Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas)

• Buildings and Development: Lack of design and construction guidelines for the Churches to be constructed in the buffer zone
• Management systems/ management plan: Lack of integration of the management procedures on maintenance, visitor management and disaster response in the management system
• Need to ensure the protection of the western banks of the Jordan River to preserve important vistas and sightlines of the property

N/A

On 29 November 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, an executive summary of which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1446/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented, as follows:

• An Updated Earthquake Response Preparation Plan and a Guidance of Flash Flood Response Plan have been developed. The actions and policies stemming from these documents will be integrated into the Management Plan that is currently being revised to reflect the protection of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and take into account the evolving management of the site;
• The Baptism Site Commission (BSC) and key stakeholders are working on the Master Plan for the Baptism Site and buffer zone, a draft of which will be shared with the World Heritage Centre once finalized. As part of this process a new not-for-profit body, the Institution for Development of Lands Adjacent to the Baptism Site, was created in 2021 to develop a newly defined ‘Baptism Development Zone’ east of the property and within the buffer zone, for pilgrim, visitor, administration and agricultural purposes. This is separate from the church’s development area;
• The Convention Centre located in the buffer zone, about which the Committee has made previous requests for information in relation to its design and location, was completed in 2012 prior to inscription. Relocation is not feasible;
• The BSC in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, are working on defining new boundaries for the Baptism Site Nature Reserve at the national level, in accordance with Environmental Protection Law No. 6 of 2017 to enhance the legal protection of the boundaries of the Baptism Site. This will take at least two years;
• A revision is being carried out for the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) to address completed and new building development in the buffer zone, as requested by the Committee, as well as for the design and construction guidelines for new churches in the buffer zone, in cooperation with the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH). The HIA will be aligned to the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context developed by UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies, and will be shared upon completion;
• The BSC is following up with all church denominations seeking the construction of new churches to ensure compliance with the construction guidelines and take into consideration the comments of the World Heritage Committee and Advisory Bodies. The BSC gives assurances that any proposal will fulfil the requirements of the guidelines, present a HIA, and take account of World Heritage Committee and Advisory Body comments before approval is given;
• Brief information is provided on the conservation of a range of attributes, rehabilitation of visitor facilities, development of documents concerning management and tour guides, and capacity building.

In September 2021, the State Party submitted an amended design for the Saint Maroun Maronite Church, previously commented on in a Technical Review by ICOMOS in March 2021, to the World Heritage Centre for review. The Technical Review of January 2022 concluded that, in the absence of the various documents referred to above (namely the Management Plan, the Master Plan, the HIA, and visual landscape assessment work, the proposal’s potential impact on OUV could not be assessed at this stage.

On 16 May 2023, the World Heritage Centre received information from the State Party, expressing concerns regarding “heavy structures being built opposite the property, that cause negative visual impact on the site”.

The submission of an Updated Earthquake Response Preparation Plan and a Guidance of Flash Flood Response Plan is noted, as is the ongoing revision of the Management Plan to reflect the adopted Statement of OUV and other matters that have changed since the plan was first developed, all of which address the Committee’s requests. It would be important to integrate the updated Earthquake Response Preparation Plan, and Guidance of Flash Flood Response Plan in the updated Management Plan, and submit its draft to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

The Design and Construction Guidelines for New Churches is currently under revision by the State Party, and in this respect, it is recommended to consider their strengthening in establishing measurable standards for new design and sensitive integration into the ‘wilderness’ environment of the site, and to submit the revised guidelines to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

The work to define the boundaries for the Baptism Site Nature Reserve is welcomed. It is recommended that the Committee seek further insight into whether this process will include visual landscape analysis to assess potential impacts of the development areas on the nature reserve, as previously requested by the Committee, which would contribute to the integration of the ‘wilderness’ environment in the revision of the Design and Construction Guidelines for New Churches.

While the review of the Master plan has also been initiated, it is not yet clear how the planning of the new ‘Baptism Development Zone’ (BDZ) relates to the development of the overall Master Plan for property and buffer zone. Annex 3 of the State Party’s report proposes substantial development that would appear to pre-empt the systematic development and review of the Master Plan for the buffer zone. It is noted that the location and scale of the pilgrimage village has moved closer to the property boundary, and the village and agricultural land area has substantially expanded compared to the plans provided in the 2018 state of conservation report.

It is recommended that the Committee seek clarification of the master planning process in relation to the BDZ, request counsel as to how its objectives, in particular the establishment of a substantial village complex adjacent to the property boundary, satisfy the purpose of the buffer zone in protecting the OUV of the property, and why this major development is planned within the buffer zone and not beyond. The submission of the finalised draft Master Plan to the World Heritage Centre for consideration by Advisory Bodies is requested.

The development of the revised HIA to address completed and new building development in the buffer zone, requested by the Committee, is welcomed, and its modelling in conformity with the new Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context is noted. The application of the HIA to the proposed development within the BDZ is a critical step before further development of the BDZ planning by the State Party. Similarly, the State Party has indicated that the HIA will guide further proposals for developments in the modern churches zone. The submission of the draft revised HIA, as requested by the Committee, is keenly anticipated.

The State Party’s efforts to continue reporting on developments across the Jordan River, beyond the property boundaries are acknowledged. Moreover, the information provided by the State Party on the conservation of a range of attributes, rehabilitation of visitor facilities, development of management documentation, and capacity building demonstrates ongoing improvement in the protection of OUV and the management of the property.