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Aksum

Ethiopia
Factors affecting the property in 2023*
  • Civil unrest
  • Housing
  • Interpretative and visitation facilities
  • Management systems/ management plan
  • Water (rain/water table)
  • Other Threats:

    Structural instability of Stele 3 Impact of the recent conflict on cultural heritage in the Tigray region

Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Insufficient delimitation of this serial property
  • Lack of conservation and management plans
  • Lack of appropriate urban planning and building regulations
  • Urban encroachment and inappropriate new developments
  • Rising water level / seepage
  • Structural instability of Stele III and Mausoleum
  • Lack of progress on Church Museum construction
  • Housing
  • Interpretative and visitation facilities
  • Impact of the recent conflict on cultural heritage in the Tigray region
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2023

Total amount provided: USD 5.07 million by the Italian Funds-in-Trust for the “Aksum Archaeological Site Improvement Project: Preparatory studies for the reinstallation of the Obelisk and capacity building for archaeological conservation - Phase 1”, "Reinstallation of the Obelisk - Phase 2” and “Consolidation of Stele III”

International Assistance: requests for the property until 2023
Requests approved: 1 (from 1996-1996)
Total amount approved : 2,000 USD
Missions to the property until 2023**

November 1998: ICCROM reappraisal mission for the World Bank; 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009: missions of the World Heritage Centre and experts for the implementation of the Obelisk project; February 2010 and January 2013: Joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring missions; February 2016: ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission

Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2023

The State Party did not submit either the progress report on the assessment of the impact of the recent conflict on cultural heritage in the Tigray region nor an updated state of conservation report on the property, which was requested by the World Heritage Committee at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021). The last state of conservation report received from the State Party was submitted on 31 January 2019 and is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/15/documents/.

In the second half of 2020, an armed conflict began in Ethiopia, which predominantly focused on the Tigray province in which the Aksum property is located. Various reports of violent incidents have led to major disruptions in the city of Aksum.

Media reports the looting of manuscripts from Tigrayan churches and monasteries, as well as the damage at the Church of Saint Mary of Zion, Aksum within the property in November 2020.

On 5 March 2021, ICOMOS issued a statement on the situation in Tigray (Ethiopia), which is available at https://www.icomos.org/images/DOCUMENTS/Secretariat/2021/Statements/ICOMOS_StatementTigray_EN_final20210304.pdf.

Media reports indicate that a peace accord between the State Party and rebel forces was signed on 2 November 2022.

Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2023

It is impossible to accurately assess the efficacy of protection and management or the state of conservation of the property due to a lack of verified information. However, the reports of civilian deaths and damage to the property are of very high concern.

It can be assumed that since the last state of conservation report, the State Party has been unable to progress the implementation of past Committee requests, which included:

  • A functioning Advisory Committee for the management of the property and the planning of capacity building activities;
  • Progress in consolidation of the Stele III, the structural stabilization of the Mausoleum and Tomb of the Brick Arches, and in addressing the ground water problem in the Tomb of the Brick Arches;
  • Progress in redefining the boundaries of the property and its buffer zone and submitting a minor boundary modification and detailed maps indicating the proposed property and buffer zone boundaries;
  • Improvements in the management of the property and the impact of development projects in its wider setting through redressing the 2016 Structure Plan and completing impact assessments on the 2010 Thematic Master Plan and 2016 Structure Plan;
  • The completion of the Church Museum, including the minor façade modification design, submission of the archaeological report on the archaeological features uncovered during the excavation, construction of the Church Museum and, details on the conservation of the Church Museum collection;
  • Completion of an Action Plan with timelines for the implementation of the recommendations of the 2013 and 2016 missions and previous decisions of the Committee.

In light of the armed conflict in the region, the Committee requested that the State Party, in close cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and the Secretariats of all relevant UNESCO Culture Conventions, assess the impact of the conflict on the cultural heritage of the region. This assessment should particularly focus on the conservation and management of the property in an effort to ensure that the safeguarding of the property with both protective and emergency response measures is implemented through targeted actions, including the creation of a full inventory of cultural heritage goods of the property and their state of conservation.

It is strongly recommended that the State Party undertake a thorough assessment of the damage to or loss of both, moveable and immovable cultural artefacts in the property and submit a report to the World Heritage Centre. The Committee may also reiterate its requests that the State Party:

  • Assess in detail, and in close cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and the Secretariats of all relevant UNESCO Culture Conventions, the impact of the conflict on the cultural heritage of the Tigray region, and in particular on the conservation and management of the property;
  • Ensure the safeguarding of the property through protective measures;
  • Engage, where necessary, in undertaking an emergency response through targeted actions, including by creating a full inventory of cultural heritage goods of the property and their state of conservation.

It is recommended that Committee request the State Party to invite, as soon as the security conditions permit, a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission in order to assess the state of conservation of the property and develop, in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders, an action plan for the property.

In the context of the lack of information on the protection and management of the OUV of the property, combined with reports of damage and threats to the state of conservation of the property, it raises considerable concerns that the conditions for the maintenance of authenticity or integrity may not be met at present and therefore could potentially be in danger.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2023
45 COM 7B.123
Aksum (Ethiopia) (C 15)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2,
  2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.[3] adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
  3. Expresses its deep concern over reports of violence against civilians, looting of cultural artefacts and goods, as well as damage to structures in the property;
  4. Also notes with relief that the conflict was formally declared ended in November 2022;
  5. Calls on all parties who were party to the conflict, as well as the international community, to ensure the safeguarding of the property, assist in the return of cultural artefacts and goods to the property and protect its archaeological and built attributes;
  6. Requests again, in light of various accounts of reports on looting, destruction and damage in the Tigray region, that the State Party:
    1. Assesses in detail, and in close cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and the Secretariats of all relevant UNESCO Culture Conventions, the impact of the conflict on the cultural heritage of the region, and in particular on the conservation and management of the property,
    2. Ensures the safeguarding of the property through protective measures,
    3. Engages, where necessary, in undertaking an emergency response through targeted actions, including by creating a full inventory of cultural artefacts and goods of the property and their state of conservation;
  7. Also requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the state of conservation of the property and identify measures needed to ensure the conservation management and protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, as soon as the security situation allows;
  8. Calls for an increased mobilization of the international community to provide financial and technical support to the State Party, including through International Assistance, 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 2024, a report on the state of conservation of the property, including - as requested in Decision 44 COM 7B.3 - a state of conservation and damage assessment of the archaeological and built attributes of the property, an assessment of the damage to or loss of cultural artefacts and goods at the property, an update on progress on the implementation of past requests and on the steps taken to implement the recommendations above mentioned, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session.
Draft Decision: 45 COM 7B.123

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2,
  2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.4, adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
  3. Expresses its deep concern over reports of violence against civilians, looting of cultural artefacts and goods, as well as damage to structures in the property;
  4. Also notes with relief that the conflict was formally declared ended in November 2022;
  5. Calls on all parties who were party to the conflict, as well as the international community, to ensure the safeguarding of the property, assist in the return of cultural artefacts and goods to the property and protect its archaeological and built attributes;
  6. Requests again, in light of various accounts of reports on looting, destruction and damage in the Tigray region, that the State Party:
    1. Assesses in detail, and in close cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and the Secretariats of all relevant UNESCO Culture Conventions, the impact of the conflict on the cultural heritage of the region, and in particular on the conservation and management of the property,
    2. Ensures the safeguarding of the property through protective measures,
    3. Engages, where necessary, in undertaking an emergency response through targeted actions, including by creating a full inventory of cultural artefacts and goods of the property and their state of conservation;
  7. Also requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the state of conservation of the property and identify measures needed to ensure the conservation management and protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, as soon as the security situation allows;
  8. Calls for an increased mobilization of the international community to provide financial and technical support to the State Party, including through International Assistance, 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 2024, a report on the state of conservation of the property, including - as requested in Decision 44 COM 7B.4 - a state of conservation and damage assessment of the archaeological and built attributes of the property, an assessment of the damage to or loss of cultural artefacts and goods at the property, an update on progress on the implementation of past requests and on the steps taken to implement the recommendations above mentioned, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session.
Report year: 2023
Ethiopia
Date of Inscription: 1980
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (i)(iv)
Documents examined by the Committee
arrow_circle_right 45COM (2023)
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.


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