Decision 44 COM 7B.154

Ancient City of Nessebar (Bulgaria) (C 217)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7B.81, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Takes note of the progress of the State Party in implementing previous Committee decisions and mission recommendations, but notes with concern that some urgent matters are yet to be addressed as further detailed below;
4. Urges the State Party to devise a strategy for the future of Nessebar, based on the sustainable, compatible and equitable development of the town and the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and to submit it to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
5. Reiterates its request to the State Party to:
   1. establish as a matter of high priority a high-level inter-ministerial or steering committee, supported by a working group and by all relevant institutions, tasked with the development of an OUV-based shared vision for Nessebar to align all present and future decisions, plans and projects for the property’s conservation, enhancement and development,
   2. finalize, adopt and implement the Conservation Management Plan which incorporates an updated Sustainable Tourism Management Plan, the Detailed Development Plan and the General Development Master Plan, including guidelines for urban design, based on the OUV of the property, as well as continue enforcing the existing protection regimes,
   3. continue to allocate financial and human resources required for effective implementation of the updated Conservation Management Plan and updated General Development Master Plan,
   4. continue to implement the recommendations of the 2018 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission as well as all previous mission recommendations that are yet to be addressed;
6. Requests the State Party to promptly finalize, approve and implement the General Plan for the Organisation of the Traffic in the Ancient City of Nessebar and to monitor its application and outcomes;
7. Takes note with satisfaction of the results of the underwater archaeological investigations and also requests the State Party to promptly finalize the research necessary for a future Minor Boundary Modification request, per Paragraphs 163 and 164 of the Operational Guidelines, to include all underwater archaeological remains of the ancient town;
8. Also takes note of the proposal of the State Party to convert the recommended ICOMOS Advisory mission to the property into online workshops to be held in 2021, and invites the State Party and ICOMOS to agree on a suitable period for this activity;
9. Further requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to take place in 2022, or as soon as the sanitary situation allows, to assess its state of conservation and ascertain the progress made by the State Party in implementing the Committee’s decisions and missions’ recommendations;
10. Finally 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 submit to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, the Conservation Management Plan, Detailed Development Plan and General Development Master Plan for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session, with a view to considering, in the absence of substantial progress, the possible inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.