The Protection of the Baikal Lake" which was, however, vetoed by the President. The Federal Law had been tabled for a third reading in the Duma, taking into account comments made by the President's intervention. In addition to the legal concerns, the authorities had not come to any conclusions regarding the reprofiling of the Pulp and Paper Mill at Baikalsk, one of the main ...
Sites: Lake Baikal
VII.25 Doñana National Park (Spain)
At its twenty-second session, the Bureau was informed that a giant holding pool of the Aznalcollar mine owned by the Canadian-Swedish Boliden-Apirsa Company burst resulting in an ecological disaster. Although the main toxic flow had been diverted away from the National Park, the adjoining areas have been badly damaged. The Bureau was informed that the spill could spread into the World Heritage area as pollutants dispersed more widely. The State Party had submitted a number of technical reports on the situation and on actions taken to mitigate ...
Sites: Doñana National Park
VII.31 Colonial City of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)
At the request of the authorities of the Dominican Republic, an expert mission was undertaken in August 1998 to assess the state of conservation of the World Heritage site of Santo Domingo. The report emphasized the need to balance interventions in the physical-environmental recuperation of the area, tourism development and the socio-cultural development of the local population (housing, services etc.). It furthermore stressed that the effective control by the Office for the Cultural Heritage depends very much on the adoption of ...
VII.32 Aksum (Ethiopia)
In November 1998, a staff member of ICCROM during a preappraisal mission for The World Bank in Ethiopia, noted that a wooded site directly across from the main Stele had been cleared of its trees, and that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church had plans to build a residence for the Patriarch of the Church. However, no construction work had yet commenced. It furthermore noted that the Director of the Centre for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (CRCCH), while aware of the planned construction, had not been shown the plans of the proposed building nor was he ...
Sites: Aksum
22 COM VII.33/34
SOC: Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint- Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims (France)
VII.33 Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint- Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims (France)
The Committee recalled that the Bureau at its twenty-second session requested the French authorities a report on the planning for the surrounding of the Cathedral and on the project for the construction of a media library (mediateque) in its vicinity. The Secretariat informed that it had received information from a nongovernmental organization that the demolition permit for the existing buildings on the location of the media library had been delivered and authorization for the building of the ...
VII.34 Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (Germany)
The Minister of Science, Research and Culture of the Land of Brandenburg submitted the fourth state of conservation report as per the request of the World Heritage Committee at its twentyfirst session. This report was made available to the Committee as Information Document WHC-98/CONF.203/INF.15.
The report referred to the proposed extension of the World Heritage site, the Planning Guidelines, town planning competitions for the Green Centre - Alter Markt/Lustgarten and the Quartier am Bahnhof, as well as other specific building ...
VII.40 Burgos Cathedral (Spain)
The Committee took note of the confirmation by the Observer of Spain that planning for the hill and Fortress of Burgos had been suspended and that no works would be undertaken.
The Committee requested the State Party to keep the Secretariat informed of any new development in this matter.
Sites: Burgos Cathedral
22 COM VII.1
Reports on the State of Conservation of Properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger
VII.1 The Committee examined reports on the state of conservation of twenty-two properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger as submitted in Working Document WHC-98/CONF.203/7 and complemented with information provided by the Secretariat and the advisory bodies during the session.
VII.2 Srebarna Nature Reserve (Bulgaria)
At its nineteenth session (Berlin, 1995) the Committee had requested the Bulgarian authorities to submit a threat mitigation status report to its twenty-second session in 1998. The Bulgarian authorities submitted the report requested by the Committee on Srebarna Nature Reserve, on 28 August 1998, and invited the Centre and IUCN to field a mission to verify the results of measures undertaken to mitigate threats to the integrity of Srebarna. A team consisting of one specialist each from IUCN and the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, and a consultant ...
Sites: Srebarna Nature Reserve
VII.6 Simen National Park (Ethiopia)
The Committee recalled the fact that the regional authorities in Bahir Dar, where this site is located, had disagreed with its decision to include this site in the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1996. The Committee was informed that the Bureau, at its twenty-second session (June 1998) had noted with satisfaction the efforts of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Ethiopia and the UNESCO Office in Addis Ababa, to provide more information to the Bahir Dar authorities on the meaning and implications of the Committee's decision to ...
Sites: Simien National Park
VII.7 Mount Nimba Nature Reserve (Guinea/ Côte d'Ivoire)
The Committee, at its last session (Naples, 1997), had requested the State Party (Guinea) and the Centre to contact the relevant mining companies, which foresee the exploitation of an iron-ore mine in the vicinity of the Reserve, in order to learn more details of their interest to set up an international foundation for the conservation of Mt. Nimba. The Committee was informed of a letter dated 20 September 1998, from the Permanent Executive Secretary of the MAB National Committee for Guinea informing the Centre that the Nimba ...
VII.8 Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras)
The Committee recalled the fact that it included this site in the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1996, and requested the State Party to implement the eleven-point corrective action plan that had been endorsed by the Minister for the Environment of Honduras. The elaboration of a management plan for Rio Platano is being carried out with a contribution of US$ 30,000 from the World Heritage Fund, as part of a large scale project for strengthening the conservation of Rio Platano financed by GTZKFW (Germany). The Committee was informed of a ...
VII.9 Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (India)
The Committee was informed that the implementation of the rehabilitation plan for this site, approved at the twenty-second session of the Bureau (June 1997), was progressing satisfactorily. All equipment purchased using the first instalment of US$ 75,000 approved under emergency assistance by the Bureau in June 1997, has been delivered to the site. The Committee agreed to the use of the small sum of unspent balance from the US$ 75,000 (i.e. US$ 872) by the UNESCO Office in New Delhi for a sitevisit to Manas in early 1999. Construction of range posts ...
Sites: Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
VII.10 Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger)
The Committee at its twentieth (Merida, 1996) and twenty-first (Naples, 1997) sessions had called for a site visit to evaluate the state of conservation in order to determine whether the site could be removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Committee was pleased to note that the findings of the Centre/State Party/IUCN mission to the site, undertaken from 21 September to 3 October 1998, and those of previous exploratory field missions of the IUCN Office in Niger undertaken with the assistance of the Swiss Development ...
VII.14 Butrinti (Albania)
On the basis of a joint UNESCO-ICOMOS-Butrint Foundation assessment mission (October 1997), the Committee at its twentyfirst session decided to inscribe Butrinti on the List of World Heritage in Danger and to allocate US$ 100,000 as emergency assistance for the implementation of remedial actions.
The Secretariat reported that arrangements had been made with the Albanian authorities for the implementation of concrete actions, such as an inventory and publication of stolen archaeological objects, purchase of water pumps, improvement of fences, the construction of ...
Sites: Butrint
VII.15 Royal Palaces of Abomey (Benin)
At the request of the World Heritage Committee, the Benin authorities prepared a conservation plan, partly financed by the World Heritage Fund. This conservation plan was developed as an instrument for co-operation and partnership to coordinate and ensure the coherence of actions carried out at the site. The Benin Government has allocated additional funding for the implementation of this plan.
Among the objectives set for the coming five years are:
- the establishment of partnerships at the local, national and international level,
- the increase ...
Sites: Royal Palaces of Abomey
VII.16 Angkor (Cambodia)
The Director of UNESCO's Division of Cultural Heritage, reported on progress made in the safeguarding of the site of Angkor which was inscribed on the World Heritage List and simultaneously on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1992. He recalled that international assistance for Angkor is coordinated by an International Co-ordinating Committee cochaired by the Ambassadors of Japan and France in Phnom Penh, with a Secretariat provided by UNESCO. The International Coordinating Committee for Angkor meets periodically to set priorities and monitor the ...
Sites: Angkor
VII.17 Old City of Dubrovnik (Croatia)
On the basis of a substantive report on the state of conservation of Dubrovnik that was submitted by the Croatian authorities, ICOMOS advised that it was greatly impressed by the restoration works undertaken in Dubrovnik, and strongly supported the request made by Croatia to delete Dubrovnik from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Committee, following the recommendation of the Bureau, decided with great satisfaction to delete the Old City of Dubrovnik from the List of World Heritage in Danger. It congratulated the Croatian authorities for ...
Sites: Old City of Dubrovnik
VII.18 Bahla Fort (Oman)
Following previous expert missions, a third mission took place in September 1998 to assess the quality of the restoration works in terms of authenticity and use of materials, advise on future works and particularly on the preparation of a management plan for an extended area, including the Fort and the oasis, as well as on the hydro-graphic survey that should be urgently undertaken.
The mission reported that photogrammetric works were due to begin, facilitating therefore the restoration of the Fort. It recommended, among other things, that the conservation plan ...
Sites: Bahla Fort
VII.19 Chan Chan Archaeological Zone (Peru)
The Government of Peru submitted in the course of 1998 periodic progress reports on the preparation of the management plan by an interdisciplinary team of experts.
As to the impact of the El Nino phenomenon, the Secretariat informed that this has been relatively modest and that the protective measures, undertaken with emergency assistance from the World Heritage Fund, were effective.
As to training, a second Pan-American Course on the Conservation and Management of Earthen Architectural and Archaeological Heritage will be held in Chan Chan in ...
VII.20 Wieliczka Salt Mines (Poland)
The Secretariat informed the Committee that it had received from the Polish authorities a technical report assessing the effectiveness of the dehumidifying system at the mines. The report stated that the system had contributed to the elimination of one of the major preservation hazards to historic sculptures, chambers and passages in the salt mine.
ICOMOS advised that the report was credible and that it fully supported the deletion of the Salt Mines from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Committee noted with satisfaction that the ...
VII.21 The Bureau at its twenty-second extraordinary session examined the state of conservation of eighty-one properties inscribed on the World Heritage List (thirty-two natural; eight mixed and forty-one cultural properties), as well as World Heritage sites in Central America. The Committee examined nineteen of them and noted the decisions of the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau on the remaining properties as reflected in Working Document WHC-98/CONF.203/5 (Report of the Bureau) and WHC-98/CONF.203/8.Rev.
VII.22 Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia)
Since the Committee decided to remove this site from the List of World Heritage in Danger at its twenty-first session, the Centre has received a brief status report on the site's protection. A seven-member Administrative Council is responsible for the management of the site. The Park has statutes and rules of procedures, with regulating principles for residents, staff and visitors. Further positive results have been achieved with the efforts to limit traffic through the Park by the construction of a detour around the Park. The authorities had ...
Sites: Plitvice Lakes National Park
VII.23 Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
The Committee at its twenty-first session invited the Government of Ecuador to notify the Chairperson of the Committee of the final enactment and entering into force of the Galapagos Special Law. The Committee decided that if, by the opening date of the twenty-second ordinary session of the Bureau, the Government of Ecuador had not notified the Chairperson of the enactment and entry into force of the "Special Galapagos Law", the Galapagos Islands be inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
At its twenty-second ordinary session in June 1998, ...
Sites: Galápagos Islands
VII.26 Canaima National Park (Venezuela)
The Committee at its twenty-first session expressed its concern with regard to the integrity of the Canaima National Park due to considerable threats posed by a proposal to erect a series of power transmission lines across the Park. At its twenty-second session, the Bureau was informed that the Director-General of UNESCO had transmitted the Committee's concerns and recommendations to the President of Venezuela. In his response, the President of Venezuela had re-affirmed the commitment of his Government to protect the World Heritage site and ...
Sites: Canaima National Park
VII.27 The Committee noted the decisions of the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau as reflected in the Report of the Bureau session (Working Document WHC-98/CONF.203/5) and included in Annex IV on the following properties:
Heard and McDonald Islands (Australia)
Shark Bay, Western Australia (Australia)
Wet Tropics of Queensland (Australia)
Belovezhskaya Pushcha/Bialowieza Forest (Belarus/Poland)
Iguacu National Park (Brazil)
Dja Faunal Reserve (Cameroon)
Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (Canada)
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area (China)
Huanglong ...
Sites: Białowieża Forest Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks Chitwan National Park Dja Faunal Reserve Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago Heard and McDonald Islands Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area Iguaçu National Park Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area Los Katíos National Park Morne Trois Pitons National Park Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks Sagarmatha National Park Shark Bay, Western Australia Škocjan Caves St Kilda Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries Virgin Komi Forests Volcanoes of Kamchatka Wet Tropics of Queensland Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area
VII.28 Kakadu National Park (Australia)
The twenty-first sessions of the World Heritage Committee and Bureau examined reports on the state of conservation of Kakadu National Park from the Australian authorities and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in 1997. Reports were also examined by the twenty-second session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee in June 1998. The reports from IUCN noted potential threats from the proposal to commence construction of a uranium mine on the Jabiluka Mineral Lease within one of the three enclaves in the World Heritage property.
The ...
Sites: Kakadu National Park
VII.29 Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (Peru)
The Committee recalled that over the last three years the Committee and the Bureau examined the state of conservation of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu at several occasions, particularly with reference to adequate management arrangements and comprehensive master planning. It also recalled that the Committee and the Bureau had reiterated that no actions should be undertaken on the implementation of a cable car system, or to that effect any other major works, until an adequate master plan is in place.
In response to the concerns ...
VII.30 The Committee noted the decisions of the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau as reflected in the Report of the Bureau session (Working Document WHC-98/CONF.203/5) and included in Annex IV on the following properties:
Tasmanian Wilderness (Australia)
Mount Taishan (China, Peoples Republic of)
Mount Huangshan (China, People's Republic of)
Ohrid Region with its Cultural and Historical Aspect and its Natural Environment (Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of)
Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons) (Mali)
Tongariro National Park (New ...
VII.35 Forts and Castles of Ghana (Ghana)
The Forts and Castles of Ghana, as inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979, consist of three castles, 15 forts in a relatively good condition, ten forts in ruins and seven sites with traces of former fortifications. All sites are protected monuments in the custody of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB), with the exception of James Fort, Accra and Fort William, Anomabu, which are still being used as prisons. The sites are periodically inspected, however, their regular maintenance and conservation is severely affected by the limited ...
VII.36 Island of Mozambique (Mozambique)
Thanks to a contribution from the World Heritage Fund, the World Heritage site Ilha de Mozambique, has been the object of the World Heritage Centre's "Programme for Sustainable Human Development and Integral Conservation". The programme, prepared in 1996, is funded by: UNDP - US$ 300,000 (over the period 1997-1999), UNESCO - US$ 100,000, European Union - US$ 100,000 and the Finnish Government, which is financing a post of an Associate Expert for the 2-year period (1997-1998). Currently, a number of micro-projects in such areas as: water and ...
Sites: Island of Mozambique
VII.37 Kathmandu Valley (Nepal)
The Committee, at its seventeenth session, expressed deep concern over the state of conservation of the Kathmandu Valley site and considered the possibility of placing this site on the List of World Heritage in Danger, following discussions on the findings of the 1993 Joint UNESCO-ICOMOS Review Mission.
At its twenty-first session, the Committee examined the state of conservation report of this site, and in view of the continued deterioration of the World Heritage values in the Bauddhanath and Kathmandu Monument Zones, affecting the integrity and inherent ...
Sites: Kathmandu Valley
VII.38 Auschwitz Concentration Camp (Poland)
The Committee recalled that on 5 March 1997 a 'Declaration Concerning Principles for Implementation of Program Oswiecimski' was initialed by the Polish Government Plenipotentiary for the Government Strategic Plan for Oswiecim, the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the International Council of the State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Mayor of Oswiecim in the presence of the President of Poland. The Committee took note of information provided by the Secretariat on the progress made in the implementation of the Declaration, ...
VII.39 Central Zone of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores (Portugal)
The Bureau of the World Heritage Committee, at its twentysecond ordinary session, was informed about a marina project that seriously threatened the characteristic features of the waterfront of the World Heritage site. ICOMOS undertook a mission to the site in October 1998 and concluded that, although there is the economic need for a marina, it opposed this particular project for the negative impact it would have on the World Heritage values of the site. It recommended that an alternative location be sought for the ...
VII.41 The Rock Carvings in Tanum (Sweden)
At the invitation of the Director of Monuments and Sites of the County Administration of Västra Götaland, ICOMOS and the World Heritage Centre undertook a mission to Tanum in September 1998 to discuss the E6 road upgrading project, funded by the European Union.
The mission examined various options for the road and expressed preference for alternatives that would avoid the World Heritage site. However, it was felt that one alternative solution, developed during the mission, although passing into the World Heritage site, would have a ...
Sites: Rock Carvings in Tanum
VII.42 World Heritage sites in Central America
The Secretariat reported that Hurricane Mitch swept over Central America during the final days of October 1998, causing heavy rains and storms and inundating important parts of Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. The region has a number of World Heritage sites, including:
El Salvador: Joya de Ceren Archaeological Site
Guatemala: Tikal National Park
Antigua Guatemala
Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua
Honduras: Maya site of Copan
Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve (on the Danger List)
Nicaragua: The site of Leon Viejo, recognised by ...
VII.43 The Committee noted the decisions of the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau as reflected in the Report of the Bureau session (Working Document WHC-98/CONF.203/5) and included in Annex IV of this report on the following properties:
Rapa Nui National Park (Chile)
The Mountain Resort and Its Outlying Temples in Chengde (China)
The Potala Palace, Lhasa (China)
Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu (China)
Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains (China)
City of Quito (Ecuador)
Memphis and its Necropolis - the Pyramid Fields ...
Sites: Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains Ancient City of Polonnaruwa Ancient City of Sigiriya Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis Baalbek Baroque Churches of the Philippines City of Quito Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town of Quedlinburg Complex of Hué Monuments Historic Areas of Istanbul Historic Cairo Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn Historic Centre of Florence Historic Centre of Lima Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa Island of Gorée Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde Old City of Sana'a Quseir Amra Rapa Nui National Park Sacred City of Anuradhapura Site of Palmyra Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu Town of Luang Prabang Tyre Vilnius Historic Centre
VII.4 World Heritage sites of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC):
Virunga National Park
Garamba National Park
Kahuzi Biega National Park
Okapi Faunal Reserve
The Committee had declared these four sites as World Heritage in Danger, during 1994-1997, as war and civil strife have ravaged the country. The Committee noted that the Bureau, at its twentysecond ordinary session (June 1998), had been of the view that the security situation in the country may be improving. Hence, the Bureau had encouraged the Centre to continue its efforts, in co-operation with international ...
22 COM VIII.2
Removals from the List of World Heritage in Danger: Old City of Dubrovnik (Croatia) & Wieliczka Salt Mines (Poland)
VIII.2 The Committee recalled that, having examined the state of conservation of properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, it had decided to delete the following two properties from the List:
Old City of Dubrovnik (Croatia)
On the basis of a substantive report on the state of conservation submitted by the authorities of Croatia, the positive advice of ICOMOS on the restoration works undertaken and the recommendations of the Bureau, the Committee decided to delete the Old City of Dubrovnik from the List of World Heritage in Danger (see also paragraph VII.17 of ...
VIII.4 The Committee was informed that all the cultural properties proposed for inscription figure on the tentative lists of the respective countries mentioned in Document WHC-98/CONF.203/9: Information on Tentative Lists. The Delegate of Benin indicated that "The W Reserve of Niger and its Vernacular Habitat of North Benin" was a mixed property, and requested that this information be reflected in the abovementioned document. The Delegate of Lebanon furthermore wished that the information contained in the Document WHC-98/CONF.203/9 be accompanied by a regional analysis to guide the States ...
VIII.3 The Committee noted that a number of sites have been withdrawn by the States Parties concerned since the twenty-second session of the Bureau (June 1998): Cultural Stratification in the Historic Centre of the City of Pecs, Hungary (853); Gdansk : the Main Town, the Motlava Side Channel, and the Vistula Mouth Fortress, Poland (882); The Medieval Town of Provins, France (873), and the Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco, Spain (875).
Property: New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands
Id. N°: 877
State Party: New Zealand
Criteria: N (ii)(iv)
The site consists of five island groups (the Snares, Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, and Campbell Island) in the Southern Ocean south-east of New Zealand. The islands, lying between the Antarctic and Sub-tropical Convergences, and the seas have a high level of productivity, bio-diversity, wildlife population densities, and endemism among birds, plants and invertebrates. The bird and plant life, especially endemic albatrosses, cormorants, land birds and ...
Property: Golden Mountains of Altai
Id. N°: 768 Rev.
State Party: Russian Federation
Criteria: N (iv)
The Altai region is an important and original centre of biodiversity of plant and animal species. It contains rare and endemic species, including the Snow Leopard. The Altai population of the Snow Leopard serves as a core source for the southern Siberian region. The site also displays the geological history of Asia, a variety of landscapes and ecosystems and contains excellent examples of glacial features.
The Committee discussed whether to apply criterion (iii) and reviewed the ...
Sites: Golden Mountains of Altai
Property: East Rennell
Id. N°: 854
State Party: Solomon Islands
Criteria: N(ii)
East Rennell is part of Rennell Island, the southernmost of the Solomon Islands group. Rennell, the largest raised coral atoll in the world, is 86 km long and 15 km wide and covers an area of 87,500ha. A major feature is Lake Tegano, which was the former lagoon on the atoll and is the largest lake in the insular Pacific (15,500ha). Rennell is mostly covered with dense forest with a canopy averaging 20m in height. East Rennell is of outstanding universal value under natural criterion (ii), demonstrating ...
Sites: East Rennell
Property: Vodlozero National Park
Id. N°: 767
State Party: Russian Federation
The Committee noted that the site consists of boreal forest ecosystems of the Eurasian taiga and is an important bird breeding area. It is of European importance, but on its own, does not meet any natural World Heritage criteria. The Committee took note of the rich cultural heritage of the region and encouraged the State Party to consider nomination the area for cultural values.
The Committee decided not to inscribe the site on the World Heritage List. The Committee noted the possibility of Vodlozero ...
Property: Bashkirian Ural
Id. N°: 879
State Party: Russian Federation
The Committee noted that the site is of European importance for the study of the natural dynamics of broadleaf forests. However, the site does not possess outstanding universal value. The proposal that this site could be considered as a Biosphere Reserve was noted and it was agreed that the State Party would follow this up with IUCN and UNESCO.
The Committee decided not to inscribe the site on the World Heritage List.
Property: The Ravines of the Slovak Paradis and Dobsinska Ice Cave
Id. N°: 858
State Party: Slovakia
The Committee recalled that the Bureau at its twenty-second session decided to refer the nomination back to the State Party asking the Slovak authorities to consider incorporating the Dobsinska Ice Cave portion into the nearby World Heritage site of the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst. The Committee was informed that the State Party indicated a number of options including as a possible addition to the cultural World Heritage site of "Spissky Castle with its surroundings".
The ...
Property: The Semmering Railway
Id. N°: 785
State Party: Austria
Criteria: C(ii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): The Semmering Railway represents an outstanding technological solution to a major physical problem in the construction of early railways.
Criterion (iv): With the construction of the Semmering Railway, areas of great natural beauty became more easily accessible and as a result these were developed for residential and recreational use, creating a new form of cultural ...
Sites: Semmering Railway
Property: Flemish Béguinages
Id. N°: 855
State Party: Belgium
Criteria: C (ii)(iii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii), (iii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): The Flemish béguinages demonstrate outstanding physical characteristics of urban and rural planning and a combination of religious and traditional architecture in styles specific to the Flemish cultural region.
Criterion (iii): The béguinages bear exceptional witness to the cultural tradition of independent religious women in north-western Europe in the Middle ...
Sites: Flemish Béguinages
22 COM VIII.B.1
Inscription: The Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs, La Louvière and Le Roeulx (Hainaut) (Belgium)
Property: The Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs, La Louvière and Le Roeulx (Hainaut)
Id. N°: 856
State Party: Belgium
Criteria: C (iii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (iii) and (iv):
Criterion (iii): The boat-lifts of the Canal du Centre bear remarkable testimony to the hydraulic engineering developments of 19th-century Europe.
Criterion (iv): These boat-lifts represent the apogee of the application of engineering technology to the construction of ...
Property: La Grand-Place, Brussels
Id. N°: 857
State Party: Belgium
Criteria: C (ii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): The Grand-Place is an outstanding example of the eclectic and highly successful blending of architectural and artistic styles that characterizes the culture and society of this region.
Criterion (iv): Through the nature and quality of its architecture and of its outstanding quality as a public open space, the Grand-Place illustrates in an exceptional way the evolution and ...
Sites: La Grand-Place, Brussels
Property: El Fuerte de Samaipata
Id. N°: 883
State Party: Bolivia
Criteria: C(ii)(iii)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iii):
Criterion (ii): The sculptured rock at Samaipata is the dominant ceremonial feature of an urban settlement that represents the apogee of this form of prehispanic religious and political centre.
Criterion (iii): Samaipata bears outstanding witness to the existence in this Andean region of a culture with highly developed religious traditions, illustrated dramatically in the form of immense rock ...
Sites: Fuerte de Samaipata
Property: The Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing
Id. N°: 880
State Party: China
Criteria: C(i)(ii)(iii)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (i), (ii), and (iii):
Criterion (i): The Summer Palace in Beijing is an outstanding expression of the creative art of Chinese landscape garden design, incorporating the works of humankind and nature in a harmonious whole.
Criterion (ii): The Summer Palace epitomizes the philosophy and practice of Chinese garden design, which played a key role in the development of this cultural form ...
Property: The Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
Id. N°: 881
State Party: China
Criteria: C(i)(ii)(iii)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (i), (ii), and (iii):
Criterion (i): The Temple of Heaven is a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world's great civilizations.
Criterion (ii): The symbolic layout and design of the Temple of Heaven had a profound influence on architecture and planning ...
Property: Choirokoitia
Id. N°: 848
State Party: Cyprus
Criteria: C (ii)(iii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii), (iii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): In the prehistoric period, Cyprus played a key role in the transmission of culture from the Near East to the European world.
Criterion (iii): Choirokhoitia is an exceptionally well preserved archaeological site that has provided, and will continue to provide, scientific data of great importance relating to the spread of civilization from Asia to the Mediterranean ...
Sites: Choirokoitia
Property: The Gardens and Castle at Kromeríz
Id. N°: 860
State Party: Czech Republic
Criteria: C (ii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): The ensemble at Kromeríz, and in particular the Pleasure Garden, played a significant role in the development of Baroque garden and palace design in central Europe.
Criterion (iv): The Gardens and Castle at Kromeríz are an exceptionally complete and well preserved example of a princely residence and its associated landscape of the 17th ...
Property: Holašovice Historical Village Reservation
Id. N°: 861
State Party: Czech Republic
Criteria: C(ii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): Holašovice is of special significance in that it represents the fusion of two vernacular building traditions to create an exceptional and enduring style, known as South Bohemian Folk Baroque.
Criterion (iv): The exceptional completeness and excellent preservation of Holašovice and its buildings make it an outstanding example of ...
Sites: Holašovice Historic Village
Property: The Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
Id. N°: 868
State Party: France
Criteria: C(ii)(iv)(vi)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii), (iv), and (vi):
Criterion (ii): The Pilgrimage Route of Santiago de Compostela played a key role in religious and cultural exchange and development during the later Middle Ages, and this is admirably illustrated by the carefully selected monuments on the routes followed by pilgrims in France.
Criterion (iv): The spiritual and physical needs of pilgrims travelling to Santiago ...
Property: The Historic Site of Lyon
Id. N°: 872
State Party: France
Criteria: C (ii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): Lyon bears exceptional testimony to the continuity of urban settlement over more than two millennia on a site of great commercial and strategic significance, where cultural traditions from many parts of Europe have come together to create a coherent and vigorous continuing community.
Criterion (iv): By virtue of the special way in which it has developed spatially, Lyon ...
Sites: Historic Site of Lyon
Property: Classical Weimar
Id. N°: 846
State Party: Germany
Criteria: C(iii)(vi)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (iii) and (vi):
Criterion (iii): The high artistic quality of the public and private buildings and parks in and around the town testify to the remarkable cultural flowering of the Weimar Classical Period.
Criterion (vi): Enlightened ducal patronage attracted many of the leading writers and thinkers in Germany, such as Goethe, Schiller, and Herder to Weimar in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, making it ...
Sites: Classical Weimar
22 COM VIII.B.1
Inscription: The Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia (Italy)
Property: The Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia
Id. N°: 825
State Party: Italy
Criteria: C (iii)(iv)(vi)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (iii), (iv), and (vi):
Criterion (iii): Aquileia was one of the largest and most wealthy cities of the Early Roman Empire.
Criterion (iv): By virtue of the fact that most of ancient Aquileia survives intact and unexcavated, it is the most complete example of an Early Roman city in the Mediterranean world.
Criterion (vi): The Patriarchal Basilican Complex in ...
Property: The Historic Centre of Urbino
Id. N°: 828
State Party: Italy
Criteria: C(ii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): During its short cultural pre-eminence, Urbino attracted some of the most outstanding humanist scholars and artists of the Renaissance, who created there an exceptional urban complex of remarkable homogeneity, the influence of which carried far into the rest of Europe.
Criterion (iv): Urbino represents a pinnacle of Renaissance art and architecture, harmoniously adapted ...
Sites: Historic Centre of Urbino
22 COM VIII.B.1
Inscription: The Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archealogical sites of Paestum and Velia and the Certosa di Padula (Italy)
Property: The Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archealogical sites of Paestum and Velia and the Certosa di Padula
Id. N°: 842
State Party: Italy
Criteria: C(iii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed this site as a cultural landscape on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (iii) and (iv):
Criterion (iii): During the prehistoric period, and again in the Middle Ages, the Cilento region served as a key route for cultural, political, and commercial communications in an exceptional manner, utilizing the crests of the mountain chains running east-west and thereby ...
Property: Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
Id. N°: 870
State Party: Japan
Criteria: C(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)
The Committee inscribed the property on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii), (iii) and (iv) and added criterion (vi):
Criterion (ii): The historic monuments of ancient Nara bear exceptional witness to the evolution of Japanese architecture and art as a result of cultural links with China and Korea which were to have a profound influence on future developments.
Criterion (iii): The flowering of Japanese culture during the period when Nara was the capital ...
22 COM VIII.B.1
Inscription: Ouadi Qadisha (the Holy Valley) and the Forest of the Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab) (Lebanon)
Property: Ouadi Qadisha (the Holy Valley) and the Forest of the Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab)
Id. N°: 850
State Party: Lebanon
Criteria: C(iii)(iv)
Following clarification of the buffer zone by the State Party, the Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (iii) and (iv):
Criterion (iii): The Qadisha Valley has been the site of monastic communities continuously since the earliest years of Christianity. The trees in the Cedar Forest are survivors of a sacred forest and of one of the most highly prized building materials of the ancient ...
Property: The Archaeological Zone of Paquimé, Casas Grandes
Id. N°: 560rev
State Party: Mexico
Criteria: C (iii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed this property on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (iii) and (iv):
Criterion (iii): Paquimé Casas Grandes bears eloquent and abundant testimony to an important element in the cultural evolution of North America, and in particular to prehispanic commercial and cultural links.
Criterion (iv): The extensive remains of the archaeological site of Paquimé Casas Grandes provide exceptional evidence of the development of adobe ...
Property: The Historic Monuments Zone of Tlacotalpan
Id. N°: 862
State Party: Mexico
Criteria: C(ii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): The urban layout and architecture of Tlacotalpan represent a fusion of Spanish and Caribbean traditions of exceptional importance and quality.
Criterion (iv): Tlacotalpan is a Spanish colonial river port on the Gulf coast of Mexico that has preserved its original urban fabric to an exceptional degree. Its outstanding character lies in its townscape of wide ...
22 COM VIII.B.1
Inscription: Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station) (The Netherlands)
Property: Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station)
Id. N°: 867
State Party: The Netherlands
Criteria: C (i)(ii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (i), (ii), and (iv):
Criterion (i): The advent of steam as a source of energy provided the Dutch engineers with a powerful tool in their millennial task of water management, and the Wouda installation is the largest of its type ever built.
Criterion (ii): The Wouda Pumping Station represents the apogee of Dutch hydraulic engineering, which has provided the models ...
Property: Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley
Id. N°: 866
State Party: Portugal
Criteria: C (i)(iii)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (i) and (iii):
Criterion (i): The Upper Palaeolithic rock-art of the Côa valley is an outstanding example of the sudden flowering of creative genius at the dawn of human cultural development.
Criterion (iii): The Côa Valley rock art throws light on the social, economic, and spiritual life on the life of the early ancestor of humankind in a wholly exceptional ...
Property: Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula
Id. N°: 874
State Party: Spain
Criteria: C (iii)
The Committee inscribed this property on the basis of criterion (iii).
Criterion (iii): The corpus of late prehistoric mural paintings in the Mediterranean basin of eastern Spain is the largest group of rock-art sites anywhere in Europe and provides an exceptional picture of human life in a seminal period of human cultural ...
Property: The University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares
Id. N°: 876
State Party: Spain
Criteria: C (ii)(iv)(vi)
The Committee inscribed this property on the basis of criteria (ii), (iv) and (vi):
Criterion (ii): Alcalá de Henares was the first city to be designed and built solely as the seat of a university, and was to serve as the model for other centres of learning in Europe and the Americas.
Criterion (iv): The concept of the ideal city, the City of God (Civitas Dei), was first given material expression in Alcalá de Henares, from where it ...
Property: The Naval Port of Karlskrona
Id. N°: 871
State Party: Sweden
Criteria: C (ii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): Karlskrona is an exceptionally well preserved example of a European planned naval town, which incorporates elements derived from earlier establishments in other countries and which was in its turn to serve as the model for subsequent towns with similar functions.
Criterion (iv): Naval bases played an important role in the centuries during which naval power was a ...
Sites: Naval Port of Karlskrona
Property: Archaeological site of Troy
Id. N°: 849
State Party: Turkey
Criteria: C(ii)(iii)(vi)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii), (iii), and (vi):
The archaeological site of Troy is of immense significance in the understanding of the development of European civilization at a critical stage in its early development. It is, moreover, of exceptional cultural importance because of the profound influence of Homer's Iliad on the creative arts over more than two millennia.
The Delegate of Thailand wholeheartedly supported ...
Sites: Archaeological Site of Troy
Property: L'viv - The Ensemble of the Historic Centre
Id. N°: 865
State Party: Ukraine
Criteria: C(ii)(v)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii), and (v):
Criterion (ii): In its urban fabric and its architecture, L'viv is an outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of Eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany.
Criterion (v): The political and commercial role of L'viv attracted to it a number of ethnic groups with different cultural and religious traditions, who established separate ...
Property: Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias
Id. N°: 312bis
State Party: Spain
Criteria: C(i)(ii)(iv)
The Committee approved the extension of the Churches of the Kingdom of the Asturias to include the Cámara Santa, the Basilica of San Julián de los Prados, and La Foncalada in Oviedo, on the World Heritage List, under the existing criteria (i), (ii) and (iv).
The Delegate of Canada commended the Representative of ICOMOS for his comprehensive and informative presentation. The Chairperson thanked ICOMOS on behalf of the members of the ...
IX.22 The Chairperson thanked the Government of the Netherlands for hosting the Amsterdam Global Strategy meeting (March 1998) and the Committee, advisory bodies and observers for the rich and intensive debate. The Committee adopted the following decisions:
1) The Committee thanked the Delegate of Italy (who had chaired the Consultative Body in 1998) and all the members of the Consultative Body for their productive work on the technical issues and paid tribute to the work of the Global Strategy Expert Meeting held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in March 1998.
2) The Committee stressed ...
22 COM IX.3
Follow-up to the Report of the External Auditor to the Director-General of UNESCO on the Management Review of the World Heritage Convention
Follow-up to the Report of the External Auditor to the Director-General of UNESCO on the Management Review of the World Heritage Convention
The Committee adopted the following decision:
Having examined the work of the Consultative Body in 1998, the Committee requested the twenty-third session of the Bureau to examine the Progress Report on Follow-up to the "Report of the External Auditor to the Director-General of UNESCO on the Management Review of the World Heritage Convention" prepared by the Centre (Annex I of Document WHC-98/CONF.203/11). The twenty-third session of the Bureau ...
Role and functions of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre
IX.25 At its twenty-second session, the Bureau requested that the Director-General of UNESCO provide a report outlining "the tasks and functions of the World Heritage Centre as Secretariat to the Convention".
IX.26 At the request of the Committee, the Green Note entitled the 'Preservation and Presentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage' issued by the Director-General of UNESCO on 23 November 1998 was presented to the Committee in Working Document WHC-98/CONF.203/11.Add.
IX.27 During a lengthy discussion, which focused on the ...
IX.32 The Secretariat briefly introduced the issue on the use of the World Heritage Emblem and Fund-raising, by recalling the step by step process followed by the Consultative Body in proposing new Guidelines on the Use of the World Heritage Emblem and Fund-raising to the Committee at its twenty-second session. The Secretariat further recalled that the document submitted to the Committee for examination within document WHC-98/CONF.203/11Add remained unchanged since it was last presented to the extraordinary session of the Bureau.
IX.33 Concerning the use of the World Heritage Emblem, the ...
22 COM X
Progress Report, Synthesis and Action Plan on the Global Strategy for a Representative and Credible World Heritage List
X.18 At the end of the debate, the Director of the Centre promised that the actions for the year 2000 would be reviewed in the light of the discussion. The Chairperson commended the regional approach that would redress the imbalances of the World Heritage List. The prioritized action plan prepared as a follow-up of the Consultative Body concerning the implementation of the Global Strategy was endorsed. The activities foreseen in the regional action plans for 1999 presented under Section VI of the Working Document, were approved, and in addition: US$ 15,000 for IUCN and US$ 23,000 for ...
22 COM XI
Examination of the World Heritage Fund and Approval of the Budget for 1999 and Presentation of a Provisional Budget for 2000
XI.1 The Chairperson presented the documents related to agenda item 11:
WHC-98/CONF.203/13, which presents the World Heritage Fund, the income and forecasts, the work plan and the proposed budget;
WHC-98/CONF.203/13Add., which presents the approved financial statements of the World Heritage Fund as at 31 October 1998;
WHC-98/CONF.203/INF.19, which presents the approved international assistance requests as at 15 November 1998.
Furthermore, it is recalled that the advisory bodies (ICOMOS, IUCN and ICCROM) had submitted their activity reports for 1997 concerning the implementation of ...
22 COM XII.8
Requests for International Assistance-Evaluation of reports of training activities and technical co-operation financed by the World Heritage Fund
XII.8 The Observer of Germany recalled that the Committee requested the Secretariat to evaluate the reports of training activities and technical co-operation financed by the World Heritage Fund. The Committee therefore reiterated its request that these evaluations be presented to the annual session of the Committee.
Natural Heritage: Requests examined by the Committee
Paragraph No. as presented in WHC-98/CONF.203/14Rev.
Requesting State Party
Type of Assistance
Description
Amount Approved(US$)
Comments/ Observations/ Conditions
A.2.1.1
Cameroon
Training
Three training fellowships at the School for the Training of Wildlife Specialists, Garoua, Cameroon for the Academic Biennium 1999-2001
45,000
A.2.1.2
Oman
Training
Regional capacity building training workshop for the promotion of awareness in natural ...
Cultural Heritage: Requests examined by the Committee
Paragraph No. as presented in WHC-98/CONF.203/ 14Rev.
Requesting State Party
Type of Assistance
Description
Amount Approved (US$)
Comments/ Observations/ Conditions
B.2.1.1
Brazil
Training
Specialized course on Integrated Territorial and Urban Conservation - Brazil programme ITUC 1999-2000
49,900
B.2.1.2
China
Training
Training programme for site managers of World Heritage Cities in China - Consolidation of the International Conference for ...
Sites: Ancient City of Damascus Boyana Church Chan Chan Archaeological Zone Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions Historic Areas of Istanbul Historic Cairo Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa Megalithic Temples of Malta Old Havana and its Fortification System Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Santiago de Cuba Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas
XIII.13 The Chairperson then opened the floor for comments, recalling that there were three decisions for the Committee to adopt regarding: the Strategic Plan; Programme and Budget for 1999, and the World Heritage Review.
XIII.14 The Committee commended the Secretariat for the high quality and clarity of both the written document and the presentation. Expressing appreciation for the strategic approach of the five-part programme, the Committee remarked on the wide range of activities being undertaken by the Centre in spite of limited staff and financial resources and approved the contents ...
22 COM XIV.1-11
Revision of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention
Revision of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention
XIV.1 The Committee examined Working Documents WHC-98/CONF.203/16 and WHC-98/CONF.203/16Add. The Committee reviewed the following proposed revisions to the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention:
Section I. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST:
XIV.2 The Committee recalled that it had already decided under item 9 of the agenda (see Chapter IX of this report) that the Centre should work with the advisory bodies to further develop Section I of the ...
22 COM XV.1-3
Date, Place and Provisional Agenda of the Twenty-third Session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee
XV.1 The Chairperson opened the discussion on this agenda item by noting that during the year there would be six meetings of the statutory bodies, as follows:
the twenty-third ordinary session of the Bureau;
the first twenty-third extraordinary session of the Committee on Kakadu National Park (Australia);
the twelfth General Assembly of the States Parties at the time of the 30th session of UNESCO's General Conference;
the second extraordinary session of the Committee following the General Assembly of the States Parties;
the twenty-third extraordinary session of the Bureau; and ...
22 COM XVI.1-3
Date, Place and Provisional Agenda of the Twenty-third Session of the World Heritage Committee
XVI.1 The Chairperson recalled that during the twenty-first session in Naples, Italy, Morocco had presented its candidature to host the twenty-third ordinary session of the Committee. The Delegate of Morocco informed the Committee that H.M. Government of Morocco would be pleased to host the next session in Marrakesh. The Committee thanked the Kingdom of Morocco for this generous invitation which it accepted. The twenty-third ordinary session of the Committee will be held in Marrakesh from 29 November to 4 December 1999. It will be preceded by the twenty-third extraordinary session of the ...
XVII.1 The Delegate of Hungary introduced three statements that are attached in Annex XI which concern:
(a) an invitation to the Committee to hold one of its regular sessions in Budapest at an appropriate time within the span of Hungary's membership in the Committee;
(b) appropriate geographical information system and remarks on Document WHC-98/CONF.203/15 pertaining to networking and geographical information; and
(c) a proposal to launch a World Heritage Fellowship Programme.
XVII.2 The Committee took note of these statements. The Delegate of Australia indicated that her Government ...
TRAINING
Cameroon ( Three training fellowships at the School for the Training of Wildlife Specialists, Garoua, Cameroon for the Academic Biennium 1999-2001) - US$ 45,000
The outgoing Bureau recommended approval of US$ 45,000 by the Committee.
Oman (Regional capacity building training workshop for the promotion of awareness in natural heritage conservation) - US$ 40,000
The outgoing Bureau recommended the approval of US$ 40,000 by theCommittee, subject to the State Party submitting to the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, a revised proposal with well-focused and ...
TRAINING
Brazil (Specialized course on Integrated Territorial and Urban Conservation – Brazil programme ITUC 1999-2000) - US$ 49,900
The outgoing Bureau recommended the approval of US$ 49,000 by the Committee.
China (Training programme for site managers of World Heritage Cities in China – Consolidation of the International Conference for Mayors of Historic Cities in China and the European Union) - US$ 35,000
The outgoing Bureau recommended the approval of US$ 35,000 by the Committee. ICCROM announced its full support and availability to actively participate ...
Sites: Ancient City of Damascus Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions Historic Areas of Istanbul Historic Cairo Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Santiago de Cuba Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas
ICCROM (AFRICA 2009 - Conservation of immovable cultural heritage in Sub-Saharan Africa) - US$ 100,000
The outgoing Bureau recommended the approval by the Committee of US$ 100,000, noting that the AFRICA-2009 Programme was a joint initiative of the World Heritage Centre, ICCROM and CRATerre-EAG, and launched in March 1998 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, with the endorsement of 9 Sub-Saharan African States Parties.
ICCROM (PAT 99 – Second Pan-American Course on the Conservation and Management of Earthen Architectural and Archaeological Heritage) - US$ 78,470
The ...