The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7A.Add,
- Recalling Decisions 42 COM 7A.34 and 42 COM 7A.36, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
- Taking into account Decision 43 COM 7A.37 on the World Heritage properties of the Syrian Arab Republic,
- Notes with concerns recent damages at the site of Qal’at Salah El-Din and urges the State Party to seek for fundings in order to implement emergency safeguarding measures to avoid further collapses;
- Welcomes the works carried out by the State party through its Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums of Syria (DGAM) and the ones planned in the framework of the International Assistance request approved in January 2019 for the Crac des Chevaliers;
- Reiterates its request to the State Party to urgently abandon the cable car project and limit activities at Qal’at Salah El-Din to emergency measures and urgent conservation interventions and requests the State Party to consider developing a Master Plan for the site and its setting including policies to foster sustainable tourism development that respects the OUV of the property;
- Calls on all UNESCO Member States to support emergency safeguarding and recovery measures, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund;
- Also reiterates its request that the invited joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission should take place as soon as the situation allows, in order to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the state of conservation of the property and identify corrective measures for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger;
- Also 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;
- Decides to the retain Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (Syrian Arab Republic) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.