Decision 46 COM 7B.24

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

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7B.Add.4,
2. Recalling Decision 45 COM 7B.37 adopted at its extended 45th session (Riyadh, 2023),
3. Welcomes the progress reported by the State Party on improving the legislative framework of the management of the property through amending the 2010 Stone Town Development Authority Act and strengthening the management system through the appointment of staff to the Stone Town Development Authority as well as progress made on the implementation of the mitigation measures at the Mambo Msiige/Park Hyatt Hotel and encourages the State Party to continue with the implementation of the agreed to mitigation actions;
4. Also welcomes embedding the requirement to undertake Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) into the Stone Town Conservation and Heritage Management Plan (STCHMP), as recommended by ICOMOS, as well as mandatory building conservation by owners, and reiterates its requests that the State Party to resubmit the final STCHMP to the World Heritage Centre following its amendment, as recommended by ICOMOS, including placing the protection and maintenance of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) central to the aims of the STCHMP, to the World Heritage Centre for advice;
5. Further notes the State Party’s commitment to addressing the mobility problems at the property and the commitment to submit design documentation and the HIA for the design of and the HIA for the Malindi Bus Stand and, recalling that impact assessments are pre-requisite for development projects and activities that are planned for implementation within or around a World Heritage property, requests that design documentation and the HIA also be submitted for the Malindi Parking Building, should this be approached as a stand-alone project, and also reiterates its requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies the documentation of the “Safe Mobility Program for Stone Town” and the reported 5-year implementation plan;
6. Further reiterates its requests that the Malindi Port area redevelopment be conceptualized with a focus on local communities and the property to ensure its long-term sustainability and capitalize fully on the opportunity for the future development of the city;
7. Also notes the State Party’s commitment to the state of conservation of the property and ensuring timely notification in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
8. Encourages again the State Party, in collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies and other partners, to:
   1. Continue undertaking effective conservation measures towards improved management and governance of the property in addressing the prevailing urban developmental pressures,
   2. Continue developing the projects for the rehabilitation of the House of Wonders and the Palace Museum based on an assessment of their building pathologies and clear integral vision of the future use of both buildings as museums and submit these investigations and rehabilitation plans to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies,
   3. Ensure that the Tippu Tip House reuse results in the building being given a public cultural or educational use;
9. Further welcomes the commencement of the rehabilitation project of the Majestic Cinema as part of UNESCO Priority Africa activities on good conservation for economic development;
10. Notes furthermore that the Darajani Bazaar project has been halted pending a new HIA and commends the State Party for halting the project and committing to submitting this new HIA on the project;
11. Notes with satisfaction the financial and technical support provided to the property and reiterates again 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;
12. Acknowledges the invitations extended by the State Party for a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the property in June 2023 and for a joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM Advisory mission to the property in May 2024, and also requests that the State Party implement the recommendations contained in these reports, including but not limited to:
    1. Establishing a series of regular onsite meetings regarding the rehabilitation of the House of Wonders with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies,
    2. Establishing a quick feedback system to be operationalised through the appointment of an independent expert to facilitate the coordination between parties,
    3. Establishing support processes to assist inhabitants of the property to rehabilitate and retain their properties in Stone Town,
    4. Halting the loss of public open space and covering over of courtyards;
13. Also acknowledges the invitation by the State Party for a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Advisory mission to visit the property in December 2024 to monitor the rehabilitation of the House of Wonder and other major development projects in the town;
14. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2025, 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 48th session.