Decision 43 COM 7A.23

Archaeological Site of Cyrene (Libya) (C 190)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7A.22, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Commends the State Party for the important efforts made for the conservation of the property and its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) in close coordination with local communities and civil society, despite the prevailing unstable situation and difficult working conditions on the ground, and urges it to continue its efforts in this regard to the degree possible;
4. Requests the State Party to keep the Committee regularly informed about the evolution of the situation at the property and to inform it, through the World Heritage Centre, of any future plans for major restoration or new construction projects that may affect the OUV of the property, including the proposed construction of a hotel near the Temple of Zeus, before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
5. Also requests the State Party to provide updated information about the damage caused by pollution and forest fires;
6. Encourages the State Party to continue the finalization of 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. Acknowledges the invitation from the State Party for a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, and also encourages it to take place as soon as the security conditions permit;
8. Calls for an increased mobilization of the international community to provide financial and technical support to the State Party, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund, to implement the short-, medium- and long-term measures identified during the International Meeting on the Safeguard of Libyan Cultural Heritage (Tunis, May 2016);
9. Reiterates its appeal to all Member States of UNESCO to cooperate in fighting against the illicit trafficking of cultural property coming from Libya and engaging in the protection of cultural heritage during armed conflict, as per the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347 of March 2017, the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, and further encourages the State Party to ratify the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects;
10. Requests 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;
11. Decides to retain Archaeological Site of Cyrene (Libya) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.