Decision 45 COM 7B.148

Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah (Saudi Arabia) (C 1361)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.136 adopted at its 44th extended session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Welcomes the efforts undertaken by the State Party to strengthen its legislation to ensure better management and conservation of the property, including through the adoption of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage Law by Royal Decree (655);
4. Commends the State Party for the significant progress made with regard to the development of the Jeddah Historic District Geographic Information System (GIS), as well as the detailed assessments and conservation projects that have been executed, and encourages the State Party to continue with this work to ensure the protection and conservation of the property;
5. Acknowledges with satisfaction the State Party’ submission of the complete version of the Regeneration and Development Plan (Masterplan), along with technical information on conservation and restoration projects, the conservation strategy, design guidelines and heritage conservation manual, and the emergency plan and procedures, and also commends the efforts made in developing the various plans, guidelines and procedures to ensure the adequate protection, conservation and management of the property;
6. Notes that the State Party recognises that the scale of the task of conserving and regenerating Al Balad (which includes both the property and a wider city area) involves a long and complex process, and therefore requests the State Party to provide ongoing advice on the experience in coordinating and utilising the wide range of guidance documents in the expanded management system, and of any modifications required;
7. Reiterates its request that the State Party submits to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, a complete version of the risk management and prevention plan for the property, noting that the current documents only address security and first-response aspects; such a plan should assess risks, address minimisation strategies, and develop responses to such issues as fire prevention, suppression and recovery, flood risk assessment and preparation, as well as earthquake and tsunami preparedness and recovery planning;
8. Acknowledges again the State Party’s efforts in the implementation of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach to the management and urban regeneration of the property and also welcomes the sharing of the new planning tool with the World Heritage Centre;
9. Recalls the importance of integrating the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) process in the implementation of the Masterplan for developments within the property, its buffer zone or the wider setting, in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, and reminds the State Party to inform the World Heritage Centre about any major development that may impact the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, before any irreversible decisions are made, in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
10. Also 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.