The good news is that the Capital Valley might be taken off the UNESCO’s ‘monuments in danger’ list. A high-level UN mission, comprising conservation experts from the World Heritage Centre and International Council on Monuments and Sites, is due to arrive in the capital tomorrow to inspect seven monument zones and prepare a report for the upcoming UNESCO general assembly meeting scheduled for July. The meeting will make the final decision whether to delist the Valley from the infamous roster. The UN, in 1979, recognised the Valley as a World Heritage Site considering the unique structural design and style of the Malla-period palaces of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur, Pashupati and Changu Narayan temples, stupas of Swayambhu and Boudha as the country’s Protected Monument Zones. But the deteriorating condition of the sites had compelled UNESCO then to pin on them the tag of ‘monuments in danger.’

However, the story changed since 2006 when significant progress was perceived to have been made in the conservation efforts. Those involved, directly or indirectly, in this endeavour truly deserve appreciation for saving the country some humiliation at international forums. If the zones are eventually removed from the ‘List of World Heritage in Danger,’ it will be a great achievement for a resource-poor developing Nepal and a great reward for the conservation workers at home in particular. Political leaders who are now engaged in building a ‘New Nepal’ should see whether this experience can be replicated elsewhere.