Decision 29 COM 7A.27

Butrint (Albania)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-05/29.COM/7A,

2. Recalling its Decision 28 COM 15A.28, adopted at its 28th session (Suzhou, 2004),

3. Thanks the State Party of Albania for the submission of the progress report and for the organization of the Round Table as requested;

4. Acknowledges the considerable efforts by the State Party to contribute to the improvements in the state of conservation of the property, its gradual return to normality and its legal protection;

5. Endorses the recommendations made by the joint UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICCROM mission of March 2005, and calls upon the State Party to give appropriate attention to their timely implementation;

6. Requests the State Party to:

a) ensure that the management and conservation plan of the property be finalized, if necessary with the assistance of the World Heritage Centre, taking into consideration the recommendations of the 2005 Round Table, as well as be approved by the relevant authorities of the State Party and submitted to the World Heritage Centre;

b) take all necessary measures to prevent any illegal development or inappropriate construction in the property;

c) ensure that strict control is exerted on the site management and that the relevant legal provisions of the 2003 Law on Cultural Heritage are applied; and

d) consider inviting a joint mission of UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICCROM in 2007 to assess the implementation of the Committee’s decisions and submit a report on its findings;

7. Further requests the State Party to provide a detailed implementation report on the issues above as well as a copy of the updated management plan by 1 February 2006 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006);