UNESCO moves to list Lake Ohrid region as World Heritage site in danger

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has recommended that the Ohrid region – spanning North Macedonia and Albania – be placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The final decision is scheduled for the 48th committee session in Busan, South Korea, from 19 to 29 July, with a vote expected on 22 July.

UNESCO highlighted limited progress on earlier recommendations, noting uncontrolled urbanisation, illegal construction, waste‑water pollution, and delayed infrastructure projects. It called for a comprehensive Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment, suspension of new building permits such as the “Gorica 3” complex, and accelerated completion of waste‑water treatment works. The agency also urged both governments to improve cross‑border coordination, especially regarding large‑scale projects like Corridor 8, and to finalize legal protection for Lake Ohrid as a nature monument and the Studencist wetland as a natural park.

The committee warned that without these actions the region’s cultural and natural values could deteriorate further.