Decision 43 COM 7B.92
Kiev: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (Ukraine) (C 527bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B,
Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.53, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
Acknowledges the measures taken by the State Party to address urban development issues, notably through amendments to legislation and ongoing revisions to the Master Plan enhancing cultural heritage protection of the property;
Reiterates its serious concern about the longstanding threats to the property, such as the unresolved issue of extensive urban development in the buffer zone and visual vicinity of the property, which have deleterious effects on its inherent characteristics and could impact adversely on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), in line with Paragraph 179 of the Operational Guidelines, and reiterates its request to the State Party to submit relevant documentation, including Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs), to the World Heritage Centre, in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before any final decisions are made or any works start on major development projects within the property, its buffer zone and setting;
Also reiterates its previous request inviting the State Party to finalize the Management Plan for the property, and requests that the Management Plan should:
1. Apply to both the property and the proposed unified buffer zone which is subject to a minor boundary modification,
2. Address the recommendations of the April 2018 ICOMOS technical review regarding the draft Management Plan,
3. Consider any matters arising from the 2019 ICOMOS technical Advisory mission,
4. Embody a pro-active approach to the management of tourism at the property,
5. Be adopted and implemented as a matter of priority;
Also requests the State Party to finalize, adopt and implement the Master Plan of Kyiv, which should incorporate an Urban Development Concept, and the Zoning Plan of Kyiv Central;
Congratulates the State Party for organising and hosting the “International Seminar on Living Religious Heritage: Participatory Management and Sustainable Use” (Kyiv, October/November 2018) and takes note of its recommendations;
Further requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to assess its current state of conservation and to discuss the sensitive issues regarding the protection of the historic urban landscape of the city of Kyiv, in line with its previous decisions, and to evaluate whether the property is subject to ascertained or potential threats in conformity with Paragraph 179 of the Operational Guidelines;
Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 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 44th session in 2020, noting that inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger may be considered should the longstanding threats to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property remain.