Decision 39 COM 7B.82

Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow (Russian Federation) (C 545)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 7B.83, adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013),
3. Welcomes the efforts made by the State Party to improve the protection of all components of the property and its buffer zone and encourages it to sustain these efforts and to secure the necessary resources and regulatory regimes to ensure no demolition, inappropriate development or deterioration to the heritage buildings which could constitute a threat to the property and its buffer zone;
4. Notes that the State Party continues to develop regulatory regimes for the property and buffer zone’s protection and requests that they are introduced and implemented as soon as possible;
5. Also requests the State Party to finalize, as soon as possible, the Management Plan for the property, including details of the protective measures provided in its regulatory regimes, and submit it to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
6. Takes note of the ICOMOS Advisory mission report and further requests the State Party to suspend the possible plans for the reconstruction of the historically lost buildings on the territory of Kremlin within the property, which could represent a threat to its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and to:
   1. Submit the approved plan for the demolition of the Building 14, including a technical study on the impact of the demolition on the stability of neighbouring historic buildings to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies,
   2. Review the future plans, in line with the recommendation of the ICOMOS Advisory mission and to submit a project proposal for the vacant area including a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA),
   3. Carry out archaeological studies of the area prior to the approval of any future projects and submit the results to the World Heritage Centre,
   4. Prepare a conservation plan for the property;
7. Also notes the number of proposed developments and conservation works, including for the Middle Trading Malls (Red Square) and the Spasskaya and Borovitskaya Towers, and requests furthermore to submit to the World Heritage Centre, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, technical details, including HIAs, for all proposed projects within the property and its buffer zone that may have a negative impact on the OUV of the property;
8. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2016, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above.