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State of Conservation Aksum 2024

Aksum

Ethiopia
Factors affecting the property in 2024*
  • Civil unrest
  • Housing
  • Interpretative and visitation facilities
  • Management systems/ management plan
  • Water (rain/water table)
  • Other Threats:

    Structural instability of Stele 3 and Mausoleum Urban encroachment and inappropriate new developments

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 2024

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 2024
Requests approved: 1 (from 1996-1996)
Total amount approved : 2,000 USD
1996 Review of Lalibela's restoration programmes, in situ ... (Approved)   2,000 USD
Missions to the property until 2024**

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

2016 Report on the ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring Mission to Aksum, 01-06 February 2016
2013 Report of the High Level Reactive Monitoring Mission to Aksum, 20-27 January 2013
2010 Report on the Joint WHC/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission, Aksum, 4-8 February 2010
2007 Mission to Ethiopia (Addis Ababa, Aksum and Lalibela), 14-20 December 2007
2007 Mission to Ethiopia (Addis Ababa, Aksum and Lalibela), 27 August - 4 September 2007
1998 Report on the ICCROM preappraisal mission for The World Bank in Ethiopia, November 1998
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2024

The State Party did not submit the state of conservation report, which was requested by the World Heritage Committee at its extended 45th session (Riyadh, 2023).

Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2024

The State Party did not provide in a timely manner, a report on the state of conservation of the property. This delay in reporting by the State Party makes it difficult for the World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS and ICCROM to provide in-depth analysis to the World Heritage Committee, which would allow it to effectively monitor the state of conservation of the property.

It is noted that the property remains threatened by the lack of detailed boundary delineation of this serial property and its buffer zone, the impact of the conflict including violence against civilians, looting of cultural artefacts and goods, as well as the damage to structures in the property, as reported by the State Party in its latest report on the state of conservation of the property in 2019.

The State Party did not invite the joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, as requested by the Committee in its Decision 45 COM 7B.123.

It is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request to the State Party to develop the Action Plan with timelines for the implementation of the recommendations of the 2013 and 2016 missions and previous decisions of the Committee.

It is also recommended that the Committee express its regret that no report on state of conservation of the property was provided timeously to allow for its analysis, and that the Committee requests the State Party to provide information on the implementation of the recommendations made in its Decision in the form of a progress report.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2024
46 COM 7B.21
Aksum (Ethiopia) (C 15)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7B.Add.2,
  2. Recalling Decisions 44 COM 7B.3 and 45 COM 7B.123 adopted at its 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) and 45th (Riyadh, 2023) extended sessions respectively,
  3. Takes note of the State Party’s submission of the report on the state of conservation of the property in March 2024;
  4. Notes with concern that the lack of timely reporting from the State Party due to the conflict in northern Ethiopia until the implementation of the cessation of hostilities, makes it challenging for the World Heritage Committee to monitor the state of conservation of the property;
  5. Also notes that previous concerns about conservation threats on the property could be evaluated through the submittal of damage assessment of the archaeological and built attributes of the property to allow to better determine its current condition;
  6. Reiterates its requests that the State Party develop an Action Plan with timelines for the implementation of the recommendations of the 2013 and 2016 missions and previous decisions of the Committee, and submit, by 1  February 2025, a copy of this Action Plan, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
  7. Also reiterates its request to 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 its state of conservation and identify measures needed to ensure the conservation management and protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property;
  8. Calls again 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 2025 a progress report, and by 1  December 2025, 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 48th session.
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Draft Decision: 46 COM 7B.21

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7B.Add.2,
  2. Recalling Decisions 44 COM 7B.3 and 45 COM 7B.123 adopted at its 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) and 45th (Riyadh, 2024) extended sessions respectively,
  3. Regrets that the State Party has not submitted in a timely manner a report on the state of conservation of the property;
  4. Notes with concern that the lack of timely reporting from the State Party makes it difficult for the World Heritage Committee to monitor the state of conservation of the property, given the significant conservation threats it faces;
  5. Also notes with concern that the property remains threatened, notably by the impacts of the recent conflict including violence against civilians, looting of cultural artefacts and goods, as well as damage to structures in the property, as previously reported upon by the State Party, and requests the State Party to provide to the World Heritage Centre as soon as possible updated information on these factors, including a detailed damage assessment of the archaeological and built attributes of the property that could allow to better determine the degree of threat the property is currently facing;
  6. Reiterates its requests that the State Party develop an Action Plan with timelines for the implementation of the recommendations of the 2013 and 2016 missions and previous decisions of the Committee, and submit, by 1 February 2025, a copy of this Action Plan, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
  7. Also reiterates its request to 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 its state of conservation 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 again 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 2025 a progress report, and by 1 December 2025, 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 48th session.
Previous 2023
Report year: 2024
Ethiopia
Date of Inscription: 1980
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (i)(iv)
Documents examined by the Committee
WHC/24/46.COM/7B.Add.2
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2024) .pdf
arrow_circle_right 46COM (2024)
Exports
Previous 2023

* : 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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