Decision : 34 COM 7A.27
Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Georgia) (C 708)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-10/34.COM/7A.Add,

2. Recalling Decision 33 COM 7B.102, adopted at its 33rd session (Seville, 2009),

3. Notes the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Commission to ensure co-ordination of all World Heritage matters;

4. Also notes the recommendations of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM reactive monitoring mission to the property in March 2010;

5. Reiterates its serious concern about the state of conservation of the different components of the property, and the slow rate of progress made by the State Party in addressing urgent issues;

6. Adopts the following Desired State of Conservation for the property, for its future removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger:

a) The World Heritage property with clearly marked boundaries and buffer zone precisely identified,

b) The Urban Master Plan of the City of Mtskheta, including land-use regulations and conservation master plan approved,

c) A comprehensive management system, including an Integrated Management Plan of the World Heritage property and its buffer zone, approved,

d) Long-term consolidation and conservation of the historical monuments in Mtskheta ensured;

7. Adopts the following corrective measures and the timeframe for their implementation:

a) Changes to be effected within one year - Precise identification of the World Heritage property and clearly marked boundaries and buffer zones by the following actions:

- Prepare adequate maps showing clear limits of all components of the property,

- Undertake topographic and archaeological surface surveys including the archaeological remains, important historical monuments and landscapes,

- Define the boundaries of the World Heritage property according to the results of the relevant surveys,

- Develop a 5-year training programme for the conservation and management of the site, possibly with participation at sub-regional/regional level,

- Develop a monitoring mechanism for the physical conservation of the buildings and archaeological sites,

- Define and prioritize the long-term conservation and consolidation measures within the World Heritage property;

b) Changes to be effected within one/two years - Implementation of the Urban Land-Use Master Plan of the City of Mtskheta, including operating plans and conservation master plan by the following actions:

- Establish complete cadastral information (land ownership), in publicly available and easily accessible format, for all land within the World Heritage property and its buffer zone,

- Establish clear operating plans and strict limits to development rights and management regulations within the property and its buffer zone, to ensure the long-term protection and conservation of the World Heritage property,

- Ensure that development rights on existing private or leased lands within the property are clearly defined and strictly controlled,

- Adopt and implement the Urban Land-Use Master Plan of the City of Mtskheta, including all aspects of infrastructure rehabilitation, zoning regulations with particular emphasis on the establishment of no-construction zones, the institutional reform and capacity building, community relations, and tourism development,

- Make publicly available the information on land-use for all lands within the property and its buffer zone, in easily accessible format, to ensure transparency in land use and allocations;

c) Changes to be effected within two/three years - Ensured site management by the following actions:

- Adopt legislation that assures the protection and maintenance of the Outstanding Universal Value of the whole of the World Heritage property and its component parts,

- Adopt the necessary priority for the conservation of the property in national policy, planning and budgets, and take pro-active measures to solicit donor support for property management and conservation,

- Develop and implement an Integrated Management Plan for the World Heritage property and its buffer zone, including:

•  
  • a tourism strategy,
  • strategic guidelines for the integrated multi-stakeholder approach to the conservation, rehabilitation and restoration of historic buildings,
  • design guidelines for new constructions and the street furniture,
  • clear guidelines for the type of management, religious or visitor infrastructure that can be built within the World Heritage property,

- Develop and implement a management system,

- Undertake appropriate training in conservation and management for the staff in charge of the preservation of the property,

- Establish a clear institutional coordination mechanism ensuring that the conservation of the property receives priority consideration within relevant governmental decision-making processes,

- Develop a state programme for the protection of World Heritage religious properties in Georgia, as a legal framework for co-management under which the respective responsibilities of the State Party and the Georgian Patriarchate are effectively established, monitored and evaluated in relation to the protection and conservation of the property,

d) Changes to be effected within five years (after possible removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2 - 3 years) - Long-term protection and conservation of the historical monuments and the archaeological remains in Mtskheta by the following actions:

- Complete the documentation and recording of all historical monuments and archaeological remains in a digitized information database for management, conservation and planning purposes,

- Establish a full inventory of paintings including digitalization and reference system for all historical monuments in Mtskheta,

- Implement restoration of the paintings,

- Develop a special programme on the protection of all archaeological components of the City of Mtskheta;

8. Urges the State Party to develop, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, a draft retrospective Statement of Outstanding Universal Value of the property for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 35th session in 2011;

9. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2011, a detailed state of conservation report, including a progress report relevant to the implementation of the corrective measures, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 35th session in 2011;

10. Decides to retain the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Georgia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.