VII.68 Vilnius Old Town (Lithuania)
The Secretariat informed the Bureau that the rehabilitation programme of Vilnius Old Town is progressing well. In September 1996, the Danish/Scottish/Lithuanian consultant team submitted their final report on the Revitalization Strategy and steps are being taken to implement the consultants' recommendations, notably the establishment of a management structure for the rehabilitation programme. Furthermore a computer-assisted information system for the rehabilitation of the historic centre is in preparation. The President of the Republic of Lithuania and the Director-General of UNESCO have signed an agreement pledging to organize jointly, in the first half of 1997, an International Donors and Investors Conference for financing the rehabilitation programme. The World Bank maintains its collaboration with the World Heritage Centre in this endeavour.
ICCROM informed the Secretariat that it was also focusing its attention on urban conservation in particular in the Baltic Region and is planning to develop a training programme involving this Region and expressed its wish to join forces with the rehabilitation programme for Vilnius.
The Investors and Donors Conferences organized in both Nepal and Lithuania, to obtain funds for their World Heritage sites, were welcomed and it was requested that the experiences in these two countries be published to serve as an example for other States Parties and World Heritage sites.
The Bureau thanked the Danish Government, the World Bank and the City of Edinburgh for their continuing support, welcomed the agreement between Lithuania and UNESCO to organize the International Donors and Investors Conference in 1997, pledged its own support to this endeavour, commended the Lithuanian authorities for their efforts, and encouraged them to pursue this promising rehabilitation programme of Vilnius Old Town.