Brasilia

• Housing (urban pressure that may affect the original city plan (Plano Piloto) that warranted inscription on the World Heritage List)
• Management systems/ management plan (lack of a Master Plan)

N/A

On 30 November 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/445/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in that report, as follows:

• The Plan for Preservation of the Urban Ensemble of Brasilia (PPCUB), based on a technical opinion by the Institute for the National Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN), was reviewed by the State Department of Urban Development and Housing (SEDUH) and sent to a public hearing prior to its submission to the Legislative City Parliament of the Federal District. Once completed, the PPCUB will be submitted, together with the technical opinion by IPHAN, to the World Heritage Centre;
• Isolation measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic prevented community mobilization for discussions regarding the elaboration of a Management Plan and had to be postponed until 2023;
• In 2022, meetings were held between the internal technical areas at lPHAN to discuss methodological adjustments, social mobilization, relevant criteria and comprehensive stakeholder mapping, for the constitution of the Working Group that will prepare the Management Plan. This will also contribute to defining the governance structure and the Steering Committee. Elaboration of the Management Plan is dependent on the previous Working Group’s constitution as two years are necessary for its conclusion;
• The projects mentioned in the previous state of conservation report, Viva Centro! and Pátio Ferroviário de Brasília, have not progressed. Discussions are estimated to resume after the approval of the PPCUB by the Legislative City Parliament. No new projects have been proposed in the last biennium;
• In December 2021, Complementary Law no. 995/2021 was approved, defining parcelling criteria and the use and occupation parameters for five plots located at the end of the Monumental Axis West (EMO). The mandatory use is institutional, related to theatrical and musical production activities, artistic performances, museums, archives and libraries. Supplementary Law 998/2022, which replaced Supplementary Law 766/2008, was approved in January 2022. This norm is related to the occupation of a public area contiguous to the commercial areas of the South Wing (Asa Sul) of the Plano Piloto. Both legal instruments are in line with the objectives, criteria and parameters set out in IPHAN Ordinance 166/2016 and the PPCUB's complementary draft law;
• Some of the recommendations of the 2012 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission have been considered in IPHAN Ordinance 166/2016 and in the PPCUB;
• The Superintendence of lPHAN in the Federal District has intensified the work related to heritage education with a view to fostering a participatory process of awareness and re-signification of the cultural heritage of Brasília. This includes the populations that live beyond the Plano Piloto.
• On 16 February 2023, the World Heritage Centre received a report of the Ministry of Culture of Brazil on the damages caused during the violent unrests of 8 January 2023, notifying that some cultural objects were stolen but there were no structural damages on the buildings, and the return to functionality of the concerned edifices thanks to the prompt action of the relevant national institutions.

It is welcomed that the PPCUB has been reviewed by the SEDUH and sent to a public hearing before submission to the Legislative City Parliament of the Federal District for approval. It is advisable that the plan should be submitted, together with IPHAN’s technical evaluation, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies before its submission to the Legislative City Parliament.

Though it is understandable that the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the timeframe previously foreseen for the elaboration of the Management Plan, little progress has been made in this regard, especially in relation to discussions with the community, which are necessary to ensure the participatory process for the elaboration of the plan. It is hoped that this process can be carried out in 2023 and that the Working Group and Steering Committee can be in place as soon as possible.

The Committee may wish to note with appreciation that the projects that could jeopardise the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and the attributes that convey it, namely the Viva Centro! and Pátio Ferroviário de Brasilia, have been halted and that the discussions could recommence once the PPCUB and the Management Plan are in place. Nevertheless, it is advisable that the projects be submitted for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies at the earliest possible stage and for the State Party to include a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) procedure in the Management Plan.

It is noted that new laws related to land usage and land occupation have been passed over the last two years, and that those legal instruments are in line with the objectives, criteria and parameters set out in both IPHAN Ordinance 166/2016 and the PPCUB's complementary draft law. It is hoped that the PPCUB and the Management Plan will constitute a framework which is appropriate for regulatory instruments which could be required in the future.

The work done by the IPHAN Superintendency of the Federal District in relation to heritage education is welcomed. It is hoped that these actions will foster awareness among the population on the property’s values and encourage participatory processes for the adequate conservation and management of Brasilia.

Despite some progress which has been made in the processes of approval of the PPCUB and elaboration of the Management Plan, the framework for the conservation of the property is still fragile, and several recommendations from the 2012 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission have not yet been fully implemented. Although the IPHAN Ordinance 166/2016 is in place, it is estimated that the approval of the PPCUB and the implementation of the elaborated Management Plan will be appropriate resources for the property’s adequate conservation.

The theft of cultural objects is regrettable and the absence of consequences on the structures of the property of the violent unrests of 8 January 2023 is noted.