Decision 44 COM 7B.52

Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945) (Poland) (C 31)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 33 COM 7B.115, 40 COM 7B.55 and 42 COM 7B.27, adopted respectively during its 33rd (Seville, 2009), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) and 42nd (Manama, 2018) sessions,
3. Congratulates the State Party for its efforts to conserve numerous remains of the wider setting of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp complex through the Foundation of Memory Sites Near Auschwitz-Birkenau and the recently created The Remembrance Museum of Land of Oświęcim Residents;
4. Notes the information provided by the State Party on progress with the planning and design of the south ring road of Oświęcim, including the requested Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) Report, but regrets that the HIA was not accompanied by full design details and alignment of the proposed ring road, or by background visual and acoustic assessments, with the result that it currently remains unclear how the project respects the recommendations of the 2013 Expert Group, therefore invites the State Party to provide full HIA documentation for review by experts ahead of an on-site mission;
5. Requests the State Party to:
   1. Submit full details of the Oświęcim southern ring road project, including how it responds to the recommendations of the 2013 Expert Group and to the conclusions of the HIA, to allow a review of the project by the Advisory Bodies ahead of an on-site mission,
   2. Await the reviews by the Advisory Bodies of the proposed south ring road project before taking any decisions or entering into any contractual agreements for the construction of the road that cannot be reversed;
6. Reiterates its request to the State Party to continue its efforts to complete the management plan and its adoption by all the stakeholders;
7. Welcomes that an online meeting on the joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission took place in May 2021 and also requests the State Party to organize the planned on-site World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission and expert meeting as soon as the global health situation allows it;
8. Urges the State Party to continue implementing the recommendations of the 2013 expert group;
9. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, 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 46th session.