Decision 47 COM 7B.176

Tyre (Lebanon)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/25/47.COM/7B.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 45 COM 7B.145 adopted at its extended 45th session (Riyadh, 2023),
3. Acknowledges the submission of the State Party's report in light of the severe challenges faced;
4. Takes note of the provisional inscription of the property on the International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection, under the mechanism established by the 1999 Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (Decision 4 EXT.COM 4.32);
5. Takes note with appreciation of the March 2025 UNESCO mission to Lebanon to conduct a rapid damage assessment of several sites, including Tyre;
6. Expresses concern about the damage incurred at, and in the vicinity, of the property resulting from hostilities, and encourages the State Party to address urgent repair and rehabilitation work, when possible, as well as initiate detailed structural assessments and monitoring of archaeological structures;
7. Also takes note of the establishment of the agreement between the primary stakeholders for the use of a lot adjacent to the archaeological site (Al-Bass - Tyre) as a parking area, and also encourages the State Party to submit further details when available, for review by the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies;
8. Commends the efforts made in improving the status of documentation on the property and undertaking a marine survey that will inform the expansion of the protected area, as well as the progress in the preparation of a Management Plan, and further encourages the State Party to finalize this plan, with the inclusion of provisions for a maritime protection zone, to preserve the underwater archaeological remains, and submit this plan, once available, for review;
9. Recalling the 2018 Reactive Monitoring mission, reiterates its request to the State Party to implement its recommendations with particular attention to establishing a comprehensive management strategy for the property that covers all aspects of documentation, conservation and monitoring, summarizing the knowledge on techniques and procedures in a manual, with an updated action plan, as a core component of the future Management Plan for the property, including:
   1. Defining approaches to improving current maintenance practices concerning vegetation, drainage and sewage control through appropriate preventive measures,
   2. Establishing principles of minimal intervention in the conservation of mosaics and structures as lessons learned from the pilot projects,
   3. Developing and implementing a monitoring protocol to be available for scientific conservation research and to enable evaluation of the efficacy of conservation measures,
   4. Developing and implementing a comprehensive presentation strategy for the property to reflect the actual understanding of its values as reflected in the various architectonic technologies and funerary practices of past generations, as well as conservation challenges,
   5. Considering integrating the Management Plan with regional and urban development and traffic-mobility plans to manage the development pressures in the long term;
10. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to revise the proposed boundary of the property, identify a buffer zone and develop regulations and procedures for the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property in accordance with Decision 37 COM 8B.45, and to submit a minor boundary modification, in line with paragraphs 107 and 164 and Annex 11 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
11. Welcomes the initiation of a traffic and mobility plan, and further reiterates its request to the State Party to submit this study to the World Heritage Centre for examination by the Advisory Bodies;
12. Recalls the Committee’s invitation to the State Party to submit details of planned projects at the property, including any proposed road and infrastructure projects, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, comprising Heritage Impact Assessments to be conducted in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context;
13. Encourages furthermore the State Party to submit an International Assistance request to support its efforts in ensuring adequate management of the property;
14. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2026, 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 49th session.