Decision 44 COM 7B.15

Erbil Citadel (Iraq) (C 1437)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 38 COM 8B.20, 40 COM 7B.23 and 42 COM 7B.53, adopted at its 38th (Doha, 2014), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) and 42nd sessions (Manama, 2018) respectively,
3. Acknowledges the continued efforts by the State Party to engage local and international partners to ensure the conservation of the property and maintain its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and welcomes the important steps taken by the State Party in the revitalisation of the property including the rehabilitation of important buildings;
4. Also acknowledges the contributions of partner-funders towards the maintenance and improvement of the state of conservation of the property;
5. Notes that the development and urban enhancement of the Citadel central pathway and subsidiary trails project is an important next step in the further rehabilitation of the property, but care should be taken to ensure that urban infrastructure installations should not hamper future archaeological investigations;
6. Requests the State Party to:
   1. Ensure the coordinated implementation of the Urban Design Guidelines for the buffer zone by its governmental and municipal bodies,
   2. Submit the results of current and future archaeological investigations undertaken at the property to the World Heritage Centre;
7. Reminds the State Party of its obligations to submit to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, details of all on-going or planned projects, including major restoration and rehabilitation of the property, as well as any new envisaged construction within the property and its buffer zone, in particular designs for the proposed Kurdistan National Museum, before any commitment is given with regard to their approval or construction;
8. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above.