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 15 January 2021, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1550/documents/ and provides the following information:

• The State Party indicates that it was not possible to finalize the Urban Conservation Master Plan (UCMP) and the Asmara Planning and Technical Regulation (APTR) by the date foreseen in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other unforeseen circumstances. Work is ongoing, however, and the Asmara Heritage Project (AHP) and its consultants will finish the UCMP for submission to the World Heritage Centre by November 2021;
• The Eritrean Cultural and Natural Heritage Proclamation is being implemented with the hiring of a Managing Director and the establishment of the Eritrean Cultural and Natural Heritage Board. Nevertheless, there have not yet been any specific protective designations for the property. The State Party understands the concerns of the Committee expressed in its previous decision (43 COM 7B.104) and intends to facilitate the urgent declaration of Asmara as a Protected Site; 
• The AHP has initiated the development of a Local Economic Development Plan (LEDP), which will update a baseline study dating to 2015 to align it with the provisions of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL). The LEDP will be developed in 2021 and will include financial development strategies and the establishment of a conservation fund;
• Capacity building workshops have been implemented, and a project has been developed with the Politecnico di Milano for further capacity building. Other activities at the property have included the celebration of African World Heritage Day and the participation in the Modern Heritage of Africa initiative. Discussions have also commenced with UNESCO, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the European Union and the Getty Foundation to seek international financial and technical assistance.

The State Party further reports that, as a result of the current conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, several rockets were launched at Asmara. It reports than none landed in the World Heritage property and no damage to the OUV resulted.

The World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies recognize the complexity of the work to develop the UCMP and APTR, and especially since the 2020 complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.  The State Party underscores the importance of continuing the work on both documents, which is appreciated.  It will be important for the State Party to work with their consultants to finalize these documents and to submit them to the World Heritage Centre for examination by the Advisory Bodies as soon as possible.  Furthermore, it is considered that the designation of the property as a Protected Site within the framework of the Cultural and Natural Heritage Proclamation of 2015 is also of fundamental importance to providing the framework for the implementation of the plan and for the safeguarding of the property. 

Some additional clarification is needed in regard to the various stakeholders involved in management and conservation of the property, including the newly created Eritrean Cultural and Natural Heritage Board, the Department of Public Works Development (DPWD), the Asmara Heritage Project (AHP), the Urban Planning Division, the Building and Supervision Division, the Road and Maintenance Division, the Commission of Culture and Sports (CCS), the Municipality of Asmara, and others. It will be important to provide structure to the various roles and responsibilities of these parties in the UCMP, presumably with the AHP in the lead role in implementing the plan and coordinating the activities of all stakeholders towards the safeguarding of its OUV. 

In regard to the development of a financial strategy for funding the necessary conservation and management activities, it is important that the LEDP being developed be linked to the overall UCMP to ensure coordination. The State Party could, as guidance, refer to similar work being developed for buffer zones by other States Parties.

The steps taken for capacity building are to be congratulated, and the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies would encourage the State Party to continue in these efforts both in regard to managing the historic urban landscape and to the physical conservation of this important modern heritage. The State Party also mentions that it continues to search for external funding to meet many of these needs. A focus on ensuring the necessary locally generated resources will be important as future work on management and conservation continues. The work towards completing LEDP should also look at this matter.