Decision 44 COM 7B.32

Town of Luang Prabang (Lao People's Democratic Republic) (C 479bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 38 COM 7B.98, adopted at its 38th session (Doha, 2014)
3. Notes that the Luang Prabang Conservation Plan (PSMV) is implemented, upgraded into the World Heritage Preservation Programme and integrated into the Provincial Strategic Plan, also notes that regulations are in place for the expansion and restoration of existing buildings and new construction and that an Infrastructure Development Plan is being developed within the framework of the Provincial Strategic Plan, and urges the State Party to submit the World Heritage Preservation Programme and the Infrastructure Development Plan to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to their final approval and implementation;
4. Notes with concern that the number of traditional houses and structures within the property is decreasing, and also urges the State Party to adopt and implement, as part of the PSMV, a policy to preserve, maintain and document these constitutive elements of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
5. Also notes with concern that there is no indication of an integrated Tourism Management Plan, and requests the State Party to urgently develop such a plan, which should be integrated into the World Heritage Preservation Programme;
6. Expresses its concern regarding the Nam Khan Riverbank project, both due to its potential visual impact on the landscape and the arising security and safety risks, and also requests the State Party to ensure that the project does not have any negative impact on the property’s OUV;
7. Further notes that the design of the Luang Prabang Hydropower Project (LPHPP) has been completed by the project developers and approved by the relevant Lao authorities and, also recalling Decision 40 COM 7 and the provisions of Paragraph 118bis of the Operational Guidelines, recommends that the State Party halt construction activities until the State Party has undertaken the following and submitted them to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies:
   1. Carry out a full Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), in conformity with the ICOMOS Guidelines on Heritage Impact Assessments for World Heritage Cultural Properties, including the potential impact of the LPHPP project on the property and its OUV, with a risk analysis of the potential impacts, including those of natural flooding of the Mekong river, taking into consideration the findings of the 2019 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, and identifying whether and how mitigation measures are required and how they might be implemented, with support from the International Assistance project approved under the World Heritage Fund,
   2. Integrate appropriate measures both into the property’s planning and management and hydropower planning processes and prepare an Emergency Preparedness Plan in order to prevent, to the greatest extent possible, any damage to the property,
   3. Submit these documents to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
8. Further requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to evaluate the overall state of conservation of the property, the implementation of heritage preservation policies and related regulations, the operationalisation of the Heritage Fund, to undertake an assessment of all the proposed projects, and to make recommendations on how development projects could support the OUV of the property;
9. 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.