Decision 39 COM 7B.59

Old City of Sana’a (Yemen) (C 385)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 38 COM 7B.58, adopted at its 38th session (Doha, 2014),
3. Notes with great concern that the Old City of Sana’a continues to be vulnerable owing to the deteriorating security situation in Yemen, in combination with ongoing social change, threats of inappropriate development and continuing lack of organisational support and resources for both heritage management initiatives and physical conservation projects;
4. Commends the State Party for the preparation of the draft ‘National Strategy for the Preservation of the Historic Cities, Sites and Monuments 2016 – 2020’ and the proposal for a complementary Action Plan to be developed during 2015;
5. Requests the State Party to ensure that the National Strategy Action Plan addresses the current situation of the Old City of Sana’a and includes provisions for completion of the proposed Conservation Plan, cultural Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of the proposed water and sewerage rehabilitation project, building conservation, local community awareness and a strategy for attracting international support;
6. Expresses its appreciation for the previous support to the Old City of Sana’a by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and expresses its regret at the termination of the capacity building project for the Old City of Sana’a in December 2014;
7. Encourages the State Party to seek further international assistance, specifically directed at capacity building for the General Organisation for the Preservation of Historic Cities of Yemen (GOPHCY), so that it may re-engage and respond to the growing conservation needs of the Old City of Sana’a and other World Heritage properties in Yemen;
8. Also requests that the State Party maintain a moratorium on new development or new construction, pending completion of the proposed Conservation Plan and, where appropriate, project-specific heritage impact assessments;
9. Further requests that prior to proceeding with the proposed rehabilitation of the water and sewerage project, the State party prepare a HIA, which includes assessment of impacts on Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), in line with the relevant ICOMOS guidelines and to submit a copy of the HIA to the World Heritage Centre prior to making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
10. Requests furthermore the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to advise on the proposal for a complementary Action Plan for the National Strategy for the Preservation of the Historic Cities, Sites and Monuments 2016 – 2020’ to be developed during 2015;
11. Reiterates its previous call to the international community to support the State Party, in co-operation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, in any way possible for priority conservation, management measures and capacity building programmes, as soon as the security situation in Yemen improves;
12. Also decides to inscribe the old city of Sana’a, Yemen, on the World Heritage List in Danger;
13. Also requests the State Party, as soon as it is feasible and in close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, to develop a set of corrective measures and a timeframe for their implementation, as well as a Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);
14. Reiterates its request to the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to evaluate the state of conservation of the property and identify measures needed to reverse the decay and ensure the conservation and protection of the property, as soon as the security situation allows;
15. Requests moreover that the State Party submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2016, a report on the state of conservation of the property and on the steps taken to implement the recommendations above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016.