Decision 44 COM 7A.25

Historic Town of Zabid (Yemen) (C 611)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7A.38, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Expresses its continuing concern that the Historic Town of Zabid has incurred irreversible destruction and continues to be vulnerable, owing to the current security situation, ongoing social change and continuing limited support and resources for both heritage management and physical conservation;
4. Commends the efforts of the local actors, as well as international agencies, on initiatives undertaken to protect the attributes which contribute to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and to restore individual buildings;
5. Requests the State Party to consult with UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies, to prioritise urgent maintenance and stabilization actions, to restore damaged buildings, based on surveys and documentation, using traditional construction techniques and materials, and to ensure that construction permits are in compliance with building regulations to avoid incremental impact on OUV;
6. Welcomes the finalization of the first phase of the ‘Cash for Work: Promoting Livelihood Opportunities for Urban Youth in Yemen’ project, and encourages the continued collaboration with the UNESCO Doha Office in its implementation;
7. Recalls the obligation to submit information on major projects to the World Heritage Centre, in compliance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, for the evaluation of the Advisory Bodies, and also requests information regarding the reported planned removal of shops in the vicinity of Al-Ashair Mosque;
8. Further requests the State Party to report on progress with the National Strategy for the Preservation of the Historic Cities, Sites and Monuments 2016 – 2020, and the implementation of the Emergency Action Plan for the Safeguarding of Yemen’s Cultural Heritage, adopted at the UNESCO expert meeting in July 2015;
9. Also encourages the State Party to elaborate proposals for a boundary clarification and a minor boundary modification in close coordination with UNESCO Doha Office, and in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, to be submitted in line with Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines;
10. Reiterates the need for a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to advise on repair and conservation works, and to contribute to determining the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), and the development of a set of corrective measures and a timeframe for their implementation, as soon as the security situation in Yemen allows;
11. Continues to urge all parties involved in the conflict to refrain from any further action that would cause damage to the cultural heritage of Yemen and the OUV of the property, and to fulfil their obligations under international law, in particular the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, by taking all possible measures to protect such heritage, especially sites on the World Heritage List and those included in the Tentative List of Yemen, and appeals to all States Parties to cooperate in the protection of cultural heritage during armed conflict as per the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347;
12. Further encourages the State Party to consider ratifying the Second Protocol (1999) of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict;
13. Reiterates its previous calls to the international community to provide technical and financial support, including through the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund, for the implementation of the Emergency Action Plan for the Safeguarding of Yemen’s Cultural Heritage, adopted at the UNESCO expert meeting in July 2015, including funding for capacity building and first-aid restoration and protection measures;
14. Further 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;
15. Decides to retain Historic Town of Zabid (Yemen) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.