Decision : CONF 205 V.64-69
Butrint (Albania)

V.64       The Secretariat informed the Bureau of the joint mission of UNESCO-ICOMOS-Butrint Foundation to Albania that was undertaken from 19 to 25 April 2001 at the request of the World Heritage Committee to assess the implementation of the programme of corrective measures that was adopted at the time of the inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1997.

V.65       The mission concluded that very important measures had been taken by the Government of Albania in establishing the appropriate legal and institutional framework for the site. It noted, however, that there is still illegal construction taking place within the boundaries of the Park, that the site museum had not been re-installed as of yet and that the authority of the Park administration still needs to be strengthened. The mission concluded that the progress made to date needed to be consolidated and institutionalised by implementing the following actions:

• Enlargement of the Butrint National Park Board to include, at the national level, all relevant authorities (e.g Ministry of Agriculture, Public Works, ….) and to permit an effective participation of local authorities, in order to ensure a strong and effective co-ordination for the management of the World Heritage site.
• Clear identification of responsibilities between local authorities and the Park Directorate within the World Heritage site and its surroundings.
• Identification of the amount of outstanding conservation work and prioritization and planning its execution.
• Adoption of the Draft Management Plan.

V.66       The Bureau took note of the report of the joint UNESCO-ICOMOS-Butrint Foundation mission to Butrint. It commended the Government of Albania for the actions it had taken in response to the mission of October 1997, particularly the establishment of the Butrint National Park, the extension of the World Heritage site and the creation of the Butrint National Park Office. It endorsed the mission's conclusion that it is necessary to further strengthen and institutionalise the Park and its management structure and that particular attention should be given to regional co-ordination in order to prevent developments within and outside the Park that might affect the integrity of the site.

V.67       With regard to the World Heritage Fund Emergency Assistance, approved by the Committee in December 1997, the Bureau regretted that serious delays had occurred in its implementation. It requested the Government to take the necessary administrative measures and requested the Secretariat to work closely with the Government for the smooth completion of the assistance by the time of the twenty-sixth session of the Committee.

V.68       The Bureau requested the Secretariat to transmit the mission report to the Government of Albania for consideration and comments and requested the Government to submit a report by 15 September 2001 on its proposals for the implementation of its recommendations.

V.69       The Bureau recommended the World Heritage Committee to retain the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger and to field another assessment mission to the site in October 2003 in order to allow the World Heritage Committee to review the progress made and in order to assess if the site can be deleted from the List of World Heritage in Danger at its twenty-eighth session (June 2004).