Albania does not respond to UNESCO's criticism of Butrint

2024-03-14 08:37:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Albania published on Monday the report on the Butrint National Park, which will be examined by the World Heritage Committee, in India, in July of this year. The 170-page report of the Albanian Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation omits answers to some of the strong criticisms of the UNESCO - ICOMOS mission.

In the monitoring report, which was submitted to the Albanian authorities in September 2023, the UNESCO mission expressed "deep concern" about the change of the borders of the Butrint National Park by the Albanian government with the removal of 600 hectares without the organization's knowledge and approval. .

But according to official documents, first from the Voice of America, 802 hectares have been removed from Butrint National Park, and the area from 9424 hectares is now 8622 hectares.

The Albanian government's decision in January 2022 on the new borders of Butrint and the decision a month later to build a resort in the part removed from the National Park are not cited in any line of the Albanian government's report.

Also, the Albanian side's report does not give concrete answers to UNESCO's criticisms for the new management model of the ancient city of Butrin, known as area A-3, through a non-profit organization (Foundation) created by the Albanian Ministry of Culture in partnership with the Albanian American Development Foundation (AADF).

The UNESCO mission says in the 2023 report that the management of only the A-3 area with about 614.3 hectares does not meet UNESCO's requirements for an integrated management of Butrint, which combines archaeology, monuments and the natural part .

The UNESCO mission has also requested that the Ministry of Culture maintain "state party" authority for Butrint, where the organization seeks state responsibilities in accordance with world standards set by UNESCO.

"The agreements between the Ministry of Culture, the AADF and the new Foundation do not provide a suitable solution, as they are not responsible for the management of the World Heritage property as such", says the mission.

The Albanian side responds to UNESCO that the Butrint Management Foundation, in coordination with the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation, will adapt the Action Plan and work towards an agreement where the Ministry of Culture has overall supervisory authority for Butrint and responsibility to the World Heritage Committee.

In reality, the Ministry of Culture has no room for a new agreement, as the current agreement for the creation of the new Foundation has a 10-year term. Also, the Ministry of Culture does not have the majority in the Board of the Butrint Management Foundation as the highest decision-making body.

The Board of the Foundation consists of five members, headed by the minister responsible for culture, two representatives of the Albanian-American Foundation for Development, the director of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage and an international expert.

The Albanian side's report seems to not meet some of the demands that the World Heritage Center addressed to the Albanian authorities through a letter sent to the Albanian Ambassador to UNESCO, Besiana Kadare, in October last year.

While UNESCO has requested "information from Albania on measures for the protection and integrated management of the property and its buffer zone", the Albanian authorities do not yet seem to have this plan ready to submit to the World Heritage Committee.

"The started work is being followed up with technical meetings aimed at preparing a detailed short-term and long-term action plan, for the implementation of UNESCO-ICOMOS recommendations", the Albanian side's report states.

Another UNESCO request relates to "detailed clarifications and a clear and accurate map showing the boundaries of the property and the buffer zone, as approved by the World Heritage Committee in 2007".

This map has not yet been prepared by the Albanian authorities and is not included in the report.

"The Foundation for the Management of Butrint will prepare a detailed and accurate map, in cooperation and under the supervision of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation", the report states.

But this contradicts the responsibilities of the Foundation for the Management of Butrint, which according to the law approved by the Albanian parliament, has the mandate to operate only in the A-3 area of ??the Park with about 614.3 hectares and not for the entire Park Butrint National Park which is currently 8622 hectares.

The developments with the borders of the Butrint National Park have been viewed with quite critical tones by the last UNESCO Mission, as they are also in contradiction with the recommendations of the Butrint Management Plan that the Albanian government itself had approved in 2020.

The management plan proposed only a revision of the boundaries of 50 to 150 hectares that made up the construction zone of Ksamil and the creation of a green belt to prevent further construction, but not the removal of 802 hectares from the National Park.

Voice of America verified in the Albanian state geospatial system (ASIG) the current map of the Butrint National Park, which reflects the change of boundaries and where the coastal area from the Çuka channel, in the coastal end of Ksamil, is now outside the protected area.

The report of the Albanian side to the World Heritage Committee for Butrint does not mention any facts about the developments in the Constitutional Court of Albania regarding Butrint.

A group of 36 opposition MPs have asked this court to annul the law on the administration of Butrint National Park as unconstitutional.

The representatives of the Albanian government at the plenary session of November last year at the Constitutional Court did not present the UNESCO Report, although since September last year the report had been submitted to the National Institute of Cultural Heritage, but it had not been made public by UNESCO after the Albanian side had not given consent.

The Constitutional Court, in an unusual gesture, in January of this year, made a change in its procedures, asking the government for the UNESCO report and reopened the plenary session on Butrint.

The new Minister of Culture and Economy, Blendi Gonxhe, has not signed the transfer of the Park to the administration of the new Foundation, which according to the law approved in the Parliament should be done on February 14 of this year.

Mr. Gonxhe, through a status on social networks, said that "he wanted to ensure public opinion for maximum attention for the good administration of the challenging process of changing the management model of the Butrint National Park, in full implementation of international standards and the Albanian legal framework in power".

Democratic Party deputy Ina Zhupa, who has led the initiative of opposition deputies in the Constitutional Court, has declared that the battle for Butrint is a battle for Albanian identity, history and heritage./ VOA