Decision 43 COM 7B.57

Historic Centre of Macao (China) (C 1110)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.87, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Notes the progress made towards the development and finalisation of the comprehensive Management Plan for the property and its related regulations, as well as the preparation and submission of the Macao New Urban Zone Master Plan and Urban Condition Plan, and welcomes the application of the principles of the UNESCO Recommendation on Historic Urban Landscape (2011);
4. Requests the State Party, as a matter of high priority, to submit the completed Management Plan of the Historic Centre of Macao to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to its adoption and implementation;
5. Reiterates its ongoing concern that potential new developments may impact adversely on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and also requests the State Party to liaise with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies regarding the operationalisation of the New Urban Zone Master Plan and to ensure that the potential impact of new developments, including their visual impacts, continue to be evaluated through the preparation of Heritage Impacts Assessments (HIA), in conformity with the ICOMOS Guidelines on HIA for World Heritage cultural properties;
6. Reminds the State Party that, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, it is invited to submit to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, detailed information for any major development project that may potentially have an impact the OUV of the property before any work commences or any irreversible decision is made;
7. Encourages the State Party to pursue awareness-raising initiatives for the general public about the history of the property, its heritage values, and the provisions in place to facilitate conservation of its OUV;
8. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2020, 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 45th session in 2021.