Decision 43 COM 7B.76

Historic City of Ayutthaya (Thailand) (C 576)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.98, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Acknowledges the State Party’s efforts to continue addressing conservation and management issues, and in particular the finalization of updated Master Plan for Conservation and Development (2018-2027), including a disaster risk prevention strategy, and encourages the State Party to ensure the timely adoption and implementation of the updated Master Plan and any associated strategies and to provide further information on the implementation of provisions for disaster responses and evaluation of the impact on communities of relocation programmes;
4. Welcomes the updated Notification on Rules and Procedure in Pursuing Permission of Building Construction in an effort to protect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, on which further comments are provided in an ICOMOS technical review for consideration by the State Party;
5. Requests the State Party to pursue comprehensive implementation of the demolition order for the University Faculty of Fine Arts building, to ensure that there is no negative impact on the OUV of the property;
6. Notes with satisfaction the continued training activities organized to improve the capacity of local craftspeople who undertake conservation activities, and also encourages the State Party to continue organizing such capacity-building activities to respond to identified training needs;
7. Further encourages the State Party to monitor the inscribed monuments regularly and to ensure that any intervention is based on scientific conservation principles and respects the use of traditional materials and skills;
8. Also requests the State Party to inform the World Heritage Centre, of any future plans for major restoration or new construction projects that may affect the OUV of the property, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before such projects commence or any irreversible decisions are made;
9. Further requests the State Party to pursue an extension to the boundary of the property to reflect the complete footprint of the City of Ayutthaya in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, with a view to submitting a re-nomination or minor boundary modification proposal;
10. Finally Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2020, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property, including the updated Master Plan for Conservation and Development and the updated Notification on Rules and Procedure in Pursuing Permission of Building Construction at the property, for review by the Advisory Bodies.