Petra

Draft Decision: 45 COM 7B.141

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.16, adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Welcomes the efforts of the State Party in preventing further densification of the property’s setting and diverting urban growth towards the east of the property, and beyond its immediate setting, nevertheless, requests the State Party to provide further detailed information about these plans, especially with regard to developments located to the north of Umm Sayhoun, and to the east, adjacent to the property;
4. Urges the State Party to afford priority to the proposed Integrated Territorial Master Plan (ITMP) which is required to facilitate sustainable economic, social and environmental development, based on a detailed assessment of the cultural and natural assets of the property and its surroundings, and the social and economic needs of the resident and tourism communities and to submit the draft ITMP for review by the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies, before it is finalised and adopted;
5. Also requests the State Party to continue working towards the establishment of a sustainable tourism strategy for the property, which takes into consideration and integrates all measures and services planned within and beyond the boundaries of the property, and also welcomes the elaboration of the Petra Tourism Development Master Plan;
6. Notes with concern that the al-Dara project has proceeded and that, despite design changes made following initial technical review, at least one major infrastructure element was added in the wider setting of the property, without prior advice to the World Heritage Centre, and which may result in negative impacts, and therefore further requests the State Party to submit copies of complete detailed information and any Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) undertaken, and requests furthermore that this material and the March 2023 update be subject to technical review by the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies;
7. Reiterates the need for devising new regulations for a designated buffer zone and its larger setting, in line with the proposed ITMP, reiterates its previous requests to the State Party to submit a minor boundary modification request, in line with Paragraphs 163-164 of the Operational Guidelines, and to clarify the protective urban regulations of the planned buffer zone, in collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies; and further welcomes the invitation by the State Party for an Advisory mission to provide advice on this process, and the steps needed to define a framework for a comprehensive planning approach to address needs, and mitigate densification, tourism and development pressures, within and beyond the boundaries of the property;
8. Welcomes furthermore the updating of the Geographic Information System (GIS) to record and manage information on the Petra Archaeological Park and also urges the State Party to finalize this work as soon as possible and proceed with the preparation of an accurate GIS-based map of the property, with its precise boundaries, topography, location of all its component attributes and planned buffer zone;
9. Commends the State Party for pursuing the implementation of some recommendations of the November 2017 Reactive Monitoring mission and Committee decisions, and encourages the State Party to further pursue these efforts, notably concerning:
   1. Commitment to enforce a permanent moratorium on new buildings and infrastructure that are visible from the site,
   2. Establishing a process for consultation with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS prior to the implementation of major projects, and for subsequently undertaking the necessary measures concerning development projects in the vicinity of the property in order to avoid or reduce negative impacts on its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV),
   3. Addressing water harvesting and flood management in Petra,
   4. Carrying out community engagement and awareness raising activities, including with a focus on animal welfare;
10. Also encourages the State Party to continue the ongoing dialogue and collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies towards the conservation and management of the property, and reminds the State Party of the obligation to submit to the World Heritage Centre, in conformity with Paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines, HIAs, prepared in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, for all proposed projects, which may affect the OUV of the property;
11. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session.