Decision 45 COM 7B.45

Kathmandu Valley (Nepal) (C 121bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.33 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Welcomes the State Party’s continued efforts towards the recovery of the property following the 2015 Gorkha earthquake and the establishment of the International Scientific Committee for Kathmandu Valley (ISC-KV);
4. Calls upon the international community to continue supporting the State Party’s recovery work through financial, technical or expert assistance, including support for local communities and their housing and social needs, and in particular to contribute the resources needed to enable the active participation of international experts in the newly-established ISC-KV;
5. Notes the submission of the revised Integrated Management Framework (IMF), which will be subject to a Technical Review by the Advisory Bodies and subsequently become part of the New Master Plan for Pashupati Protected Monument Zone, and requests the State Party to submit the entirety of the New Master Plan document and the revised IMF to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to formal government approval;
6. Urges the State Party to update the Recovery Master Plan (RMP), including revisions to the six-year plan and timetable, and to establish RMPs for each Protective Monument Zone of the property that is in line with the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL), and reiterates its request to the State Party to integrate the RMPs for each Protective Monument Zone of the property within the overall socio-economic revitalization programme for urban communities;
7. Recalls the conclusions and recommendations of the 2019 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission, especially the mission’s findings regarding adverse effects on the authenticity of the property and the focus on monuments at the expense of other attributes, with the resulting consequences for traditional urban housing and ancient settlements, and therefore reiterates its request that the State Party fully implement all of the Reactive Monitoring mission’s recommendations and report on its progress;
8. Notes the information provided regarding the Patan Durbar Square Monument Zone sewer project, the Lal Baithak wing of the National Art Museum, Bhaktapur, and the proposed expansion of the Ring Road at Swayambhu, reminds the State Party of its previous request that the revised documentation of the Patan Durbar Square Monument Zone sewer project be submitted to the World Heritage Centre, and also reminds the State Party that details of these projects and any other major projects, including Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs), should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before any decision is made that would be difficult to reverse, in line with Paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
9. Requests the State Party to ensure that the draft procedures and format for HIAs in Nepal are reviewed to be consistent with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, prior to being adopted;
10. Requests the State Party to adopt and implement the recommendations of the first ISC-KV from March 2023, and particularly the following overarching tasks and programmes:
    1. Finalize post-disaster recovery phase,
    2. Review and revise, if necessary, the Integrated Management Plan,
    3. Review and revise, if necessary, the effectiveness of essential management procedures and tools,
    4. Establish a comprehensive information management system,
    5. Provide capacity strengthening and training,
    6. Establish regular ISC-KV and Coordinative Working Committee (CWC) meetings;
11. Finally 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.