Decision 38 COM 8B.20

Erbil Citadel (Iraq)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Documents WHC-14/38.COM/8B and WHC-14/38.COM/INF.8B1,
2. Recognizing that no additional information was asked from the State Party by ICOMOS during the evaluation process of the property, decides that in future ICOMOS shall ask for additional information within the stipulated timelines so that States Parties have an opportunity to present their rightful case;
3. Inscribes Erbil Citadel, Iraq, on the World Heritage List on the basis of criterion (iv);
4. Takes note of the following provisional Statement of Outstanding Universal Value:
5. Recommends that the State Party give consideration to the following:
   1. Surveying, documenting and mapping surviving surface buried archaeological remains of all types and establishing mechanisms to document and protect buried archaeological remains in order to enable justification in future of criteria (iii) and (v),
   2. Proceeding with the implementation of the stabilization of the slopes of the archaeological mound,
   3. Reconsidering the location of the Kurdistan National Museum or substantially revising the architectural design of the current project to harmonise with the Citadel and its relationship with its setting,
   4. Elaborating a strategy to attract private investors and to build a solid public/private partnership to implement the conservation and revitalisation programme,
   5. Undertaking juridical studies with a view to improving the existing legal framework by introducing mechanisms to support private investment,
   6. Strengthening involvement of former inhabitants and of Erbil’s civil society at large in the revitalisation of the Citadel;
6. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre by 1 December 2015, a report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the implementation of the above-mentioned recommendations for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016.