Ohrid, 21 August 2025 (MIA) - The decision of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which gave Macedonia and Albania a deadline until next year to take action to protect the status of the Ohrid region as a world cultural and natural heritage site, must not be interpreted as a postponement but as an obligation for accelerated action, said Minister of Culture and Tourism, Zoran Ljutkov, following Thursday’s meeting of the National UNESCO Commission in Ohrid.

Ljutkov, who also chairs the Commission, said that immediately after the adoption of the decision, conclusions were made at a government level to act upon the recommendations of the UNESCO Committee, which, he said, are currently being implemented. 

“Our obligation, together with the Republic of Albania, is to submit progress reports on the protection of the Ohrid region by February 1. This is a challenge, but also an opportunity to demonstrate readiness to act when it comes to the national interest,” Ljutkov said. 

At Thursday's meeting of the National UNESCO Commission, concrete conclusions were adopted aimed at swift action across all segments, with a specific timeline for all planned activities, about which both the Government and the public will be additionally informed.

“From here in Ohrid, we are sending a clear message that every state body and every institution will, without delay and in the shortest possible time, undertake all activities within their competencies, because only through joint, coordinated action will we demonstrate concrete and visible progress and protect the Ohrid region,” Ljutkov said.

The Culture Minister said all institutions, both at the national and local level, have been instructed, without exception, to act in accordance with the recommendations of the UNESCO Committee from the 47th session held in Paris, pointing out the shortcomings in previous actions due to a lack of proper interinstitutional coordination.

“This meeting was aimed at assigning tasks and establishing bodies and individuals who will be constantly available and working on the issue around the clock. It will certainly be a challenge, but we must focus on the recommendations. It will be a difficult period, especially with the upcoming elections, but I believe that with concrete measures and coordination, we can accelerate the entire process and achieve results by the end of 2025,” the Minister said. 

At the annual session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in June in Paris, a decision was made to postpone the inscription of the Ohrid region on the List of World Cultural and Historical Heritage in Danger.

As a result, Ohrid and the country were, for the third time, granted another year to implement a series of recommendations and obligations to maintain the region’s status, with a report to be submitted to UNESCO by February 1 of the following year.

The draft decision on the status of the Ohrid region highlighted remarks from last year’s reactive monitoring mission, which confirmed findings from previous missions. It concluded that cumulative and ongoing impacts, including urban development, deficiencies in spatial planning, inappropriate interventions, lake eutrophication, and large infrastructure and other projects, have caused serious disruption to the key attributes of the protected area, leading to irreversible degradation.

Some experts openly supported placing the region on the List of World Heritage in Danger, believing it to be the most effective way to compel the state, institutions, and municipalities to intensify efforts toward fulfilling the recommendations and resolving the issues that led to the current situation.

Photo: MIA