Follow-up to decisions and resolutions adopted by UNESCO Exec. Board and Gen. Conference – UNESCO decision

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PARIS, 18 August 2014

Original: English

Item 5 of the provisional agenda

FOLLOW-UP TO DECISIONS AND RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY
THE EXECUTIVE BOARD AND THE GENERAL CONFERENCE
AT THEIR PREVIOUS SESSIONS

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D. Implementation of 37 C/Resolution 44 and 194 EX/Decision 5 (I, C) relating to the Ascent to the Mughrabi Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem

1. Pursuant to 176 EX/Special Plenary Meeting/Decision and to the Decisions of the World Heritage Committee since its 31st session in 2007, the World Heritage Centre has spared no efforts to facilitate exchanges between Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and Waqf experts regarding the design of the Mughrabi Ascent in the Old City of Jerusalem.

2. This item was inscribed on the agenda of the Executive Board at all subsequent sessions and is also presented annually to the World Heritage Committee as regards the State of conservation of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls.

3. By 194 EX/Decision 5 Part I (C), the Executive Board decided to include this item in the Agenda of its 195th session and invited the Director-General to submit to it a follow-up report thereon.

4. By 194 EX/Decision 5 Part 1 (D), the Executive Board decided to implement paragraph 11 of Decision 34 COM 7A.20 adopted by the World Heritage Committee in Brasilia at its 34th session as follows:

(a) Phase I: the dispatch, on an agreed date prior, at least 10 days, to the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee, of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls to assess, as a first phase, the 18 sites included in the Action Plan as pilot sites;

(b) Phase II: the dispatch, on an agreed date, of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, to assess, as a second phase, the major monumental complexes designated in the Action Plan (i.e. al-Haram ash-Sharif, the Citadel, the Western Wall, the Holy Sepulchre and the City Walls).

5. By the same Decision, the Executive Board invited all parties concerned to participate in an experts meeting on the Mughrabi Ascent, to be held at UNESCO upon an agreed date, at least 10 days prior to the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee (Doha, June 2014) and requested that the report and recommendations of the mission as well as the report of the technical meeting on the Mughrabi Ascent in Paris, be presented to the parties concerned before the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee.

6. The 38th session of the World Heritage Committee was informed that the joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls could not be undertaken before the session of the Committee and that not all the parties concerned were in a position to attend this experts meeting prior to its opening on 15 June 2014.

7. By Decision 38 COM 7A.4 (Part III), the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee decided to implement paragraph 11 of Decision 34 COM 7A.20 adopted by the World Heritage Committee in Brasilia at its 34th session as follows:

(a) Phase I: the dispatch, as soon as possible, of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls to assess, as a first phase, the 18 sites included in the Action Plan as pilot sites,

(b) Phase II: the dispatch of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, to assess, as second phase, the major monumental complexes designated in the Action Plan (i.e. al-Haram ash-Sharif, the Citadel, the Western Wall, the Holy Sepulcher and the City walls).

8. By the same Decision, the World Heritage Committee requested that the report and recommendations of the mission be presented to the concerned parties before the 195th session of the Board.

9. The Secretariat has transmitted Decision 38 COM 7A.4 to the parties concerned. At the time of the preparation of this document, it has not been possible to schedule the mission as per Decision 38 COM 7A.4.

10. Should additional information become available to the Secretariat, the Director-General is prepared to publish an addendum to this document before the 195th session of the Executive Board in order to inform the Members of the Executive Board of any new developments in that regard.

E. Follow-up of the UNESCO reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls and the UNESCO experts meeting on the Mughrabi Ascent

1. This item has been inscribed on the agenda of the Executive Board since its 192nd sessionat the request of the Arab Group.

2. By 194 EX/Decision 5 Part I (D), the Executive Board decided to implement paragraph 11 of Decision 34 COM 7A.20 adopted by the World Heritage Committee in Brasilia at its 34th session as follows:

(a) Phase I: the dispatch, on an agreed date prior, at least 10 days, to the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee, of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls to assess, as a first phase, the 18 sites included in the Action Plan as pilot sites;

(b) Phase II: the dispatch, on an agreed date, of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, to assess, as a second phase, the major monumental complexes designated in the Action Plan (i.e. al-Haram ash-Sharif, the Citadel, the Western Wall, the Holy Sepulchre and the City Walls);

3. By the same Decision, the Executive Board invited all parties concerned to participate in an experts meeting on the Mughrabi Ascent, to be held at UNESCO upon an agreed date prior, at least 10 days, to the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee (Doha, June 2014) and requested that the report and recommendations of the mission as well as the report of the technical meeting on the Mughrabi Ascent in Paris, be presented to the parties concerned before the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee.

4. It has been brought to the attention of the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee that the joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls could not be undertaken before the session of the Committee and that not all the parties concerned were in a position to attend this experts meeting prior to its opening on 15 June 2014.

5. By Decision 38 COM 7A.4 (Part. III), the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee decided to implement paragraph 11 of Decision 34 COM 7A.20 adopted by the World Heritage Committee in Brasilia at its 34th session as follows:

(a) Phase I: the dispatch, as soon as possible, of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls to assess, as a first phase, the 18 sites included in the Action Plan as pilot sites,

(b) Phase II: the dispatch of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICCROM/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, to assess, as second phase, the major monumental complexes designated in the Action Plan (i.e. al-Haram ash-Sharif, the Citadel, the Western Wall, the Holy Sepulcher and the City walls).

6. By the same Decision, the World Heritage Committee requested that the report and recommendations of the mission be presented to the concerned parties before the 195th Executive Board session.

7. Also by Decision 38 COM 7A.4 (Part II), the World Heritage Committee acknowledged receipt of the Jordanian design for the restoration and preservation of the Mughrabi Ascent, submitted to the World Heritage Centre on 27 May 2011, and thanked Jordan for its cooperation in accordance with the provisions of the relevant UNESCO Conventions for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.

8. By the same Decision, the World Heritage Committee expressed its concern regarding the Israeli submission and content of its plan for the Mughrabi Ascent, and requested that the World Heritage Centre consider the design submitted by Jordan. The World Heritage Committee also expressed its concern regarding the continuous, intrusive demolitions and illegal excavations in and around the Mughrabi Gate Ascent, and called on Israel to end such violations, respect the Status Quo, and enable the Jordanian Waqf experts as a part of the competent authorities to maintain and safeguard the site in accordance with the relevant provisions of the UNESCO Conventions and Recommendations, in particular the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 1954.

9. Finally, the World Heritage Committee thanked the Director-General for her attention to the sensitive situation at the Ascent and called upon her to maintain her efforts in a view to implement all related UNESCO resolutions and decisions.

10. The Secretariat has transmitted Decision 38 COM 7A.4 to the parties concerned. At the time of the preparation of this document, it has not been possible to schedule the mission as per Decision 38 COM 7A.4.

11. Should additional information become available to the Secretariat, the Director-General is prepared to publish an addendum to this document before the 195th session of the Executive Board in order to inform the Members of the Executive Board of any new developments in that regard.

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