Decision 45 COM 7B.170

Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta (Pakistan) (C 143)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.35 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Expresses its profound compassion to the State Party on the impacts of the August 2022 monsoons on the World Heritage property, as well as its loss in human lives and livelihoods, welcomes the response and recovery efforts undertaken, and calls on the international community to support the State Party as it responds to the immediate threats, undertakes longer-term conservation programmes and further addresses risk preparedness and emergency response planning;
4. Expresses its appreciation for UNESCO’s two emergency missions funded through Emergency International Assistance under the World Heritage Fund to the property in November 2022 and February - March 2023, as well as the support through Heritage Emergency Fund (HEF) to integrate evaluation on culture and heritage into the Post-Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) of Pakistan after the August 2022 monsoons;
5. Suggests that the State Party consider the recommendations of the two abovementioned UNESCO emergency missions in preparing a report assessing the damage from the August 2022 monsoon, and presenting short-, medium- and long-term action plans and related financial and technical requirements in preserving monuments and areas, which should be treated as priority, conducting monitoring and documentation, studying on the drainage plan, rules to be observed by the visitors, and the update of the Management Plan, including the progress on the disaster risk mitigation plan already under way;
6. Welcomes the completion of the Management Plan for the property, including the requested Mission Statement and requests that the Management Plan be revised with regard to the comments and findings of the recent technical review, particularly to address engagement of the local managers, and then re-submitted to the World Heritage Centre;
7. Welcomes the progress made with implementation of the recommendations of the 2019 Reactive Monitoring mission, the protection and visitor management initiatives and conservation works undertaken at the property, the staff workshops, stakeholder engagement and community education programmes and urges the State Party to continue with its action programme and to complete the proposed risk preparedness strategy and emergency response plan, and the visitor management framework and to submit these documents and the proposed report on the effects of the recent monsoons, to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
8. Welcomes the ‘We Connect Makli’ project, the training programmes and capacity building initiatives that have been undertaken and encourages the State Party and collaborating agencies to continue to identify opportunities for staff to benefit from national and international capacity-building programmes, in particular for risk preparedness and disaster response, management, stone conservation, and conservation of moveable heritage and detached architectural elements;
9. Takes note of the submission of the action plan for the stabilization and conservation of the mausoleum of Jam Nizamuddin II;
10. Takes note of the plans to renovate the main gate at the property and also requests the State Party to submit documentation including architectural details, materials schedules and visualizations, to the Word Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, prior to commencement of works in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
11. Reiterates its previous request that the State Party submit additional information about the works carried out to provide waterproofing of the Mausoleum of Isa Khan Tarkhan II, including particularly the reasons for the installation of such extensive areas of new paving, whether the historic pavement was documented, the use of different size pavers and the functionality of the new system;
12. Notes the deferral of the proposal for a minor boundary modification to be prepared in line with Paragraphs 163-164 and Annex 11 of the Operational Guidelines and reflecting the boundaries identified in 2013, along with a regulatory plan for the proposed buffer zone, but further requests that this proposal be prepared and submitted for review by the Advisory Bodies at the earliest opportunity;
13. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 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 46th session.