Decision 44 COM 7A.20

Ancient City of Damascus (Syrian Arab Republic) (C 20bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decisions 43 COM 7A.33 and 43 COM 7A.37, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Taking into account Decision 44 COM 7A.24 on the World Heritage properties of the Syrian Arab Republic,
4. Expresses its concern about the collapse of a portion of the outer ancient city wall of the Ancient City of Damascus, in the area between Bab al-Salam and Bab Touma, and takes note of the documentation and emergency work undertaken in the framework of the Emergency Assistance approved in October 2020, to identify and address the reasons behind the collapse in order to minimize risks;
5. Welcomes the positive results achieved by the State Party in reducing the number of fire incidents within the property through the effective implementation of the 2013 Emergency Response Plan and encourages the State Party to further pursue these efforts and to analyse the reasons behind the fires;
6. Also encourages the State Party to scale-up efforts towards the use of traditional construction techniques and materials for restoration works, by strengthening the actions for the establishment of the Centre for the traditional production of building materials reported to have been established in 2019, as well as through the training of specialized labour and the enforcement of licensing regulations, in order to address cumulative potential threats to the authenticity of the property;
7. Further encourages the State Party to continue implementing the recommendations of the 2016 UNESCO First Aid Support Meeting and the 2016 UNESCO Technical Assistance Workshop, and to pursue its efforts towards the development of a Management Plan for the property and to consider applying for an International Assistance request to this end;
8. Reiterates its request to the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, for review by ICOMOS, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, information on any proposed reconstruction and restoration projects within the property before any irreversible decisions are made;
9. Reiterates the need for the invited joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to be carried out as soon as the situation allows, in order to enable a comprehensive assessment of the state of conservation of the property;
10. Takes note with satisfaction of the works undertaken by the State Party, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for the elaboration of a set of correctives measures and the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);
11. Adopts the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), corrective measures- and timeframe, as follows:
    1. Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger:
       1. Removal of substantive threats arising from the conflict that started in 2011,
       2. Restoration of the deteriorated/compromised attributes, or at least evidence that the State Party has planned appropriate restoration works and has initiated the process for each specified damaged building,
       3. Removal or commitment to removal of illegal or unauthorised development,
       4. Reinstatement of the property’s protection and management system with, where necessary, enhanced capacity to ensure it can manage the risks of the conflict situation and mitigate other indirect risks such as fires, sewage leaks and illegal constructions in priority areas,
       5. Enhancement of the capacity of the property’s protection and management system through the development of a Master Plan, to manage additional factors that threaten the integrity and authenticity of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property,
    2. Corrective measures:
       - Implemented since 2013:
       1. Restoration of specified damaged buildings based on existing documentation, including with the involvement of NGOs, the University of Damascus, the local communities and youth,
       2. Building control system in place and a technical code for restoration under development,
       3. A strategy is developed to mitigate risks linked to electricity and sewage infrastructure (resulting in fires and water infiltrations), and risks linked to the deterioration of residences and commercial places, and its implementation is initiated through studies and partnerships with the local communities, the University of Damascus, NGOs and craftspeople associations, and by addressing the issue of traditional material availability,
       4. The update of the Master plan for the Ancient City of Damascus is initiated,

       - Not yet implemented:

       1. Establishment and activation of a legal mechanism for micro-finance loans and restoration licenses for private properties,
       2. Organisation of training workshops for craftspeople and support the provision of traditional material,
       3. Continuation of the implementation of the risk mitigation strategy aiming at mitigating risks linked to electricity and sewage infrastructure in priority areas,
       4. Approval and initiation of the implementation of the Master Plan,
       5. Strengthening fundraising efforts and enhance cooperation with local communities, NGOs and Damascus University, for risk mitigation and the implementation of the Master Plan,
    3. Timeframe for the implementation of the corrective measures:

       The implementation of corrective measures should be completed within a period of three years;

12. Calls upon the international community to support the State Party in the implementation of the above-mentioned corrective measures;
13. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, 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 45th session;
14. Decides to retain the Ancient City of Damascus (Syrian Arab Republic) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.