Decision 43 COM 7B.50

Tyre (Lebanon) (C 299)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 37 COM 8B.45, 39 COM 7B.54, and 41 COM 7B.83, adopted at its 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013), 39th (Bonn, 2015) 41st (Krakow, 2017) sessions respectively,
3. Acknowledges the comprehensive UNESCO Documentation Advisory Services (UDAS) report provided by the State Party on the implementation of actions to address pressing conservation concerns;
4. Also acknowledges the initiative of the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) to improve staffing resources on a national scale, and urges the State Party to provide sufficient resources to the property to ensure regular maintenance in the long term, including vegetation control, fire prevention and the safeguarding of the mosaics, based on successful practices established through the Baalbek and Tyre Archaeological Project;
5. Taking note of the framework document for the preparation of a Management Plan for the property, encourages the State Party to evaluate the actions it proposes based on the forthcoming ICOMOS review and advice provided through the 2018 Reactive Monitoring mission, and requests the State Party to expedite completion and implementation of the Management Plan;
6. Also taking note of the 2018 Reactive Monitoring mission, also requests the State Party to implement the mission recommendations, with particular attention to the following:
   1. Ensure that the management structure becomes fully operational by securing adequate resources for implementation of the Management Plan once finalized,
   2. Revise the proposed boundary of the property in accordance with Decision 37 COM 8B.45, identifying a buffer zone and developing regulations and procedures for the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and, submit a Minor Boundary Modification, in line with Paragraphs 107, 164 and Annex 11 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies,
   3. Establish a formal agreement between the primary stakeholders (DGA, Municipality of Tyre) for the creation of municipal parking within the Archaeological Zone and submit the proposed details of this arrangement and design details to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies,
   4. Establish a comprehensive strategy for the property that covers all aspects of documentation, conservation and monitoring, summarizing the knowledge on techniques and procedures in a manual, with an updated Action Plan, as a core component of the future Management Plan for the property, including:
      1. Approaches to improving current maintenance practices concerning vegetation, drainage and sewage control through appropriate preventive measures,
      2. Principles of minimal interventions in the conservation of mosaics and structures as lessons learnt from the pilot projects,
      3. A monitoring protocol to be available for scientific conservation research and to enable evaluation of the efficacy of conservation measures,
      4. A comprehensive presentation strategy for the property to reflect the actual understanding of its values as reflected in the various architectonic technologies and funerary practices of past generations, as well as conservation challenges;
      5. Integration of the Management Plan with urban development plans to manage the pressures of urban development following the approach of the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape;
7. Reiterates its request to the State Party to establish a maritime protection zone around the seashores of Tyre;
8. Also reiterates its request to initiate an in-depth study of traffic and the urban road network, and to submit this study to the World Heritage Centre for examination by the Advisory Bodies, and reminds the State Party of its obligations to submit, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, details for proposed road and infrastructure projects at the property, including Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) for the Coastal Highway and other planned major infrastructure projects, in accordance with the ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage Properties;
9. Also urges the State Party to implement the Decisions adopted by the World Heritage Committee in particular Decisions 39 COM 7B.54 and 41 COM 7B.83, and with the reporting requirements under the World Heritage Convention;
10. Further 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.