The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
- Deplores the war prevailing in Ukraine and the loss of human life;
- Commends the State Party for its strong commitment to the protection of the World Heritage property ‘L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre’, as well as the other World Heritage properties in Ukraine, and expresses its utmost concern at the increasing potential threats facing the property;
- Welcomes the various actions implemented by UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies to assist Ukraine in the protection and safeguarding of the property and its cultural heritage more generally and encourages further assistance and support;
- Considers that optimal conditions are no longer met to fully guarantee the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property and that it is threatened by potential danger due to the outbreak of the war, in accordance with paragraphs 177 to 179 of the Operational Guidelines;
- Decides, in conformity with Article 11.4 of the Convention and Paragraphs 177 to 179 of the Operational Guidelines, to inscribe L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre (Ukraine) on the List of World Heritage in Danger;
- Further requests the State Party to prepare, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, a proposal for the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) and a set of corrective measures along with a timeframe for their implementation, for adoption by the Committee at its 46th session;
- Calls upon all Parties to refrain from any action that would cause direct or indirect damage to the property and its buffer zone and wider setting, as well as to cultural heritage in Ukraine overall, in particular to its World Heritage properties and their buffer zones and wider settings, as well as sites included on the Tentative List of Ukraine, and to fulfil their obligations under international law, including Article 6 of the World Heritage Convention;
- Expresses its concern that risk preparedness measures for the property are not yet sufficient in terms of analysis of potential vibrational impacts on building fabric of nearby missile strikes, and measures to address these impacts, and strongly encourages the State Party to give high priority to the development of an emergency preparedness and risk mitigation plan, taking full advantage of the support that the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies are able to provide through the support of Japan;
- Furthermore, invites the State Party to continue taking all possible measures to protect its cultural and natural heritage threatened by the war, in particular its World Heritage properties, including their buffer zones and wider settings, and sites included in the Tentative List;
- Requests the State Party to ensure that the adopted and planned legislative amendments do not have a negative impact on the fulfilment of its obligations under the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, and to submit them to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before they are enacted;
- Also calls on the international community to support the safeguarding of Ukraine’s cultural and natural heritage and launches an appeal to the neighbouring countries and to the international community to cooperate in fighting against the illicit trafficking of cultural property coming from Ukraine;
- Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 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 46th session.