Historic Centre of Agadez

On 30 January 2014, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1268/documents. Progress on the recommendations made by the Committee at the time of inscription is presented in this report, as follows:

• A general inventory of the built environment and of the intangible heritage is in progress.
• Control and compliance measures as well as communication and awareness activities are being used to promote the use of restoration standards to ensure the conservation of the property. Discussions are envisaged to enhance planning regulations and strengthen their outreach.
• The results of the recently introduced policy to ban the use of non-traditional materials are being monitored. The City and the Conservation and Management Unit of the Historic Centre of Agadez (CECOGAZ) will clarify and make more understandable the technical requirements. This work will continue throughout 2014.
• Measures are being taken to reduce the size of advertisementsinside the property and buffer zone to an acceptable size (maximum height of 2m and maximum width/length of 80 cm), and to remove some if necessary.
• Regular monitoring of the state of conservation and management is undertaken by the key parties involved in managing the property.

Progress on other issues raised at the time of inscription are also reported by the State Party:

• Strategies have been implemented to engage the population and raise awareness about the conservation of the property.
• A reflection day was organized in 2013 for the benefit of fifteen traditional master masons in order to raise awareness of the general principles of earthen construction, the role of traditional techniques, and the importance of their transmission to the younger generation.
• For current needs, there is no significant shortfall of the most commonly used traditional wood species (palmier doum).
• Dossiers are being developed by various organizations such as NGOs to contribute effectively to the difficult sanitation problem in the property.

The strong commitment of the State Party to the conservation and management of the property should be noted; as well as the fact that virtually all the recommendations made by the Committee at the time of inscription in 2013 have been acted upon. The State Party reports that it is continuing to work on the inventory of built and intangible heritage; promoting the use of restoration standards to ensure the conservation of the authenticity of the property; monitoring the results of the recently introduced policy to ban the use of non-traditional materials for walls, rendering, roofs and the renovation of door and window frames; and paying particular attention to the situation of advertisements inside the property and buffer zone and assessing the effectiveness of the measures taken to curb this phenomenon.

In addition, the State Party reports that it has initiated procedures for engaging the population and for raising the population’s awareness about the conservation of the property, and has paid particular attention to the transmission of knowhow concerning traditional construction practices, to the question of traditional wood species which are now becoming rare, and to the question of sanitation in general, both in technical and health terms. The potential for increased tourism to the property should be planned for through a sustainable tourism development and management plan. The State Party could also be encouraged to participate in the World Heritage Earthen Architecture Programme (WHEAP).

It is recommended that the World Heritage Committee commend the State Party for the actions it has undertaken in response to the Committee’s recommendations at the time of inscription and request the State Party, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies, to more fully respond to the Committee’s request to describe in a unified and practical form the indicators for monitoring the property and the results of their application.