Decision 45 COM 7B.201

Aphrodisias (Türkiye) (C 1519)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.55 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Expresses its concern at the lack of information on new activities that may have been undertaken since the last report submitted by the State Party in response to the Committee’s decisions and of details of progress made since then;
4. Takes notes of the progress made by the State Party and requests it to continue working on the issues identified at the time of inscription and beyond by:
   1. Revising, as a matter of priority, the Management Plan and submitting it to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to its adoption,
   2. Providing appropriate legal protection for the entire buffer zone by considering the extension of the 3rd Degree Conservation Zone to encompass all of the buffer zone,
   3. Continuing to implement the drainage rehabilitation plan, with appropriate archaeological supervision,
   4. Submitting the fire prevention plan to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
5. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre details on the location and the characteristics of the new buildings that have occurred close to main quarries, including informing the World Heritage Centre on how their impact on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) was assessed;
6. Reminds the State Party that infrastructure projects within or around a World Heritage property should be assessed on the basis of its potential impact on OUV and draws on the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context and that the World Heritage Centre should be informed in due course before any irreversible decisions are made, in line with Paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines respectively;
7. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, 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 47th session.