Decision 44 COM 7B.123

Kasbah of Algiers (Algeria) (C 565)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7B.40, adopted at its 43rd sessions (Baku, 2019),
3. Takes note of the efforts made by the State Party to improve the management and the state of conservation of the property, and commends it for the quality of the conservation and restoration work carried out which, in some cases, involved the participation of the civil society;
4. Expresses its concern about the recent collapse of residential buildings and the progressive degradation of forty-three buildings in the property and urges the State Party to continue to take the necessary measures in this regard by adopting an inclusive approach and an integrated and coordinated management of the physical and socio-economic interventions to guarantee the safeguarding of the social and economic fabric without which the Kasbah would be “deprived” of its inhabitants and urban functions;
5. Encourages in this regard the State Party to take into consideration the social and economic dimension of the safeguarding of the property by accompanying the restoration works of the buildings with measures aimed at encouraging the reopening of businesses and workshops or the creation of new activities;
6. Invites the State Party to share with the World Heritage Centre as soon as it is drawn up, the final report regarding the results of the excavation and analysis of archaeological discoveries since 2013 as part of the Place des Martyrs metro station project, aimed at reconciling the imperatives of urban development with the need to preserve the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
7. Notes with satisfaction the efforts made by the State Party in the implementation of the recommendations of the international experts meeting on the safeguarding of the Kasbah organized in January 2018, and the implementation of an Interministerial Council under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s office, to coordinate a multisectoral planning of urban development integrating heritage conservation issues and socio-economic revitalisation to ensure that all urban planning includes the Kasbah within the city of Algiers as a whole;
8. Also takes note that a rehabilitation and safeguarding strategy of the property was recommended at the first meeting of the Interministerial Council regarding the property and also invites the State Party to take into account an approach focused on the Recommencation concerning the Historic Urban Landscape (2011), in order to define a comprehensive framework to support the effective implementation of the Permanent Plan for the Protection, Safeguarding and Valorisation of the Safeguarded Sector (PPSMVSS) and the conduct of all other actions to improve the state of conservation of the property; and recommends the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies this strategy as soon as it has been established for examination;
9. Reminds the State Party of the need to inform the World Heritage Centre of any new developments planned on the property and to carry out impact assessments on the property before undertaking or authorising major restorations or new constructions that could alter the OUV of the property, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
10. 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.