Decision 38 COM 7A.2

Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (Iraq) (C 1130)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 7A.24 adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013),
3. Takes note of the efforts made by the State Party in addressing the conservation of the property;
4. Regrets that the protective shelter was built at the Royal Cemetery in spite of the request made to submit details for the intervention for review prior to its construction, notes the physical and visual impacts of the shelter on the attributes of the property and requests the State Party to work with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in identifying options for the archaeological area and to reverse and/or mitigate the impacts generated by the intervention;
5. Reiterates its request to submit, in accordance to Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines , details of all on-going or planned interventions at the site for review prior to implementation to ensure that no additional impacts are derived from them;
6. Urges the State Party to submit a request for International Assistance to support the preparation of the conservation and management plans, to include the definition of an overarching conservation policy and to define a time schedule for conservation interventions;
7. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to develop, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, proposals for corrective measures and for the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, together with a proposed timeframe, and to finalize the retrospective Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015;
8. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015;
9. Decides to retain Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (Iraq) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.