Decision 43 COM 7B.48

Byblos (Lebanon) (C 295)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7B.56, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Acknowledges the conservation initiatives that have occurred at the property, including the establishment of a new centre for the conservation of mosaics, and recent restoration works in the Old Town;
4. Takes note of the October 2018 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission, and urges the State Party to implement its recommendations, including:
   1. Exploring synergies with the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,
   2. Developing a management plan with provisions for sustainable tourism, conservation activities and regular maintenance,
   3. Establishing a national data management strategy that ensures making documentation and inventory information available for site management and research at the local level,
   4. Considering the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach for integrating the management plan with the urban development for the Old Town of Byblos;
5. Notes the efforts of the State Party to clarify the extent of the property at the time of inscription, and also urges the State Party, following consideration of the outcomes from the ongoing archaeological research, and in consultation with the Advisory Bodies, to elaborate and submit a Minor Boundary Modification, in line with Paragraphs 107 and 164 and Annex 11 of the Operational Guidelines;
6. Also acknowledges the information provided by the State Party regarding the Diplomatic Club development project adjacent to the property, but expresses concern regarding modifications to the initial eco-tourism concept for the project which, in its current form, would not provide appropriate environmental and archaeological outcomes, nor contribute to conservation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and also notes that these alterations occurred without awaiting the conclusions of the archaeological explorations or informing the World Heritage Centre of the intended changes; and therefore requests the State Party to:
   1. Continue the archaeological explorations with the objective of understanding the extent of archaeological features,
   2. Clarify the relationship of the archaeological features with the ancient city and port, and to propose measures for their protection,
   3. Continue halting construction works related to the Diplomatic Club project, other than renovation works on the Danish Hall, until the nature and extent of archaeological features is clear, and full documentation of the project has been submitted to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines,
   4. Submit full details of the proposed renovation works on the Danish Hall, including provisions for archaeological supervision, to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to commencement of works,
   5. Prepare and submit to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for each new project or major intervention proposed within the property or its buffer zone following the ICOMOS Guidelines on HIAs;
7. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 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 45th session in 2021.