Decision 44 COM 7B.160

Kizhi Pogost (Russian Federation) (C 544)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7B.89, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Congratulates the State Party on the completion of the exemplary restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration and on the implementation of a continued monitoring programme of the structures within the boundaries of the property;
4. Commends the State Party for:
   1. The establishment of the All-Russian Centre for Wooden Architecture Conservation at the Kizhi Open Air Museum, funded by the State Party,
   2. The legal protection of the forested areas of the buffer zone visible from the property,
   3. The continuous scientific research undertaken by the State Party and the Kizhi Open Air Museum,
   4. The ongoing development of a Master Plan for the property and Kizhi Island, taking into consideration the advice of the Advisory Bodies for the configuration of the entrance to the property, as well as the decision to put on hold any construction projects on the island, including the new entrance facility, until agreement has been reached on the details of the Master Plan,
   5. Progress made in tourism planning and development with focus on the beneficiation of the local community according to the Management Plan for the property;
5. Welcomes the development of four alternative strategies for the restoration of the Church of the Intercession, including commitments to assess these through a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) that focusses on the impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and requests the State Party to submit the HIA, a description of the alternative strategies and technical details for the restoration to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, before any final decisions on the approach or technical details of the restoration are made;
6. Also welcomes the establishment of a working group to coordinate activities on the sustainable development of the property, its buffer zone and the larger area;
7. Acknowledges the invitation from the State Party for an ICOMOS Advisory mission to visit the property, notes that this mission was delayed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and also requests that the mission shall be organized as soon as the sanitary conditions will allow it in order to evaluate progress made by the State Party in tourism development and buffer zone planning and developments, including the Master Plan for Velikaya Guba;
8. Also acknowledges the efforts taken by the State Party to prioritize improvements to the healthcare facilities of the custodians of the property, the staff of the Kizhi Pogost Museum, and further requests that the State Party continue to prioritize the improvement of the custodians’ living conditions;
9. Reiterates its requests to finalize the Sustainable Development Plan for the buffer zone and its wider territory to create sustainable conditions for the long-term appropriate settlement of the buffer zone in harmony with and in support of the attributes and OUV of the property and to submit the plan to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
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 the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session.