Decision 39 COM 8B.35

Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery, Georgia

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Documents WHC-15/39.COM/8B and WHC-15/39.COM/INF.8B1,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 7A.32 adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013);
3. Refers the major boundary modification of Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery, Georgia, back to the State Party in order to allow it to:
   1. Clarify management procedures and responsibilities of the various agencies and organisations involved;
   2. Provide details as to how a higher level of commitment might be put in place by the major stakeholders to ensure adequate protection and management of the property;
   3. Submit the revised draft Management Plan for review;
   4. Provide a timetable for when physical and visual protection for the buffer zone will be formalised and when clear guidelines and guidance for management and any development within the buffer zone will be put in place;
4. Recommends that the State Party give consideration to the following:
   1. Giving urgent attention to providing adequate resources for long-term programmes of restoration for the fabric of the monastery and its mural paintings;
   2. Avoiding further reconstruction work particularly on the excavated ruins north of the Academy building;
   3. Developing a clear system of documentation for any conservation and restoration work;
   4. Putting in place tri-dimensional measuring and monitoring to help gain a better understanding of the overall stability of the various buildings in the monastery;
   5. Submitting any future proposals for a visitor centre, or new visitor arrangements, or for new accommodation for monks, to the World Heritage Committee for examination, at the earliest opportunity and before any commitments are made, in accordance with paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.