Keep Victoria Falls Wild, 28th July 2026
The following is our (unofficial) record of the adopted decision text relating to the Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls World Heritage Site as discussed, amended and adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 48th Session in Busan, South Korea on 27th July 2026. The text is as per the proposed amended text displayed on-screen during the Committee’s debate.
Amendments as suggested by the Committee members of Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania and Togo. Amendments were first proposed in a document published on 23rd July. In introducing the discussion it was disclosed that the representatives of the African World Heritage Centre and IUCN had met with the representatives of the state Parties (Zambia and Zimbabwe) on the same day to discuss the proposed amendments and resulting in the revised amendment document published on 24th. Download the amendments as submitted and published on 24th July 2026 here.
See also our previous notes on the proposed amended text under Further Information.
UNESCO will publish their official record in due course.
7B.93 the Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls World Heritage Site
Points 1, 2 and 3 adopted without amendment.
“1. Having examined Document WHC/26/48.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 45 COM 7B.10 and 46 COM 7B.60 adopted at its extended 45th (Riyadh, 2023) and 46th sessions (New Delhi, 2024) respectively,
3. Welcomes the continued cooperation between the States Parties, supported by their partners, to strengthen the protection of the property through joint measures, including invasive species control, monitoring, fire management, enhanced conservation actions, and law enforcement;”
Point 4 adopted as amended. Final approved text therefore:
“4. Expresses concern that possible cumulative impacts from infrastructure and tourism developments within the property, its buffer zone, and wider setting where applicable continue to pose a significant threat to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, a situation exacerbated, among other things, by the fact that the States Parties continue to receive development project proposals, and invites the States Parties to continue to provide details on any ongoing or future development projects that will be under consideration as soon as information is available.”
Point 5 adopted without amendment.
“5. Regrets the continued delay in completing and submitting the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), despite repeated requests and the recommendations of the 2022 mission, and urges again the States Parties to expedite its finalization with technical guidance from IUCN, as well as its official submission, while ensuring that its conclusions and recommendations are fully integrated into all planning, zoning, and development decision-making processes affecting the property, its buffer zone and wider setting;”
Point 6 adopted as amended. Final approved text therefore:
“6. Notes with regret that, at the time of producing this draft decision no update was provided regarding the letter (Ref: CLT/WHC/AFR/24/151) on the third-party concerns related to permits for two commercial tourism developments in highly sensitive zones on the Zimbabwean component of the property. Expresses its concern about the potentially irreversible impacts of these projects on the integrity and the visual attributes of the property and urgently requests the States Parties to provide updates on the above-mentioned letter and report on the monitoring and mitigation measures in place to ensure that the infrastructures do not negatively affect the OUV of the property;”
Point 7 adopted without amendment.
“7. Also notes with regret that the construction of the Mosi-oa-Tunya Livingstone Resort Hotel proceeded without fully meeting approval conditions at the national level and following the Committee’s request to halt further activities until the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) had been submitted and reviewed, and reiterates its requests to the States Parties to implement the 2022 Reactive monitoring mission recommendation to develop a comprehensive Environmental and Social Management plan, which the States Parties indicated in their 2024 report was already being developed, ensuring that the mitigation measures put in place take into account the visual integrity and cumulative effects of the project and address its negative impacts on the property’s OUV;”
Point 8, adopted as amended. Final approved text therefore:
“8. Also reiterates its request to the States Parties to ensure that any project located within the property, its buffer zone, and wider setting, where applicable with potential impacts on the OUV is subject to assessment through ESIA or HIA in conformity with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context and submitted for review prior to any decision;”
Point 9 adopted as amended. Final approved text therefore:
“9. Expresses continued concern regarding the likely negative impact of the proposed Batoka Gorge Hydro Electric Scheme (BGHES) on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and further reiterates its request that the revised ESIA be in line with the above-mentioned guidance, including a rigorous assessment of alternative scenarios that minimize negative impacts on the OUV, as recommended by the 2022 Reactive monitoring mission, and be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review, prior to taking any decision that is difficult to reverse;”
Point 10 adopted, after debate, as amended. Final approved text therefore:
"10. Appreciates the submission of the draft Joint Integrated Management Plan (JIMP) 2025-2030, underlines that further amendment is needed to detail the zoning system of the property to function as an effective regulatory tool, as well as the operational, regulatory, and monitoring aspects, and requests the States Parties to further revise and submit the updated version of the JIMP to the World Heritage Centre for review, prior to its validation and future implementation, by:
a) Incorporating clearly defined safeguards and thresholds to mitigate against developmental pressures for the protection of the property’s OUV, and zoning of the property, including well-prescribed limits of acceptable use and permissible activities (including tourism and development infrastructures), in line with the objectives of protecting the OUV and in line with past Committee decisions,
b) Developing finer-scale maps of the zoning system to avoid any ambiguity in its implementation,
c) Establishing enforceable visitor management mechanisms and strictly controlled areas in sensitive zones,...
d) Developing and operationalizing the research and monitoring framework, including the provision of detailed methodologies, the clear allocation of responsibilities, and the establishment of mechanisms to ensure that monitoring results effectively inform adaptive management,
e) Strengthening the consideration and management of cumulative and transboundary impacts on the OUV of the property, particularly of major developments and ongoing urban growth, including their potential effects on hydrological regimes, geomorphological aspects, and visual integrity
f) Ensuring that the JIMP is supported by adequate and sustainable financing to ensure its effective implementation, and monitoring for the long-term protection of the OUV;”
Point 11 adopted as amended
“11. Reiterates furthermore its request to the States Parties to submit a request for a boundary modification in accordance with the Operational Guidelines to set the precise boundaries of the property and its buffer zone, aligned with past Committee Decisions and the property’s Statement of OUV, and encourages the States Parties to seek further technical guidance from the World Heritage Centre and IUCN as required;”
Point 12 (now included under item 11) adopted as amended. Final approved text therefore:
“Also requests that information on the current status of all proposed development projects, reported by the States Parties, including their precise location, and scale, be submitted to the World Heritage Centre as soon as such information becomes available, with particular attention to tourism developments.”
New point 12, Adopted, following debate over ‘terminology and scope, as amended.
“12. Recommends both States Parties to invite Advisory Bodies and WHC to the site for an on-the-ground boundary verification and for guidance on outstanding matters.”
Pont 13 adopted without amendment.
“13. Finally requests the States Parties to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2027, an interim report including a copy of the updated JIMP, taking into consideration the comments outlined above, and by 1 December 2027, an updated report on the State of Conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 50th session.”
Further Information
Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs (28th July 2026) WorldHeritage Committee Discussion on Victoria Falls World Heritage Site,27th July 2026.
Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs (24th July 2026) Committee Members Propose Further Last Minute Amendments to draft Decision text on Victoria Falls World Heritage Site.
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