Decision 45 COM 7B.37

Stone Town of Zanzibar (United Republic of Tanzania) (C 173rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 38 COM 7B.55, 39 COM 7B.45, 40 COM 7B.21, 42 COM 7B.51 and 44 COM 7B.12 adopted at its 38th (Doha, 2014), 39th (Bonn, 2015), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), 42nd (Manama, 2018) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
3. Notes the completion in 2020 of the Stone Town Conservation and Heritage Management Plan (STCHMP), the implementation of the new management structure, and the State Party’s commitment to implement legislative changes to align the legal system with the STCHMP, and requests the State Party to resubmit the final STCHMP to the World Heritage Centre following its amendment, including placing the protection and maintenance of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) central to the aims of the STCHMP, and embedding Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) as an essential component of the management system of the property;
4. Commends the State Party for developing a new proposal for the Darajani Bazaar development and subjecting it to an HIA;
5. Notes the State Party’s commitment to developing a master plan for the Malindi Port area, to be assessed through HIA and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, and also requests that the Malindi Port area redevelopment be conceptualised with a focus on local communities and the property to ensure its long-term sustainability;
6. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies:
   1. The documentation of the “Safe Mobility Program for Stone Town” and the reported 5-year implementation plan, and
   2. Detailed documentation for the proposed Malindi Bus Stand, before any decisions on its implementation are made that may be hard to reverse;
7. Reiterates its request to the State Party that the 2016 mitigation measures for the Mambo Msiige building be urgently implemented and also that the recommendations of the 2019 Reactive Monitoring mission be implemented;
8. Thanks the Sultanate of Oman for its commitment to rehabilitating the House of Wonders and Palace Museum, and also thanks the World Monument Fund and Zamani Project Research Group for participating in the joint expert’s mission following the partial collapse of the House of Wonder and the World Bank for its support for the property through the Boosting Inclusive Growth in Zanzibar programme;
9. Notes the State Party’s commitment to submit to the World Heritage Centre details for the reconstruction, restoration and reuse of the House of Wonders, the Palace Museum, the Bwawani Hotel and the Tippu Tip House, and requests furthermore the State Party to implement past Committee decisions in developing these plans;
10. Requests the State Party, specifically in regard to the House of Wonders, to submit the results of the requested research project to investigate the chronological history of the House of Wonders and its construction technologies through archival and on-site investigations to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
11. Recalling Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, requests moreover the State Party to engage in the rehabilitation of the House of Wonders and other projects and submit details of conservation approaches, contractual agreements, and designs and timelines for the rehabilitation of the House of Wonders to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies and feedback to enhance the proposal before any further contractual agreements for implementation are entered into;
12. Acknowledges the invitation by the State Party for a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the property in 2023 and requests moreover that this mission takes place to assess the overall state of conservation of the property and in particular, progress with the implementation of the recommendations of the 2019 Reactive Monitoring mission, the efficacy of the rehabilitation of the House of Wonders, and the Tippu Tip House, and to evaluate the proposals for the Malindi Bus Stand and report on other aspects critical to the maintenance of the OUV of the property such as mobility, and conservation works;
13. Expresses its concern at the continued perilous state of conservation of this property as reflected in the disharmonious urban development and transformation;
14. Encourages the State Party, in collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies and other partners, to continue undertaking effective conservation measures towards improved management and governance of the property in addressing the prevailing urban developmental pressures;
15. Reiterates its call for increased mobilization of the international community to provide more financial and technical support to the State Party to implement the short- and medium-term measures to improve the state of conservation of the property;
16. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2024, a report on the state of conservation of the property and on the steps taken to implement the above-mentioned recommendations, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session considering that the urgent conservation needs of this property require a broad mobilization to preserve its Outstanding Universal Value.