The Bureau took note of the state of conservation report provided by His Majesty’s Government of Nepal and expressed its appreciation for the progress made towards fulfilling the sixteen-point recommendation of the UNESCO-ICOMOS mission of 1993. In expressing its regret over the further delay in the integration of the Development Control Unit (DCU) as a permanent unit of the Department of Archaeology (DOA), the Bureau recalled that international assistance under the World Heritage Fund for the establishment of the DCU was not to provide salary support but for the training of the DCU staff. It therefore reiterated its hope that His Majesty’s Government will honour its commitment to make available the necessary resources to enable the DOA to maintain the DCU in function.
While having noted improvements in the enforcement of building regulations in the Monument Zones of Bhaktapur, and Patan, the Bureau expressed deep concern over the continued demolition of historic buildings located along the circular street surrounding the Bauddha Stupa and the construction of new structures, including the new Buddhist temple, which do not conform to the building codes. In view of the alarming situation in the Monument Zone of Bauddhanath, and the persisting problems in the Monument Zone of Kathmandu, the Bureau wished to consider at its twenty-first extraordinary session to be held in November 1997, the placement of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site on the List of World Heritage in Danger. To enable it to make a sound recommendation to the Committee in this regard, the Bureau requested His Majesty’s Government of Nepal to provide a full report on the progress made in each of the sixteen points of the 1993 UNESCO-ICOMOS recommendation.