Decision 42 COM 7A.32

Ancient City of Damascus (Syrian Arab Republic) (C 20bis)

Note: the following reports on the World Heritage properties of the Syrian Arab Republic need to be read in conjunction with Item 36.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 41 COM 7A.46 and 41 COM 7A.50 adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Taking into account Decision 42 COM 7A.36 on the World Heritage properties of the Syrian Arab Republic,
4. Expresses its great concern over the damage regularly caused by fire within the property and its buffer zone, and urges the State Party to analyze reasons behind fires, continue implementing all necessary risk-prevention and mitigation actions outlined in the Emergency Response Plan of December 2013, and to report back to the World Heritage Centre on the progress made thereon;
5. Regrets that the restoration works undertaken in the property and its buffer zone are not based on historical archives and documentation, and do not use traditional materials, thus impacting the Outstanding Universal Value of the property;
6. Reiterates its request to the State Party to:
   1. Limit conservation or restoration works to first aid interventions until the security situation improves,
   2. Take immediate action to save the remaining structures through adequate shoring and temporary consolidation measures,
   3. Submit to the World Heritage Centre, for review by ICOMOS, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, any reconstruction and restoration project within property, of all damaged structures, including the “Ottoman Bank”, prior to the commencement of any works,
   4. Implement the recommendations of the 2016 UNESCO First Aid Support Meeting,
   5. Develop an integrated management plan for the property along with a database of documentation and archives to inform restoration decisions;
7. Welcomes the State Party’s decision to revise the restoration project for the Ottoman Bank in al-Asrooniya neighborhood in line with the recommendations of the 2016 UNESCO Technical Assistance Workshop, further requests it to provide the detailed designs for the revised project, and encourages it to continue implementing all the recommendations of the workshop;
8. Also urges all parties associated with the situation in Syria to refrain from any action that could cause further damage to the Ancient City of Damascus, including preventing the use of cultural property and prominent architectural elements for military purposes;
9. Calls on all UNESCO Member States to support emergency safeguarding measures, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund;
10. Requests that the invited joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission be carried to proceed to a comprehensive assessment of 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;
11. Also 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;
12. Decides to retain the Ancient City of Damascus (Syrian Arab Republic) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.