Decision 46 COM 7A.27

Ancient City of Aleppo (Syrian Arab Republic) (C 21)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decisions 45 COM 7A.40 and 45 COM 7A.46 adopted at its extended 45th session (Riyadh, 2023),
3. Taking note of the assessment of damage inflicted by the 2023 February earthquake to the property, the removal of debris as well as the consolidation and restoration works undertaken,
4. Also taking note of the continued efforts towards the recovery of the property since December 2016 and in particular the significant progress made with the adoption of the infrastructure plan, the restoration and rehabilitation of additional sections in the suqs including financial support provided to shop owners, and the restoration of numerous historical buildings and mosques, including new sections at the Great Mosque, requests the State Party to report on the efforts to stabilize and consolidate the original fabric and architectural details, where possible, in preference to dismantling, and to using matching stone in repair and reconstruction works, and reiterates its encouragement to all stakeholders to continue their efforts towards the recovery of the property;
5. Welcomes the initiative of establishing a new entity, the ‘Ancient City Manara’ Centre, as a tool to reinforce the management system in place and to enhance coordination by providing legal and technical support to the civil society and fostering the preservation and promotion of culture and heritage in the city;
6. Noting that no information has been provided on how recovery activities are planned in a longer term, reiterates to the State Party the need to afford priority to a Reconstruction and Recovery Master Plan and the elaboration of an updated Management Plan, to be developed in line with the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
7. Reminds the State Party of its obligation to submit information on major projects, in compliance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, including Heritage Impact Assessments prepared in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before irreversible decisions are made, and specifically requests that this process be followed for the proposed adaptation of the al-Rushdi al-Askari school of military education to become a four-star hotel;
8. Calls again on all States Parties to support the emergency safeguarding and recovery measures;
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 proceed with a comprehensive assessment of the state of conservation of the property;
10. Invites the State Party, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, to initiate the elaboration of the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) and a set of corrective measures, and timeframe for their implementation;
11. Also noting the previously reported issuance of a regulation for the creation of a buffer zone, also reiterates its encouragement to the State Party to submit a proposal for a minor boundary modification to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2025, in accordance with paragraphs 163-164 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by ICOMOS;
12. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2025, 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 47th session;
13. Decides to retain Ancient City of Aleppo (Syrian Arab Republic) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.