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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

UNESCO closely monitors situation regarding works in Visoki Decani zone

Belgrade, 2 September 2020

UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone sent on behalf of Director-General Audrey Azoulay a letter to Minister of Culture and the Media Vladan Vukosavljevic, in response to his letters from June and August regarding the construction of a Decani-Plav trunk road in the protected zone of the Visoki Decani monastery.

In the letter, Ottone expresses gratitude to Minister Vukosavljevic for his letters and concern for the condition of the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo-Metohija, especially of the medieval monuments that are on the UNESCO list of heritage sites in danger, and regarding the continuation of illegal works on the Decani-Plav trunk road that endanger the protected zone of the Visoki Decani monastery.

“Be assured that we have taken into account your concern for the endangerment of this property which is on the World Heritage list, and that UNESCO World Heritage Centre, together with UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, is closely monitoring the situation.

In line with practice, and on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 from 1999, we informed the UNMIK and asked them to provide us with more detailed information regarding the illegal construction of the road in the protected zone of the Visoki Decani monastery.

On 24 August, we received information from the UNMIK that the works had been suspended.

All information obtained was sent to the competent advisory body, ICOMOS, for their technical evaluation of the situation that could affect the undeniable universal value of the monastery itself, in line with the Manual for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention,” the letter reads.