Decision 46 COM 7B.30

Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region (Sudan) (C 1073)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 45 COM 7B.40 adopted at its extended 45th session (Riyadh, 2023),
3. Expresses its deep concern over the armed conflict which erupted in April 2023 and the ensuing instability, which has impacted communities and all sectors of society, affecting site management capabilities and posing a threat to the property, and calls on all parties involved in the conflict to refrain from any action that could cause damage to the property;
4. Continues to express deep concern about the overall state of conservation of the property, which is seriously threatened by alarming levels of fabric degradation as a result of environmental factors, including heavy rainfall and potential flooding, absence of adequate controls, lack of appropriate maintenance, inadequate museum and storage facilities, lack of management planning, ineffective coordination of archaeological missions, absence of an integrated strategy for the conservation of newly-excavated archaeological features, urban encroachment, and development projects, all of which are impacting negatively on the attributes, which support the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
5. Welcomes the efforts undertaken by the State Party in implementing community engagement and awareness raising activities and requests the State Party to continue these efforts to the extent possible;
6. Also requests the State Party to keep the World Heritage Centre informed of the evolution of the situation on the ground, and to undertake urgent measures, as conditions allow, and in particular:
   1. Assess in detail, and in close cooperation with UNESCO, the impact of the conflict on the cultural heritage of the region, especially the conservation and management of the property,
   2. Ensure the safeguarding of the property through protective measures, where possible,
   3. Engage, where necessary, in undertaking an emergency response through targeted actions, including by creating a full inventory of archaeological artefacts at the property and their state of conservation;
7. Takes note of the project “Urgent Safeguarding Measures for Sudanese Cultural Heritage” funded by the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund, and calls on all States Parties of UNESCO to support emergency safeguarding measures, including through the Heritage Emergency Fund;
8. Also calls for an increased mobilisation of the international community to provide 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;
9. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 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 47th session, considering that the urgent conservation needs of this property require a broad mobilization to preserve its Outstanding Universal Value, including the possible inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger.