Decision 38 COM 7B.55

Stone Town of Zanzibar (Tanzania, United Republic of) (C 173rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 36 COM 7B.49 adopted at its 36th session (Saint-Petersburg, 2012),
3. Deeply regretsthat in spite of extensive dialogue among the State Party, the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre, a new hotel and internal alterations at the Mambo Msiige building were carried out in contravention of the agreed upon matrix and guidelines for a revised design; and considers that the new six storey hotel, at two stories above the agreed matrix and guidelines, and encroaching onto the public beach, will have a significant adverse impact on the urban form and silhouette of the property and a substantial adverse impact on its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
4. Urges the State Party to halt the ongoing work, and urgently implement the mitigation measures recommended by the Advisory Mission, which include lowering the overall height of the new building by two stories; and also considers that if these are not implemented then the property will meet the conditions for inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger, in conformity with Paragraphs 177 and 179 of the Operational Guidelines;
5. Further considers that as the current structure of the Mambo Msiige is not in compliance with the Management Plan, the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) and buildings regulations, this reflects a serious lack of adequate management and development control at the property;
6. Notes that the State Party acknowledges the lack of adequate resources and effective governance as result of conflicts within the management structure, and that the adopted Management Plan has been only partially implemented and it is not being used to effectively guide decision-making and development control;
7. Reiterates its concern that the current critical conditions at the property have remained largely unaddressed with no significant progress having been made to reverse the decay in most of the building stock, in spite of recommendations of the Committee over several sessions since 2007; and considers furthermore that the poor overall state of conservation of the property, the lack of implementation of the management and conservation plans, and issues with governance arrangements constitute serious and specific dangers to the OUV of the property;
8. Requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM reactive monitoring mission to the property in 2014 to assess the implementation of mitigation measures and the state of conservation of the property with the aim to assess whether the condition of the property meets the criteria for inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger;
9. 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.