Decision 45 COM 7B.193

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

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.52 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Welcomes the progress made by the State Party in establishing a closer dialogue between the national and local authorities, other key stakeholders and local communities, paving the way for the development of the Management Plan for the property and its subsequent adoption by all stakeholders and encourages these dialogue activities be continued;
4. Further welcomes the establishment of a team to monitor the preparation of Management Plans for World Heritage properties in Poland, urges the State Party to develop a comprehensive Management Plan for the property, including a comprehensive tourism management and interpretation Plan for the whole property and its setting, as a matter of priority, in line with the recommendations of the 2021 Advisory mission and the 2013 Expert Group, and requests the State Party to submit the final draft of the Management Plan to the World Heritage Centre for its revision and comments by the Advisory Bodies, prior to its adoption; also encourages the State Party to finalise the update of the Conservation Strategy for the property;
5. Invites the State Party to establish a buffer zone for the property, encompassing both the silence zone and the wider protection zone, or to develop appropriate spatial planning policies to provide greater protection to the immediate setting of the property;
6. Notes with satisfaction the efforts made by the State Party in progressively enriching and supporting educational and social awareness-raising activities linked to the historical structures within the property and in the protection zone, and further encourages the State Party to pursue these efforts;
7. Also notes the efforts of the State Party to put on hold the construction of the Oświęcim southern ring road until it had considered the recommendations of the 2021 Advisory mission to the property;
8. Recommends to the State Party to implement the recommendations of the 2021 Advisory mission to the property;
9. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, 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 47th session.