Decision : 32 COM 7B.110
Historic Areas of Istanbul (Turkey) (C 356)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-08/32.COM/7B.Add.2,

2. RecallingDecision 31 COM 7B.89, adopted at its 31st session (Christchurch, 2007),

3. Notes the results of the 2008 joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission and endorses its recommendations;

4. Commends the efforts, progress and commitments made by the State Party in the implementation of the corrective measures to reduce threats to the property and improve management and conservation practices and for the preparation of the World Heritage management plan;

5. Welcomes the institutional changes that have been initiated to improve the safeguarding of the property;

6. Also welcomes the preparation of a draft Statement of Outstanding Universal Value including the conditions of integrity and authenticity and encourages the authorities to present it to the World Heritage Centre as soon as possible, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 33rd session in 2009;

7. Regrets that a number of benchmarks identified by the 2006 mission were not met within the agreed timeframe and that Decision 31 COM 7B.89 has not yet been fully implemented;

8. Recalling its decision to consider inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger at its 32nd session in 2008, notes that this option could be reconsidered at its 33rd session in 2009;

9. Requests the State Party to:

a) continue to implement the Decision 31 COM 7B.89, as well as the recommendations and corrective measures to achieve the desired state of conservation established by the joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS missions of 2006 and 2008;

b) finalize the integrated and comprehensive World Heritage management plan in compliance with the Operational Guidelines, including a buffer zone to protect the integrity of the property, by 1 February 2009 at the latest;

c) provide the World Heritage Centre with information on impact studies, including a visual impact assessment, according to international standards for all new large-scale projects which may threaten the important views to and from the property and its buffer zone, including the Haliç bridge across the Golden Horn, as well as impact studies for large-scale urban renewal projects proposed for implementation within the framework of Law 5366;

d) invite a joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission in early 2009 to assess the state of conservation of the property and progress made in the finalisation of the management plan for the World Heritage property and in the implementation of the corrective measures addressing the desired state of conservation, as requested by the World Heritage Committee and the joint missions recommendations in 2006 and 2008;

10. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2009, a progress report including all issues indicated above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 33rd session in 2009.