Decision 42 COM 7A.24

Archaeological Site of Sabratha (Libya) (C 184)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 41 COM 7A.39 and 41 COM 8C.2 adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Commends the State Party for the important efforts made to elaborate the strategy to protect Libyan World Heritage properties, despite the prevailing unstable situation and difficult working conditions on the ground;
4. Expresses great concern over the damages incurred at the property due to the armed conflict, in particular to the theatre, urban encroachment, vandalism and weathering, in conjunction with the technical and financial difficulties to undertake appropriate protection and conservation measures;
5. Notes with appreciation the activities undertaken by the State Party to address the conservation threats in the property despite the numerous difficulties faced;
6. Also commends the State Party for the important advances in the definition of the buffer zone of the property, and encourages it to pursue the finalization of the boundary clarification and the minor boundary modification in close consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in line with Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines;
7. Reiterates its request to the State Party to keep the World Heritage Centre regularly informed of the evolution of the situation at the property and of any new measures undertaken to ensure its protection and conservation, and to continue to provide detailed information on the works carried out, including technical explanations justifying the interventions;
8. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, as soon as the security conditions permit;
9. Calls for an increased mobilization of the international community to provide more financial and technical support to the State Party, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund, to implement the short- and medium-term measures identified during the International Meeting on the Safeguard of Libyan Cultural Heritage (Tunis, May 2016);
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, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019;
11. Decides to retain the Archaeological Site of Sabratha (Libya) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.