Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

• Lack of legal framework and planning mechanisms
• Lack of management system and mechanisms of coordination between all stakeholders including the City Municipality
• Lack of management activities
• Urban development pressure
• High-rise buildings that could compromise the panorama of the historical monastic Dnieper river landscape (built)

On 30 November 2018, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/527/documents/, providing information on conservation works, and progress in implementing the recommendations of the Committee, as follows:

• Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Cultural Heritage” have been adopted, introducing the concept of protection of the World Heritage properties;
• There has been ongoing scientific research of the impact of development projects on Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
• The 2015 moratorium on all new construction and sale of land remains in force pending approval of the Master Plan of Kyiv and the Zoning Plan;
• The Historical and Architectural Structure Plan of Kyiv has been completed and approved by the order of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine;
• The approval process for the Kyiv Master Plan is ongoing. A bill “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine on Regulation of Urban Development” has been approved;
• The 2018 State Construction Standard has been established, providing a new regulation regarding development of all city planning and design documentation in Ukraine. It includes restriction of high-rise buildings, concept of "blue lines" limiting height and building silhouette, the concept of "green lines" that define the boundaries of landscapes and recreational areas, as well as use of the so-called "buffer zone" territory surrounding the property;
• A draft government decision is being developed defining procedures for the establishment of a management body for the property;
• At Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra scientific monitoring of the structural stability of monuments is being implemented.
• At St. Sophia Cathedral, integrated monitoring of the state of monuments is being permanently implemented;
• An international seminar, "Living Religious World Heritage: Participatory Management and Sustainable Use" (Kyiv, 2018), was organized with financial support from the Ministry of Culture.

On 12 March 2019, the State Party submitted a minor boundary modification proposal for the creation of a unified buffer zone of the property. On 5 April 2019, the Mayor of Kyiv presented to the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS progress made in revision of the Kyiv Master Plan and informed that the Management and Master plans will be revised on the basis of the concept of this unified buffer zone. An impact assessment was presented for the project of a Pedestrian-bicycle bridge transition between Khreshchaty Park and Volodymyrska Hirka Park.

While substantial efforts have occurred, the Master Plan for the property is yet to be finalized and adopted. It is important that the Master Plan covers not only the property itself, but also the proposed unified buffer zone which has been lodged in accordance with Committee Decision 42 COM 8B.43, and that it addresses the recommendations of the April 2018 ICOMOS Technical Review relating to the draft Management Plan. 

The State Party invited an ICOMOS technical Advisory mission to the property to take place in May 2019 to assist in the elaboration of differentiated and detailed protection regimes in the proposed unified buffer zone.

Nevertheless, the impact of previous inappropriate town planning, as well as ongoing developments in the buffer zone, continue to pose a threat to the vulnerable Dnieper river landscape, due to their visual impact on the integrity of the property, and thus to its OUV.

The State Party submits, monthly, to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, a large volume of information about different developments, restoration and construction projects. Approximately 20 projects have been reviewed since the last Committee session. Some, such as the project of a Pedestrian-bicycle bridge transition between Khreshchaty Park and Volodymyrska Hirka Park, and the residential and hotel complex in close vicinity to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, jeopardize the property’s OUV.

If an OUV-based policy and appropriate regulations are not immediately introduced by the national and municipal authorities to prevent use of the development consents delivered before the existing moratorium, the progressive transformation of the historic urban landscape may represent potential danger to the OUV, in conformity with Paragraph 179 of the Operational Guidelines.

The State Party should be encouraged to introduce legal provisions, as a matter of urgency, to prevent inappropriate constructions within the proposed unified buffer zone and visual catchment of the property, which could have deleterious effects on its inherent characteristics. The State Party should also be encouraged to develop in line with the World Heritage Programme for Sustainable Tourism and adopt a proactive approach to growing tourism within the property so that adequate tools are in place to manage the inevitable pressures that tourism brings in historic urban contexts.

While taking note of the May 2019 ICOMOS technical mission, it would also be desirable that the Committee request the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to assess its state of conservation, the implementation of its decisions and the level of threats to its OUV. 

It is appropriate that the Committee provide the State Party with an opportunity to address these longstanding concerns and to implement its decisions; but if these actions are not completed promptly, consideration of inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger may be warranted.

It is also recommended that the Committee congratulate the State Party on organizing and hosting the International Seminar "Living Religious Heritage: Participatory Management and Sustainable Use", as well as the first international networking meeting of site managers in charge of the World Heritage properties of religious interest. This activity represents an important step in providing a platform for discussion and dialogue among all stakeholders, particularly including religious communities. The recommendations adopted by the participants (http://whc.unesco.org/en/events/1465/) successfully contribute to the implementation of the UNESCO Initiative on Heritage of Religious Interest.