Decision 39 COM 7B.39

Aksum (Ethiopia) (C 15)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 36 COM 7B.41 and 37COM 7B.38, adopted at its 36th (Saint-Petersburg, 2012), and 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013) sessions respectively,
3. Congratulates the State Party for affirming its commitment to financing the consolidation project for the reinforcement of the foundation of Stele III and the investigation of the causes of the rising water level in the Tomb of the Brick Arches; and urges it to keep the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies updated on:
   1. any changes in the agreed-upon project document for Stele III,
   2. the results of the investigation of the rising water level;
4. Acknowledges the reported progress on the construction of the Church Museum but notes that it remains unclear how the façade will be amended to take account of the 2013 Reactive Monitoring mission's views and therefore, requests the State Party to submit relevant plans and drawings;
5. Also notes the reported development of the Management Plan for Aksum in close collaboration with the Department of Archaeology at Aksum University, and encourages the State Party to remain vigilant that the Plan ensures that critical viewpoints are maintained and tools put in place for monitoring visual impacts;
6. Further notes the development of the Thematic Master Plan and also requests that copies of these documents be submitted to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies once they are finalized;
7. Reiterates the urgency of finalizing the clarification of the boundaries of the property and its buffer zone, according to the specifications for maps provided by the World Heritage Centre to the State Party, and also reiterates its request to the State Party to submit a minor boundary modification to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2016 for examination by the World Heritage Committee;
8. Also encourages the State Party to liaise closely with the World Heritage Centre in the development and implementation of the Ethiopian Sustainable Tourism Development Project;
9. Further encourages the State Party to continue implementing the recommendations of the 2013 Reactive Monitoring mission, and further requests the State Party to invite an ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, before the end of 2015, to review the progress made on the above issues and to examine the state of conservation of the property;
10. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2016, 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 40th session in 2016.