Decision 44 COM 7B.33

Kathmandu Valley (Nepal) (C 121bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 7B.69, 40 COM 7B.41, 41 COM 7B.95, 42 COM 7B.12 and 43 COM 7B.70 adopted at its 39th (Bonn, 2015), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), 41st (Krakow, 2017), 42nd (Manama, 2018) and 43rd (Baku, 2019) sessions respectively,
3. Welcomes the commitment made by the Government of Nepal and by national and international organizations towards the recovery of the property, as well as the progress made in response to the major challenges arising from the 2015 earthquakes, including repair of monuments within the seven monument zones;
4. Appreciates the State Party’s commitment to expediting the revision of the Integrated Management Framework (IMF), and updating the Recovery Master Plan (RMP), including revisions to the six-year plan and timetable, as per the requirements according to the context of sites and national legislative provisions, and also appreciates the process of formulation of the New Master Plan for Pashupati Protected Monument Zone and prepared HIA Procedures which are in the process of government approval;
5. Also urges the State Party to expedite the establishment of the International Scientific Committee (ISC) to assist with the development of structures and resources to guide the recovery of the property and its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and requests the State Party to submit the ISC’s Terms of Reference and membership to the World Heritage Centre;
6. Also requests the State Party to implement fully what was already declared in the six-year plan and complete all its rehabilitation works within 2022 and to report to the World Heritage Committee;
7. Noting the conclusions and recommendations of the 2019 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission, expresses concern at the mission’s findings regarding the adverse effect on the authenticity of the property and the focus on monuments at the expense of other attributes, with resulting ramifications for traditional urban housing and ancient settlements, and therefore further requests the State Party to fully implement the mission recommendations, in particular:
   1. The establishment of a Recovery Master Plan for each Protective Monument Zone of the property, and
   2. The immediate cessation of proposed changes to the Lal Baithak wing of the National Art Museum, Bhaktapur, pending the submission of further documentation and a thorough technical review by ICOMOS to consider the potential impacts of the proposed project on the OUV of the property;
8. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to integrate the RMPs for each Protective Monument Zone of the property with the overall socio-economic revitalization programme for urban communities;
9. Notes that the recommendations from the April 2019 ICOMOS Technical Review of the Patan Durbar Square Monument Zone sewer project are being implemented and requests furthermore that the State Party submit the resulting documentation to the World Heritage Centre;
10. Also notes the State Party’s confirmation that the proposed New Master Plan for the Pashupati Protected Monument Zone has been withdrawn, and requests moreover that the State Party prepare Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) for all proposed major new urban infrastructure projects within the Monument Zones and buffer zones, including the proposed ring roads expansion of Swayambunath, in accordance with the ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage Properties, and submit them to the World Heritage Centre, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies before any decision is made that would be difficult to reverse;
11. Calls upon the international community to continue supporting the State Party’s recovery work through financial, technical or expert assistance, including support for local communities and their housing and social needs, and in particular to continue to support capacity building, which will facilitate:
    1. Workshops and research focused on technical issues such as structural assessment of traditional load-bearing structures, and materials dating and testing,
    2. Further development of a secure centralized and accessible digital database for management of all documents pertinent to the property,
    3. Values-based heritage assessment and conservation management planning for the property, its Monument Zones and monument complexes,
    4. Master Planning utilizing the approach of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) to manage urban development within the property and its buffer zones, and
    5. Disaster Risk Management Planning for each Monument Zone and for graded monuments;
12. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, 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 45th session.