VII.49 Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela (Ethiopia)
The Secretariat underlined the complementarity of the projects implemented by the Division of Cultural Heritage and the Centre. It reported that fields requiring particular attention are:
1. the restoration of the site: particularly the protection of the roofs and the drainage systems ;
2. the management of the site and the harmonization of current projects. Presently, the main difficulty encountered by the national authorities seems to be the harmonization of the different projects and coordination between the partners. Several precise recommendations are made in the state of conservation report regarding scientific research, the role of the Centre for Research and Conservation of the Cultural Heritage of Ethiopia as the coordinator of the restoration projects including development projects in and around the site of Lalibela.
The Committee felt that it is especially important to ensure coordination of the work between all the national and international partners engaged in the activities of conservation and preservation of this World Heritage site. It considered that the Centre for Research and Conservation of the Cultural Heritage (CRCCH) should assume this coordination and ensure that, in accordance with the principles of the Global Strategy, the activities on the site are not limited to interventions on the monuments. It therefore appeared indispensable to take into consideration the aspects of the living culture by associating the entire ecclesiastic hierarchy in the efforts made to preserve and enhance this site. It requested the Ethiopian authorities to keep the World Heritage Centre informed of the actions that will be taken to this effect before 15 September 1997 so that this information can be examined by the Committee at its twenty-first session.