Decision 46 COM 7B.10

Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata (Italy) (C 829bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 44 COM 7B.156 and 45 COM 8B.61 adopted at its extended 44th (Fuzhou, China/Online, 2021) and at its extended 45th (Riyadh, 2023) sessions, respectively,
3. Commends the State Party for revising and extending the buffer zone for the property, and encourages the State Party to implement the recommendation to extend the buffer zone to include the Villa at Boscoreale;
4. Also commends the State Party for its commitment to improving the management system of the property, including securing the necessary financial and human resources, the projects undertaken for the stabilisation and restoration of archaeological structures and decorative elements, as well as the progress made in establishing systematic monitoring of archaeological remains, in order to carry out the necessary maintenance work on an ongoing basis, and reiterates its previous requests to the State Party to provide updates on the conservation work completed on buildings identified as at risk during the 2013 Reactive Monitoring mission;
5. Welcomes the efforts of the State Party to update the property’s Management Plan, and requests the State Party to submit the final draft of the document to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to adoption;
6. Acknowledges the updated information on the planned project at Porta Nola in the Pompei component, and also requests the State Party to submit the revised, updated plans, together with a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), prepared in conformity with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, before irreversible decisions are made;
7. Also acknowledges that the current project design of the planned visitor centre at Torre Annunziata includes significant revisions and further requests the State Party to submit the revised design plans, and documentation for works at the Spolettifico, including an HIA, to the World Heritage Centre for review by ICOMOS prior to approval;
8. Thanks the State Party for the notification, in accordance with both paragraphs 172 and 118bis of the Operational Guidelines, of 41 potential projects within and around the Herculaneum Archaeological Park component of the property, and also encourages the State Party to continue to notify planned changes and projects that may affect the Outstanding Universal Value of the property;
9. Requests furthermore the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to assess achievements in addressing the factors affecting the property, to review current project proposals and to assess the current state of conservation of the property, and the need or not for further Reactive Monitoring;
10. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2025, 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 48th session.