Decision 44 COM 7B.159

Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands (Russian Federation) (C 632)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7B.88, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Welcomes the on-going development of the Master Plan for the property, as well as its focus on detailed considerations of the key attributes of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and on the needs of the religious, secular and pilgrim/visitor communities;
4. Notes that the Plan will ultimately encompass the whole Archipelago, with the first phase being concentrated on the main monastic complex and adjacent Solovetsky settlement, and that its main outputs will be revisions to protection zones and spatial regulations that will guide future land use and development plans, and the development of a Management Plan for the property;
5. Also notes that the development of the Master Plan receives advisory assistance from ICOMOS, and encourages the State Party to continue this process of dialogue and to submit the final Master Plan and the Management Plan, once they are approved by the Advisory Bodies, to the World Heritage Centre;
6. Notes with satisfaction that the outline framework of the Plan is already being used in relation to how projects are planned and designed, such as for the new jetties and associated timber passenger reception building, and for a proposed airport building, and that details of these projects and associated Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) have been regularly submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by ICOMOS, and also encourages the State Party to continue this process;
7. Notes with appreciation the beneficial impact of the now-active Fund for the Conservation and Development of the Solovetsky Archipelago, which, together with the Master Plan’s development, appears to have revitalized and coordinated the way the property develops forward planning, with the high-level engagement of the Orthodox Church, the Arkhangelsk Region, the Republic of Karelia, and national ministries and departments;
8. Further notes the extensive draft list of conservation projects that are being developed, not just for the monastic structures but also for service buildings, vernacular buildings, and the extensive canal and lake system, and requests the State Party to submit further details on how the restoration and conservation projects for the main monastic buildings will include improved supervision, processes and materials, following the halting of inappropriate work;
9. Also requests the State Party to submit details for the repair and restoration project of the largely destroyed, early-19th-century Saint Petersburg Hotel to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies at the earliest stage possible, given its prominence near the Monastery;
10. 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.