Decision 44 COM 7B.16

Petra (Jordan) (C 326)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7B.54, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Congratulates the State Party on the completion and launch of the Petra Integrated Management Plan (IMP), requests the State Party to initiate its implementation with focus on key policies and immediate actions, and welcomes the establishment of a permanent Technical Committee;
4. Commends the State Party for pursuing the implementation of some recommendations of the November 2017 Reactive Monitoring mission and Committee decisions, and encourages the State Party to further pursue these efforts, notably concerning:
   1. Commitment to enforce a permanent moratorium on new buildings and infrastructure that are visible from the site,
   2. Establishing a process for consultation with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS prior to the implementation of major projects, and for subsequently undertaking the necessary measures concerning development projects in the vicinity of the property in order to avoid or reduce negative impacts on its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV),
   3. Preparing studies addressing water harvesting and flood management in Petra,
   4. Developing a GIS-based platform to record and manage information on the Petra Archaeological Park (PAP),
   5. Carrying out community engagement and awareness raising activities, including with a focus on animal welfare;
5. Urges the State Party to implement the following outstanding recommendations of the 2017 mission:
   1. Devising the proposed Integrated Territorial Master Plan (ITMP) to facilitate sustainable economic, social and environmental development,
   2. Preventing further densification of the property’s setting and diverting urban growth towards the east of the property, and beyond its immediate setting,
   3. Devising new regulations for a designated buffer zone and its larger setting, in line with the proposed integrated territorial planning approach,
   4. The preparation of an accurate GIS-based map pf the property, with its precise boundaries, topography, location of all its component attributes and planned buffer zone;
6. Also requests the State Party to continue to liaise with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS regarding the proposed Al-Dara Development Project, to ensure that consideration of the merits of this project (and design considerations, should the project be further contemplated), addresses issues including increased densification and ensures retention of attributes that contribute to the OUV of the property;
7. Reminds the State Party of the obligation to submit to the World Heritage Centre, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) prepared in accordance with the 2011 ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage Properties for all proposed projects, which may affect the OUV of the property;
8. Also urges the State Party to continue working towards the establishment of a sustainable tourism strategy for the property, in collaboration with the UNESCO Amman Office and the World Heritage Centre, in line with the UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme,
9. Reiterates its request to the State Party to submit a minor boundary modification request, in line with Paragraphs 163-164 of the Operational Guidelines, and to clarify the protective urban regulations of the planned buffer zone, including its zoning, in the context of the development of an ITMP, in accordance with the approach recommended by ICOMOS and in collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
10. Also encourages the State Party to continue the ongoing dialogue and collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies towards the conservation and management of the property;
11. Further 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, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session.