Decision 47 COM 7A.26

The Historic Centre of Odesa (Ukraine)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/25/47.COM/7A.Add.4,
2. Recalling Decisions 18 EXT.COM 5.2 and 46 COM 7A.6 adopted at its 18th extraordinary (UNESCO, 2023) and its 46th (New Delhi, 2024) sessions respectively,
3. Deplores the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the loss of human life;
4. Expresses its utmost concern about the damage caused to the property in several large-scale attacks as well as the increasing potential threats facing the property in relation to the ongoing war, and commends the State Party’s commitment to the protection of the attributes conveying the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, including by undertaking emergency interventions on historic buildings and a range of protective measures;
5. Reiterates its call on the Russian Federation 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 its obligations under international law, including Article 6 of the World Heritage Convention;
6. Welcomes the various actions undertaken by UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies to assist Ukraine in protecting and safeguarding the property and, more generally, cultural heritage throughout its territory within its internationally recognised borders, including through awareness-raising and capacity-building activities;
7. Encourages the State Party to continue to take 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;
8. Calls on the international community to ensure, where applicable, that its support is implemented in full compliance with the provisions of the World Heritage Convention and the Operational Guidelines, to continue to support the safeguarding of cultural and natural heritage in Ukraine, and to cooperate in the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property coming from Ukraine;
9. Takes note of the conclusions of the 2025 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property and invites the State Party to define an action plan for their implementation, including priorities, sequence and responsibilities, while giving priority to the identification and documentation of attributes conveying the OUV, as well as adequate protection regimes and management arrangements;
10. Further encourages the State Party to give high priority to the development and urgent implementation of an emergency preparedness and response plan and to the finalisation of a revised Management Plan for the property, taking into account the recommendations of the 2025 Reactive Monitoring mission and taking full advantage of the support that UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies are providing thanks to the support of the Government of Japan;
11. Notes with appreciation the granting of provisional enhanced protection under the Second Protocol of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict to one more building in the property, bringing the total to four, and encourages furthermore the State Party to seek enhanced protection under the Second Protocol for other significant cultural heritage buildings in the property;
12. Reminds the State Party that major restorations, proposed reconstructions or new constructions which may affect the OUV of the property should be notified to the World Heritage Centre as soon as possible and before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse and that Heritage Impact Assessments of such projects should be undertaken following the methodology of the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, in accordance with paragraphs 172 and 118bis of the Operational Guidelines respectively;
13. Further reiterates its request to the State Party to prepare, based on the recommendations of the 2025 Reactive Monitoring mission and advice provided through the technical assistance by 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 one of its subsequent sessions, while being aware that this process is hampered by the ongoing war and its consequences;
14. Further invites the State Party to improve the regulatory framework for cultural heritage in Ukraine, with assistance provided by UNESCO thanks to the support of the Government of Japan, and also encourages it to consider prioritising the strengthening and streamlining of World Heritage-related legislation as part of its ongoing legislative reform efforts as well as to ensure that any adopted and planned legislative amendments do not have a negative impact on the fulfilment of the obligations of the State Party under the World Heritage Convention;
15. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2026, 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;
16. Decides to retain The Historic Centre of Odesa (Ukraine) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.