Decision 44 COM 7B.142

Borobudur Temple Compounds (Indonesia) (C 592)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recognizing the measures taken by the State Party in preserving the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of Borobudur Temple Compounds as a World Heritage property,
3. Takes note that there are developments within the Borobudur Temple Compounds;
4. Recognizes that development projects outside the property area and its buffer zone are needed to support local communities and conservation activities, and that in order to do so, the projects should be sustainable and support the OUV of the property;
5. Notes that development projects for tourism facilities are planned and that some works have been commenced within and around the property, and that some of these works have been paused, but welcomes the efforts made by the State Party to develop a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for the proposed development projects and a Management Plan (MP) for the property;
6. Requests the State Party to continue to pause work on major development projects within and around the property to enable collaborative engagement with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS;
7. Also requests the State Party to submit the Integrated Tourism Management Plan of Borobudur-Yogyakarta-Prambanan (ITMP BYP) and the Borobudur Visitor Management Plan (BVMP) to the World Heritage Centre for review by ICOMOS to ensure that the development of the proposed projects within and around the property will not negatively impact the OUV of the property;
8. Encourages the State Party to engage in phased dialogue and consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies on further assessments of these projects and the development of the Management Plan through capacity-building assistance, virtually or in person as the situation allows, as the MP will define how the property and its setting develop in future;
9. Further requests the State Party to review and revise the projects and update the HIA, taking into account the advice of the preliminary ICOMOS Technical Review, and to submit the updated HIA to the World Heritage Centre for review by ICOMOS;
10. Also welcomes the notification from the State Party that it will establish an integrated management body covering the whole of the Borobudur National Strategic Area, based on the Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 11 of 2010;
11. Also encourages the State Party to develop specific HIA mechanisms for development or restoration projects planned within and around the property, in conformity with the ICOMOS Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessments for World Heritage cultural properties;
12. Further encourages the State Party to inform the World Heritage Centre of any project that may have a negative impact on the OUV of the property, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and to submit HIAs and associated documents for review by the Advisory Bodies before making any decision that would be difficult to reverse;
13. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session.