Decision 45 COM 7B.39

Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage (Morocco) (C 1401)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.134 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Takes notes that a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission to the property took place in May 2022;
4. Expresses its appreciation for the efforts undertaken by the State Party in addressing its previous recommendations and the recommendations of the 2018 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Advisory mission, particularly with regard to providing details of on-going and planned major restoration and development projects with related Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA), and for the standard of the HIA for the Government’s General Secretariat Building;
5. Welcomes the significant steps taken towards an improved management and decision-making process for future restoration and development projects, and the updated governance structure that defines the role of each institution involved in the protection and conservation of the property and also appreciates the very high quality of restoration works in recent projects;
6. Notes that information on planned projects which may affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
7. Also notes that a project to update the Management Plan has been launched and that this will include social and environmental aspects, recommends that the Plan incorporates the approach of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, particularly in relation to the wider setting of the property, and requests the State Party to address how the revised plan will be integrated with the active Special Development Plans (Plans d’Aménagement Spécial - PAS);
8. Invites the State Party to submit the updated Management Plan to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies before its final adoption;
9. Also requests that details of the project to restore the original Rabat-Ville Railway Station, be submitted to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, when available, in addition to precise details of the new technical solutions used to reinforce the dematerialization of the Mohammed VI Tower;
10. Further 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.