Decision 43 COM 7B.70

Kathmandu Valley (Nepal) (C 121bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 7B.69, 40 COM 7B.41, 41 COM 7B.95 and 42 COM 7B.12, adopted at its 39th (Bonn, 2015), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), 41st (Krakow, 2017) and 42nd (Manama, 2018) sessions respectively,
3. Acknowledges the ongoing commitment of the State Party and of national and international organizations towards the recovery of the property, through the implementation of the Recovery Master Plan (RMP), as well as through repair and conservation works already undertaken;
4. Reiterates its requests that the State Party integrate the RMP within an overall socio-economic revitalization programme for urban communities, encourage residents and local business to engage in the recovery process, and ensure that it delivers wide-ranging social and economic benefits;
5. Notes again the scale and scope of the 2015 earthquake disaster, as described in the reports of the 2015 and 2017 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring missions to the property, and expresses concern at the serious deterioration of the property's architectural and town-planning coherence;
6. Considers that the recovery process needs to be further improved and hastened, and requests the State Party to:
   1. Initiate with technical support from, and in on-going dialogue with, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, an International Scientific Steering Coordination Mechanism tasked with assisting with the development of structures and resources to guide the recovery of the property and its OUV,
   2. Invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to assess the state of conservation of the property, to review progress with the implementation of the recommendations of the October 2015 and March 2017 missions, to assist with the development of a strategy for the implementation of the six-year RMP, and to provide guidance on its review,
   3. Seek further technical support from the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies in order to coordinate and guide the recovery of the property, based on documentation, research, analysis and use of appropriate traditional methods and materials, and
   4. Ensure all recommendations and outcomes of the above are fully integrated within the 6 year RMP;
7. Also requests the State Party to implement fully the recommendations of the ICOMOS Technical Review of the Patan Durbar Square Monument Zone sewer project;
8. Further requests the State Party implement fully its already declared six year plan and complete all rehabilitation works by the end of 2021 and report to the World Heritage Committee;
9. Calls upon the international community to continue supporting the State Party’s recovery work through financial, technical or expert assistance, including support for local communities and their housing and social needs;
10. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, 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 44th session in 2020, with a view to considering in the absence of significant progress in the implementation of the above recommendations to address the ascertained danger to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, the inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger;
11. Underlines that the State Party’s cooperation in conducting the requested and overdue mission will be a key consideration for the Committee at its 44th session;