Decision 44 COM 7A.4

Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi (Uganda) (C 1022)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7A.56, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Acknowledges the State Party’s continued engagement of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in developing instruments and approaches to safeguarding the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
4. Thanks the Governments of the Norway and Japan for their financial support to the property;
5. Welcomes the continued progress that the State Party has made in responding to previous Committee decisions, in the reconstruction of the Mazibu-Azaala-Mpanga and the restoration of the Bujjabukala (gate house), as well as towards achieving the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) to date;
6. Expresses its solidarity with the State Party for the fire that occurred at the property on 5 May 2020, and notes with concern the damage caused to the “Enyumba za Balongo”, one of the three deity houses at the property;
7. Also notes the State Party’s commitment to developing development guidelines for the property’s buffer zone, and recommends the State Party to engage with the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies in this process, guided by the approach carried by the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (2011), as well as encourages the State Party to mobilize funds (through International Assistance for example) to facilitate the activity and submit the completed guidelines to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
8. Requests the State Party to implement the Master Plan and amend the Kampala Physical Development Plan to align it with the property’s Master Plan and buffer zone development guidelines, once the latter have been completed and reviewed by the Advisory Bodies;
9. Also requests the State Party to:
   1. Complete the reconstruction of the Mazibu-Azaala-Mpanga and consider augmenting the surviving collection of power insignia that was recovered from the building following the fire of 2010,
   2. Submit further details for the restoration project of the Bujjabukala (gate house), for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, specifically on details that have not yet been agreed to, especially relating to the roof pitch, introduction of contemporary technologies and infrastructure in the structure,
   3. Install with urgency the firefighting infrastructure for the Mazibu-Azaala-Mpanga and its ceremonial courtyard and buildings for which agreement has already been reached with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, and also develop proposals to extend the firefighting infrastructure to include buildings beyond the court yard around the Mazibu-Azaala-Mpanga, and submit these proposals to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies,
   4. Submit final details of the development guidelines for the buffer zone along with all infrastructure upgrade projects, including transport infrastructure, planned for the buffer zone of the property to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
10. Further requests the State Party to submit an update of the matrix with a timeframe and work plan for the implementation of the corrective measures to achieve the DSOCR to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
11. Requests furthermore the State Party to invite a World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to the property to review the current state of conservation and evaluate whether the conditions for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger have been met;
12. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, 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;