UNESCO: Albania should at all costs avoid the fragmented management of Butrint

UNESCO is not expected to list Butrint in the Cultural Heritage in Danger list this year, but asks the Albanian authorities to avoid fragmented management at all costs and urgently clarify the boundaries of the property.

The draft resolution to be considered at the UNESCO assembly being held in India asks the Albanian authorities to submit a map of Butrint's property boundaries, which were changed two years ago by the Albanian government without UNESCO's approval.

An in-depth analysis by the World Heritage Center and a draft decision of the UNESCO Committee that will meet in India this month do not foresee listing Butrint in the Heritage in Danger this year, but the Albanian authorities are asked to "avoid at all costs the management of fragmented and urgently clarify the boundaries of the property".

UNESCO says in the analysis of recent developments related to Butrint that the Management Plan includes the establishment of the Foundation for the future management of the A3 area, which is known as the ancient city for a transitional period.

"It is unfortunate, says the UNESCO analysis, that this process may result in a fragmented management environment, as the A3 sections do not cover the entire property. This should be avoided at all costs", UNESCO assesses.

UNESCO says that considering that the Butrint Management Plan has been approved by the Albanian government in 2020 and that the transition period has ended, the Committee may invite Albania to undertake a mid-term review of its implementation based on the monitoring framework.

Another position in the latest UNESCO analysis is expressed towards the borders of Butrint, where urgent clarifications are required.

"Urgent clarifications are required on how the sections of the property that are not covered by the A3 designation and are managed by the Butrint Management Foundation will be managed and how conservation will be ensured in these areas," says the UNESCO analysis.

"This is particularly urgent in the current context, since the UNESCO mission confirmed that in January 2022, about 600 ha were withdrawn from the National Park near Ksamil, where at that time a touristic residential complex was under construction. This area extends within the property's buffer zone as approved in 2007 by UNESCO, and a small portion of the property may also have been encroached upon by the boundary change, UNESCO says.

"It is unfortunate that the clarification of the boundaries of the property and its buffer zone, which is expected from February 15, 2023, is still pending," says UNESCO in its analysis of Butrint.

Even the draft decision that will be presented to the World Heritage Committee in the 46th session held in India this month is based on the analysis of the World Heritage Center.

The draft decision states that "work is being done to ensure that the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Culture has the supervision of all World Heritage property after the management of Area A3 is transferred to the Butrint Management Foundation until October 2024".

In the draft decision, UNESCO says that it "welcomes the ongoing work to ensure that the newly established Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation maintains oversight of all World Heritage Property".

The draft decision states "that in order to achieve effective management and accountability, the World Heritage property and its buffer zone must be managed in a coordinated and holistic manner."

UNESCO in its draft decision states that it "further requests that Albania provide clarifications to the World Heritage Center on the current protective regulations and the uses defined for all areas of the National Park in relation to the protection of the World Heritage property and the function of buffer zone, and on how different management regimes will be harmonized to avoid fragmentation".

In the draft decision, the World Heritage Committee "regrets that the clarification of the boundaries of the property and its buffer zone is still pending and asks Albania to submit, as a matter of priority, a clear and accurate map showing the boundary of the property World Heritage and the border of the buffer zone for the World Heritage Center to consider".

Regarding the UNESCO documents, the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation said in a statement that it finds the draft decision and the analytical report to be very objective and completely correct.

But the MEK did not clarify why the Albanian authorities are not submitting the map of the new boundaries of Butrint to UNESCO and how the authority of this Ministry will be legally achieved in the entire Butrint National Park, when a part of it known as the ancient city will be be under the administration of a non-profit organization for ten years.

Albanian government authorities have recently held intensive meetings with UNESCO leaders which are seen by independent analysts as an attempt to soften UNESCO's tough stances that were reflected in a report of a monitoring mission last October regarding Butrintin.

The report was made public by the Voice of America after the Albanian authorities did not give approval for UNESCO to publish the report on the official website.

The Constitutional Court decided in April with a narrow result of 5 to 4 of its members to overturn the request of a group of opposition MPs who sought the annulment of the agreement for the administration of the Butrint National Park.

According to the agreement, area A3 of the National Park of Butrint, known as the ancient city, will be administered for ten years by a non-profit organization in the form of a Foundation created by the Albanian Ministry of Culture and the Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF)./ VOA