Decision 45 COM 7B.180

Old City of Dubrovnik (Croatia) (C 95ter)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.42 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Welcomes progress achieved with the successful completion of the development of the Buffer Zone part of the Conservation Plan for the Old City of Dubrovnik and the Management Plan for the property;
4. Requests the State Party to finalise and submit, at the earliest opportunity, in one of the Committee’s working languages, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, the following documents (or their translations):
   1. The Conservation Plan for the Historic Core of Dubrovnik,
   2. The Study of Sustainable Tourism Development and Carrying Capacity of the City of Dubrovnik,
   3. Disaster Risk Management Plan,
   4. Interpretation Strategy;
5. Reiterates its previous requests to the State Party to submit, in one of the working languages of the Committee, comprehensive project details of the repair works undertaken on the sewer system and for the on-hold Bosanka project (if and when it will proceed), including related Heritage Impact Assessments prepared in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, in conformity with Paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
6. Takes note of the sustainable tourism and interpretation measures and projects reported by the State Party, including: traffic regulation, the ‘Smart City’ programme, green tourism initiatives, the communication plan the ‘Marking the Protected Objects in the City of Dubrovnik’, and the proposed new so-called ‘World Heritage Centre’, also requests the State Party to ensure that these initiatives are guided by an over-arching Interpretation Strategy, as already requested by the Committee, and strongly encourages the State Party to opt for a different name for the new network of spaces for interpretation, education and research, that does not lead to any confusion with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre;
7. Also takes note of the State Party’s report on actions arising from the Memoranda of Understanding between the City of Dubrovnik, the Cruise Lines International Association and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council;
8. Requests 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.