Decision 44 COM 7B.57

Göbekli Tepe (Turkey) (C 1572)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 8B.34, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Takes note of the progress accomplished by the State Party, and requests that it continues working on the issues identified at the time of inscription, by:
   1. Closely monitoring developments around the property that may have an impact on landscape and the integrity and archaeological potential of the property, including by providing a clarification of how the impact of ‘compulsory infrastructure’ is assessed,
   2. Carrying out a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of the proposed railway line to the south of the site and its development and submitting it to the World Heritage Centre for review, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before the project’s construction,
   3. Taking active amelioration measures to ensure that the visual impact of the irrigation channel in the management zone and south-east of the property, and the visual impact of the quarry to the west, are reduced,
   4. Continuing to re-assess the degree of statutory protection of the buffer zone based on the results of ongoing field surveys,
   5. Further developing and strengthening the Management Plan, by:
      1. Developing a full conservation plan as the basis for a well-planned and long-term conservation approach (with an associated action plan and dedicated resources),
      2. Based on existing documentation and further work, developing a risk preparedness plan, based on the Resource Manual Managing Disaster Risks at World Heritage (2010),
      3. Continuing the development of the visitor management plan, including a tourism Management Plan and actions, time schedules and dedicated resources,
      4. Through the site manager and other staff on site, expanding the effectiveness of the monitoring system by ensuring regular reporting on conservation work, risk assessment, visitor satisfaction, community involvement and broader environmental indicators, and submitting the reports to the World Heritage Centre;
4. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 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 46th session.