Decision 43 COM 7A.42

Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam (Afghanistan) (C 211 rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7A.2, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Notes that actual conservation work based on the 2017 Conservation Action Plan (CAP) and other activities repeatedly recommended by the Committee could not be realized, due to the lack of the necessary financial resources and the security situation, and urges the State Party to seek means to implement the following:
   1. Installation of a monitoring instrument on the Minaret of Jam to measure its inclination,
   2. Emergency stabilization work for the wooden staircases, in order to prevent further destabilization of the minaret’s structure,
   3. Construction of a footbridge over the Hari Rud and a guesthouse at the property, in order to improve access to the property and provide site security;
4. Also notes that an Action Plan for emergency conservation work at the property, on the basis of the documentation work of September 2017 and comprising 3D data on the minaret and its surrounding, will be produced in 2019;
5. Also recalling that a topographical map was realized for this purpose as part of a UNESCO/Italy Funds-in-Trust project in 2012, regrets that the boundaries of the property and its buffer zone remain to be precisely defined, and also urges the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, a proposal for a minor boundary modification, in conformity with the CAP and in accordance with Paragraphs 163-164 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
6. Notes with serious concern that actual conservation work and corrective measures have not progressed for several years, requests the State Party to deploy its efforts in seeking the means of allocating the necessary financial and human resources, and encourages it to seek International Assistance from the World Heritage Fund and other extra-budgetary resources to address conservation issues at the property;
7. Calls upon the international community to provide technical and financial support, in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, for the implementation of the above-mentioned CAP, which will be part of the strategy to implement the corrective measures adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 31st session (Christchurch, 2007);
8. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, 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 44th session in 2020;
9. Decides to retain Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam (Afghanistan) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.