Decision 41 COM 7B.34

Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region (the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) (C/N 99ter)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 40 COM 7B.68, adopted at its 40th session (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016),
3. Notes with appreciation the steps taken by the State Party in relation to:
   1. The finalization process of the Management Plan for the property, and the preparation of the Draft Plan of Integrated Protection for the Old Town Nucleus of Ohrid,
   2. The establishment of the management committee to coordinate natural and cultural heritage activities, as a management structure to control development pressures and interventions at the property,
   3. The development of detailed urban plans for each of the 19 complexes, which are part of the monumental ensemble, in line with the existing regulatory framework, to ensure the enforcement of provisions and the control of activities that might impact the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
4. Reiterates the request to the State Party to develop a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) that comprehensively assess the cumulative impacts of all infrastructure and development plans and other major projects on the property’s OUV based on the recommendations and advice provided by the 2017 mission, as well as any necessary Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA), and to submit them to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, before any further work is undertaken;
5. Requests the State Party to halt the construction projects of the sub-sections (a) and (e) of the A3 road and the Galičica ski resort within the property, which may have negative impacts on its OUV;
6. Also requests the State Party to urgently undertake a comprehensive comparative study of alternative routes for the railway of the Pan European Corridor VIII, including those that do not pass in close vicinity of the lakeshore, and in particular avoiding one of the last well-preserved stretches of the lakeshore on the Albanian-Macedonian border;
7. Further requests the State Party to fully implement all the recommendations of the 2017 mission;
8. Encourages the States Parties of Albania and of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, with the support of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, to continue to cooperate in the framework of the Upstream Process towards the preparation of a transboundary extension of the property to include the Albanian part of Lake Ohrid, in order to strengthen the protection of the OUV of the property, including its conditions of integrity;
9. Considers that the overall state of conservation of the property is increasingly vulnerable, and if the priority recommendations are not implemented within the two-year timeframe (i.e. in 2019) suggested by the mission, the property may face potential danger, in line with paragraphs 179-180 of the Operational Guidelines;
10. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2018, a progress report on the implementation of the above for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, and if in their assessment insufficient progress is being made, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 42nd session in 2018;
11. Finally requests the State Party to submit, by 1 December 2018, 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 43rd session in 2019.