Decision 41 COM 7A.52

Old City of Sana’a (Yemen) (C 385)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 40 COM 7A.24, adopted at its 40th session (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016),
3. Expresses its continuing concern at the recent damage caused to the cultural heritage of Yemen as a result of ongoing armed conflict, and that the Old City of Sana’a has incurred irreversible destruction, and continues to be vulnerable, owing to the current security situation, ongoing social change and continuing lack of organisational support and resources for both heritage management and physical conservation;
4. Commends the State Party for its involvement in damage assessment, documentation and emergency interventions, and for its communication with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies and welcomes the open invitation for a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission, as soon as the security situation in Yemen has improved;
5. Urges all parties involved in the conflict to refrain from any further action that would cause damage to the cultural heritage of Yemen and the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and to fulfil their obligations under international law by taking all possible measures to protect such heritage, in particular the safeguarding of properties on the World Heritage List and those included in the Tentative List of Yemen, and encourages all concerned stakeholders to unite for the preservation of cultural heritage in Yemen;
6. Notes that the State Party has undertaken a range of remedial and preparatory actions including staff training and a technical study, and emergency intervention, but regrets that further conservation actions or other projects at the property cannot proceed owing to the security situation and lack of resources;
7. Notes with concern the construction of new buildings within the property without prior consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies and requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, for examination by the Advisory Bodies, further information on these new buildings and on new projects prior to initiate any construction works;
8. Also urges the State Party to continue dialogue and consultations with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in all restoration and/or reconstruction processes to ensure the safety of the inhabitants and the respect of international conservation standards;
9. Reiterates its previous call to the international community to provide technical and financial support, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund, for the implementation of the Emergency Action Plan for the Safeguarding of Yemen’s Cultural heritage, adopted at the UNESCO Expert meeting in July 2015, including funding for capacity building and first-aid restoration and protection measures; and also calls on the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to continue providing the State Party with technical assistance and support where needed;
10. Reiterates its previous requests to the State Party to:
    1. Maintain a moratorium on new development or new construction, pending completion of the proposed Conservation Plan and, where appropriate, project-specific heritage impact assessments,
    2. Prior to proceeding with the proposed rehabilitation of the water and sewerage project, prepare a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), which includes assessment of impacts on Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), in line with the relevant 2011 ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage properties, and 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,
    3. Develop, as soon as it is feasible and in close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, 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);
11. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2018, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 42nd session in 2018;
12. Decides to retain Old City of Sana'a (Yemen) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.