Kathmandu Valley
Factors affecting the property in 2003*
- Effects arising from use of transportation infrastructure
- Housing
- Land conversion
- Management activities
- Management systems/ management plan
- Other Threats:
Need for restoration/consolidation works
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
- Collapse of the roof of the Patan Temple (issue resolved)
- Landslide
- Need to revise the implementation of the Action Plan
- Need for restoration/consolidation works
- Encroachment
- Rebuilding
- Traffic pressures
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2003
There have been UNESCO Funds-in-Trust projects funded by the Government of Japan and activities supported by the UNESCO Division of Cultural Heritage within the framework of the International Safeguarding Campaign (see Information Document WHC-99/CONF.204/INF.13). Other earmarked voluntary contributions to the UNESCO World Heritage Fund from NGOs (US$ 90,000) and private sector donors (US$ 20,000) for pilot project implementation have been mobilized by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre for enhanced management of the Kathmandu Valley site.
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2003
Total amount approved : 315,679 USD
Missions to the property until 2003**
November 1993: UNESCO / ICOMOS joint mission; October 1999: World Heritage Centre mission; September 2000: High level mission; February 2003: second High level mission;
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2003
At its 25th session, the Committee decided to dispatch a Second High Level Mission to be undertaken between December 2002 and June 2003 so that the findings and recommendations could be examined by the Committee at its 27th session, when the inscription of this site on the List of World Heritage in Danger would be reconsidered. The report of this Second High Level Mission, undertaken from 19-22 February 2003, is presented as an Information Document to this session of the Committee.
Summary of the interventions
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2003
27 COM 7B.52
Kathmandu Valley (Nepal)
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Expresses its appreciation to the State Party for receiving the Second High Level Mission;
2. Notes with grave concern that the traditional elements of heritage of six of the seven Monument Zones had been partially or significantly lost since the time of inscription, resulting in a general loss of authenticity and integrity of the property as a whole;
3. Notes furthermore with concern that although the responsibleconcerned authorities have made efforts with some positive results, the threat of uncontrolled development has persisted, which continuously decreases the urban landscape and architectural fabric of the property;
4. Decides to inscribe the Kathmandu Valley property on the List of World Heritage in Danger, and simultaneously recommends that the State Party legally redefine the core and support zones of all Monument Zones, accompanied with management mechanisms to adequately conserve the remaining World Heritage value of the property in the long -term. Corrective measures should continue to address the illegal activities in the future core and support zones;
5. Requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in consultation with the State Party to organize a mission to Kathmandu Valley to assess the remaining World Heritage value of the property, the state of conservation of the monumental ensembles and the vernacular fabric within the property, and for the report of this mission to be submitted by 1 February 2004 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004;
6. Decides to consider whether or not to delete the property from the World Heritage List at its 28th session in 2004, upon examining the report from the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies mission and the assessment of the loss of World Heritage value at Kathmandu Valley.
27 COM 8B.1
New Incriptions on the List of World Heritage in Danger
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Following examination of state of conservation reports of properties on the World Heritage List (WHC-03/27.COM/7B) and of proposals for inscription of properties on the World Heritage List (WHC-03/27.COM/8C),;
2. Decides to inscribe the following properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger:
- Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan (27 COM 8C.44)
- Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower, Azerbaijan (27 COM 7B.59)
- Comoé National Park, Côte d'Ivoire (27 COM 7B.3)
- Ashur (Qala'at ash Sherqat), Iraq (27 COM 8C.46)
- Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (27 COM 7B.52)
Draft Decision: 27 COM 7 (b) 52
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Expresses its appreciation to the Government of Nepal for receiving the Second High Level Mission,
2. Notes with grave concern that the historic vernacular heritage of six of the seven Monument Zones had been partially or significantly lost since the time of inscription, resulting in a general loss of authenticity and integrity of the property as a whole,
3. Notes furthermore with concern that although the concerned authorities have made efforts with some positive results, the threat of uncontrolled development has persisted, which continuously decreases the urban landscape and architectural fabric of the property,
4. Decides to:
Option A:
Delete the Kathmandu Valley property from the World Heritage List, and simultaneously recommend the State Party to re-nominate the property for inscription on the World Heritage List after legally redefining the core and support zones of six of the seven Monument Zones, accompanied with realistic management mechanisms to adequately conserve the property in the long-term. Corrective measures should continue to address the illegal activities in the future core and support zones.
Option B:
Inscribe the Kathmandu Valley property on the List of World Heritage in Danger, and simultaneously recommends the State Party to legally redefine the core and support zones of all Monument Zones, accompanied with management mechanisms to adequately conserve the property in the long-term, to make possible the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger. Corrective measures should continue to address the illegal activities in the future core and support zones.
Option C:
Recommend that the State Party legally redefine the core and support zones of all Monument Zones, accompanied with management mechanisms to adequately conserve the property in the long-term within two years. Corrective measures should continue to address the illegal activities in the future core and support zones.
5. Decides to reconsider the Options A and B above at its 29th session in 2005, after examining the state of conservation of the property and actions taken by the State Party in redefining the core and support zones and establishing effective management mechanisms for the property.
6. Decides to examine the state of conservation of the World Heritage property at the 28th session of the Committee.
Nepal
Exports
* :
The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).
** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.
