Inscription of the Old City of Ahmedabad in the World Heritage List: Observations on the 41st Session of World Heritage Committee Meeting

Abstract

The Old City of Ahmedabad was inscribed in the list of World Heritage Sites (UNESCO) at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in Poland in July 8, 2017. Though the ICOMOS evaluation and the draft decision prior to the session had it ‘deferred’, the committee discussed an amended draft decision and unanimously voted to inscribe the property onto the World Heritage List. This is an immediate reflection on the observations of the session proceedings (webcasted live and watched by author). I argue that a non-rigorous process of nomination – pursued through other forms of negotiation avoiding the recommendations of technical evaluation, may raise questions about the relevance of ICOMOS evaluation process and the credentials of the World Heritage Convention.