Decision 42 COM 7A.14

Timbuktu (Mali) (C 119rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7A.29, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Notes with satisfaction the progress achieved in the implementation by the State Party of the corrective measures adopted at its 40th session, in a continuingly difficult context in northern Mali, notably the rehabilitation and safeguarding work of the three mosques, the private libraries and the museums, the El-Farouk monument and the development of Independence Square, and also the extension of the HERI-AB;
4. Congratulates the State Party for the preparation of the new 2018-2022 Management and Conservation Plan, and the increased involvement of the local community in activities carried out for the benefit of the property;
5. Warmly welcomes the interventions foreseen for the security of two cemeteries, and recommends the State Party to broaden the scope of its efforts to include all the cemeteries containing the mausoleums of saints through additional measures, in particular the recruitment and training of guards for each cemetery, as well as public lighting;
6. Expresses its concern as regards the continuing unstable security situation and notably certain impacts due to military presence, such as the potentially negative effects of vibrations caused by military vehicles to the listed buildings, and also recommends that the State Party study, in consultation with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), reorganization options for traffic adjacent to the concerned buildings to reduce these effects;
7. Encourages the State Party to increase the financial, logistical and human resources of the Timbuktu Cultural Mission, to enable an improved fulfilment of its central function and ensure the implementation of the new Management and Conservation Plan;
8. Launches an appeal to the international community to provide support to the efforts of the State Party and contribute towards the implementation of the second phase of the Rehabilitation Programme for Cultural Heritage and the safeguarding of the ancient manuscripts of Mali;
9. Also encourages the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to explore the possibility of setting up a short-term distance support programme, in order to allow dialogue on capacity building and on drafting the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);
10. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2019, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above points, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019;
11. Decides to pursue the application of the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism for the property;
12. Also decides to retain Timbuktu (Mali) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.