Asmara: A Modernist African City

• Unfinalized Urban Conservation Master Plan and Asmara Planning Norms and Technical Regulations
• Lack of strategies to ensure a steady influx of financial resources, substantial qualified human resources, and considerable institutional and technical capacity
• Need to set up the central management body 

Total amount provided: USD 44,038 under the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust

On 28 November 2018, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1550/documents/ and reports the following:

• The State Party has been working on the development of the Urban Conservation Master Plan (UCMP) and the Asmara Planning and Technical Regulation (APTR), which both are estimated to be finished by mid-2019;
• The State Party has envisaged to develop a financial strategy and to create a Conservation Fund, in order to ensure the required funds for the conservation of the World Heritage property;
• There is also an ongoing project, with funds from UNESCO and from the European Union Delegation in Eritrea, to improve capacities in the State Party for both conservation and management, and to undertake specific projects, including documentation of buildings, roads and open spaces within the property, which will serve as a baseline for the UCMP;
• There are also ongoing capacity building activities, through a collaboration with the Politechnico di Milano, on conservation and management. Two courses took place in November–December 2017 and February 2019, including 60 participants from 16 institutions in the State Party;
• Financial support from the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust to UNESCO has been received for the project “Conservation of Asmara: a modernist city in Africa”, which aims to build technical capacities of the World Heritage site management team, using the Historic Urban Landscape approach to finalize the UCMP and to develop strategies to ensure a steady influx of financial resources;
• The Asmara Heritage Project is the institution with the mandate to coordinate the conservation and management of the World Heritage property;
• 14 historical buildings have been identified as a priority for conservation and restoration and the report includes a table with a brief description of the buildings, the nature of the interventions required and a budget estimated for each intervention. In its report, the State Party commits to submitting details of planned conservation restoration projects for review by the Advisory Bodies before implementation.

While progress has been made by the State Party, there is still a need to finalize the UCMP and the APTR, and to submit them both to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

The State Party has made significant efforts to obtain financial support for capacity building and for the development of the UCMP and for the APTR. However, there is a need to finalize a financial strategy for the property, and to establish the Conservation Fund, which was proposed in the State Party’s report, to secure the adequate flow of resources for the conservation and management of the property. There is also a need to continue capacity building, particularly for the long-term conservation, maintenance and monitoring of the property.

While the Asmara Heritage Project is the institution with the mandate to coordinate the conservation and management of the World Heritage property under the Department of Public Works Development, it is not clear how this institution will liaise and coordinate other aspects of urban planning and infrastructure in and around the property.

While it is appreciated that the State Party has already identified conservation priorities, the information submitted regarding the conservation and restoration works is insufficient to evaluate which criteria, methods, and materials will be used for the 14 historical buildings identified for phase 1.  A more thorough analysis of conservation needs is therefore required and details will need to be submitted for review by the Advisory Bodies, as proposed by the State Party and in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before implementation of any of these projects. In order to carry out the necessary technical assessment of the rehabilitation and conservation needs of the buildings, it is recommended that the State Party submit an International Assistance request to that effect.