Decision 43 COM 7A.26

Old Town of Ghadamès (Libya) (C 362)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7A.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7A.25, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Commends the State Party for its important efforts in conserving the property and its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), in close coordination with the local communities and civil society, and urges it to continue its efforts in this regard to the extent possible;
4. Requests the State Party, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, 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 conservation and restoration works at buildings affected by the heavy rains of 2017, before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse;
5. Encourages the State Party to submit an International Assistance request in order to address the necessary planning and implementation for comprehensive conservation and restoration actions to ensure the property’s integrity and authenticity including the completion and adoption of the management plan in line with the approach of 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL);
6. Also 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 further 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 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. Also requests the State Party to develop a set of corrective measures and a timeframe for their implementation, as well as the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), in collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies, and 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;
10. Decides to retain the Old Town of Ghadamès (Libya) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.