Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

• Lack of legal framework and planning mechanisms (issue resolved)
• Lack of management system and mechanisms of coordination between all stakeholders including the City Municipality
• Lack of management activities
• Urban development pressure
• High-rise buildings that could compromise the panorama of the historical monastic Dnieper river landscape (built)
• Need for finalization of new Management Plan

On 31 January 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, the summary of which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/527/documents/, which provides information on measures implemented by the State Party in response to Committee decisions, as follows:

• Urban development is under permanent State control; with no permits issued without review by the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS;
• Management Plan is being finalized after the implementation of ICOMOS advisory assistance for the initial stages of its preparation;
• Long-term Program on Restoration, Rehabilitation of monuments on the territory of the Lower Lavra;
• “Use regimes of the Saint-Sophia Cathedral” were developed, based on scientific and research work, including hydrogeological monitoring, engineering and technical monitoring of monuments, geodetic monitoring of deformations, microclimate monitoring and thermographic studies;
• Restoration and repair works have occurred at Saint-Sophia Cathedral.

A joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission visited the property in February 2020 (mission report available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/527/documents/). The mission report includes recommendations regarding the legal framework, Kyiv City Master Plan, Management Plan, buffer zone issues, protection of the visual integrity and property’s settings, reconstructive interventions and management issues.

The State Party has submitted an enhanced draft of the Management Plan, 2019 building regulations, 2019 Decree regarding the “Supervisory Board of a World Heritage site”, Saint-Sophia Planned Restoration, and the Long-term Program for Lower Lavra.

In 2019-2021, the State Party submitted project proposals in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, to the World Heritage Centre for review by ICOMOS. The World Heritage Centre also received and referred to the State Party some concerns expressed by civil society about the state of conservation of the property, in conformity with Paragraph 174 of the Operational Guidelines.

In December 2020, the State Party organized, under the patronage of the World Heritage Centre, an international scientific and practical online conference “World Heritage Sites: Sustainable Development Practices for Urban Heritage” to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the inscription of the property on the World Heritage List.

The State Party continues to implement previous Committee decisions and recommendations of Reactive Monitoring missions.

Recent amendments to the Cultural Heritage Law include a process for reporting on large-scale restoration and development projects in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

The 2020 mission concluded that the general state of conservation of the property is satisfactory. No additional threats to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property were observed, and some improvement was noted. The mission reported progress in developing and coordinating planning tools and development strategies, but recommended that the effectiveness of the recent amendments to the legal framework should be assessed, emphasizing that protection of the attributes which contribute to OUV and to the setting of the property, require greater priority. The mission report provides recommendations regarding protection of the skyline, visual fields and vistas, and preparation of a comprehensive inventory of tall buildings for the moratorium on Urban Development. It is recommended that the Committee endorse the recommendations of the 2020 mission.

The pending finalization of the Kyiv City Master Plan is noted. As recommended by the 2020 mission, the “Historical and Architectural Key Plan of Kyiv” should be finalized urgently and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to adoption. Strict monitoring of the application of the new zone-by-zone protection regime is required, and the State Party should be requested to submit a progress report on its implementation. Furthermore, it is recommended to request the establishment of an efficient system to protect from any visual impact on the skyline, the visual fields and vistas from the most characteristic viewpoints and to incorporate this system to the urban regulation documents, such as Kyiv City Master Plan, updated “Historical and Architectural Key Plan of Kyiv” and the Zoning Plan of Kyiv Central Area. The Zoning Plan should include specific requirements on the protection of the property’s setting for all other “district” and “landscape protection” areas.

The unified buffer zone has been defined and a minor boundary modification request has been submitted for consideration by the Committee (see Document WHC/21/44.COM/8). The different levels and regimes of protection for the buffer zone should become operational as soon as possible and their implementation should be strictly enforced and monitored.

The new draft Management Plan is nearing completion, with the benefit of ICOMOS Advisory assistance implemented for the initial stages of its preparation, and draft sections have been submitted to the World Heritage Centre. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to submit the complete version of the Plan to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, prior to formal adoption.

The State Party has progressed in defining appropriate procedures for creation of a “Supervisory Board of a World Heritage site”, which should now be appointed urgently. Following the change of the name of the property in 2019, and in accordance with the 2020 mission findings, the State Party should align the new name spelling with all relevant administrative documents.

It is also recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to maintain the current moratorium on Urban Development and to continue submitting to the World Heritage Centre, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, all projects planned within the framework of the Kyiv City Master Plan Concept, reviewed through a comprehensive Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), prepared in accordance with the ICOMOS 2011 Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage Properties, including reference to 3D visual simulations so that the effects of the proposed developments on the OUV (including integrity and authenticity) of the property can be properly understood and considered.