Decision 41 COM 7B.48

Venice and its lagoon (Italy) (C 394)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 38 COM 7B.27 and 40 COM 7B.52, adopted at its 38th (Doha, 2014) and 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) sessions respectively,
3. Notes with appreciation that the State Party and all the institutions involved, having recognized the major risks to the property, are working collaboratively and in an engaged manner to protect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
4. Notes that progress has been made towards the implementation of some of the 2015 Reactive Monitoring mission recommendations endorsed by the Committee and reiterates its request that the State Party continue to implement all the recommendations put forward in the Decision 40 COM 7B.52, including immediate, short, medium and long-term measures;
5. Acknowledges the drafting of the Climate Plan and encourages the State Party to take into account the “Policy on the Impacts of Climate Change on World Heritage Properties” in the development of the plan, considering that ‘Venice and its Lagoon’ is in a privileged position and might have the potential to influence monitoring and adaptation processes that can be applied elsewhere;
6. Welcomes the details submitted regarding the new sustainable tourism strategy that will make use of the consultative model proposed by the UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Programme;
7. Also notes that the State Party is exploring an option of using existing port channel (Canale Vittorio Emanuele III) with a view to halt the passage of large ships through the San Marco basin and the Giudecca canal, and to avoid the excavation of new ones and requests the State Party to submit detailed plans and a detailed timeframe for the implementation of the selected solution;
8. Also reiterates its request that the State Party submit, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, details of any newly proposed projects, together with all relevant cumulative Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA), with a specific section focusing on their potential impact on the OUV of the property;
9. Also acknowledges progress made towards the completion of the MOSE defence system and also requests the State Party to provide detailed and updated information on this project, including its management and maintenance systems;
10. Further reiterates its request that the State Party update the Management Plan and revise its planning approach in order to sustain in the long term the OUV of the property, its landscape and seascape;
11. Further requests the State Party to provide a much clearer detailed road map for the way forward, with measurable benchmarks and a detailed Action Plan to deliver what is needed, commensurate with the major threats to the property;
12. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Committee a detailed report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, including a detailed road map on the way forward, by 1 December 2018 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019, with a view to considering, if adequate progress in the implementation of the above recommendations has not been made, the inscription of the property on the List of the World Heritage in Danger.