World Heritage	7 EXT.COM	

Distribution limited	
WHC-04/7 EXT.COM/ 5C
Paris, 20 October 2004
Original : English/French	

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL
ORGANIZATION

CONVENTION CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF THE WORLD
CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE

WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE

Seventh Extraordinary Session

Paris, UNESCO Headquarters, Room II
6 – 11 December 2004

Item 5C of the Provisional Agenda: Follow-up on Periodic Report in Africa

SUMMARY

This document presents the progress of the recommendations of the Action Programme for the medium term periodic monitoring contained in the Periodic Report for the Africa Region, presented and adopted in accordance with the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee at its 26th Session in Budapest, Hungary on 24 – 29 June 2002. This periodic monitoring exercise has proved to be very useful for the setting up of a network of institutions and experts in the cultural and natural heritage, a well as for training numerous site managers in the methods of conservation and protection of natural and cultural properties. It is in this context that the Africa Pluriannual Regional Training Programme (2004-2007) was set up, whose Modules II and III were approved by the World Heritage Committee at its 27th Session held in Paris from 30 June to 05 July 2003. For its implementation, Italy generously replied to the Committee's appeal and allocated US$ 110,000 for the implementation of the first meeting, which was held at the Djoudj World Heritage site as well as in Dakar, Senegal, from 30 April to 6 June 2004.

Draft Decision 7 EXT.COM 5C: see point III

Other documents to read to read in conjunction :
WHC-04/7 EXT.COM/INF 11
WHC-04/28.COM/9

This document was prepared for the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee (as document WHC-04/28 COM/17C), but was not presented, due to time constraints. It is presented herewith with an updated information (changes are highlighted).

Africa: Progress Report, June 2003 - April 2004

The Centre is continuing its efforts to encourage the seven UNESCO Member States, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Swaziland, to ratify the Convention, and this following the ratification of the 1972 Convention by Lesotho on 25 November 2003. Eight States Parties have set up National Committees. Different management plans are currently being elaborated for the following properties: Mount Kenya (Kenya), Rwenzori Mountains (Uganda), Dja Fauna Reserve (Cameroon), Island of Mozambique (Mozambique), Matobo Hills (Zimbabwe), Timbuktu, Djenne and Bandiagara (Mali), Kilwa Kisiwani (Tanzania).

I. 	The following actions were undertaken in 2003-2004:

1.	Expert mission and subregional seminar on the management plans for the Malian World Heritage properties and on the rehabilitation of the earthen architecture of Timbuktu (within the framework of the cooperation agreement between UNESCO and the Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry) – Timbuktu, Mali, 19 – 23 January 2004;

2.	Organization, as part of a workshop stream at the World Parks Congress (Durban, South Africa, 8-17 September 2003), of the "Inter-African Meeting on the designation and the implementation of management plans for the transboundary natural properties designated or in the course of being designated as World Heritage sites". This World Forum was an opportunity to draw up strategies for worldwide action, to develop a partnership focused on Africa in particular, but also and above all, solutions were discussed and agreed for the problems the Natural Parks are facing today and in the future. The objective of this session was to review the network of people involved in Natural World Heritage, to demonstrate the potential of the transboundary World Heritage properties, to study and analyze a certain number of cases of transboundary cooperation in the World Heritage properties so as to draw lessons and advantages from them, as well as to review the perspectives that the World Heritage Convention offers for developing transboundary protected areas;

3.	Expert missions planned in at least four countries in order to reinforce skills in preparing inventories of heritage properties in Africa with a view to drawing up Tentative Lists (2003–2004);

4.	Organization of National Seminars in the following countries with a view to the adoption of National Strategies and National Action Plans for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention: Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania;

5.	Special session, "African Cities and Heritage", organized on the occasion of the Pan-African Mayors' Summit AFRICITES – Yaounde, Cameroon, 4 December 2003. It was organized in collaboration with the Municipal Development Partnership (MDP);

6.	Organization, by UNESCO's Dar Es-Salaam Office, of a sub-regional meeting in the Indian Ocean at Mahe in the Seychelles, from 19 February to 23 February 2004. The aim of this meeting, held during the visit of the Director-General, was to enable the countries concerned (the Comores, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Tanzania and Madagascar) to draw up a joint strategy to promote and preserve the cultural heritage in the Indian Ocean;

7.	Meetings with local populations have taken place and will take place during the preparation of the nomination files. This is the case for the Megalithic Sites (Senegal and Gambia), Twyfelfontien (Namibia), Matobo Hills (Zimbabwe); 

8.	Ten countries have set up National World Heritage Committees;

9.	US$ 31,925 were allocated to Mauritius and in Senegal as Preparatory assistance for the elaboration of Tentative Lists, this for the period in question. Other countries have introduced similar requests at World Heritage Centre level. They are being examined;

10.	Properties such as Mount Kenya and Aldabra Atoll have updated their management plans;

11.	Setting up of 42 Internet sites for World Heritage properties in Africa; 

12.	Meeting within the framework of the Organization of World Heritage Cities:
Two meetings, whose aim was to highlight the economic potential of World Heritage cities, were organized in Eastern Africa, within the framework of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC). The first took place in Zanzibar from 30 to 31 July 2003, the second in Lamu, in Kenya, from 8 to 11 March 2004. A third meeting took place from 11-12 October 2004 in Zanzibar and had as theme ‘A living World Heritage town’. The World Heritage Stone Towns of Island of Mozambique (Mozambique), Zanzibar (Tanzania) and Lamu (Kenya) are on the programme of these meetings. It is in this context that these three towns, in cooperation with the OWHC, the World Heritage Centre,  the City of Bergen (Norway) and SIDA, have developed a network of cities. Similarly, a pilot project has been set up jointly between the cities of Bergen and Island of Mozambique. This pilot project has been financed by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD). Essentially, its objective is to build human capacities, to promote better planning of the management of the City's heritage, to restore ancient monuments, and to develop a network of cities in Eastern Africa;

13.	Extra-budgetary resources :
The Centre has also succeeded in mobilizing extra-budgetary resources for projects concerning the conservation of natural and cultural World Heritage properties in Africa. This is how the Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese and French governments as well as the Radisson Fund and the Nordic World Heritage Foundation (NWHF), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Environment Foundation (WEF) came to contribute to the implementation of the World Heritage Convention through the funding of different projects in sub-Saharan Africa. The details of the amounts allocated can be found below :

•	Italian Funds-in-Trust: Africa Pluriannual Regional Programme 2004-2007, Francophone session (training of 13 managers of natural properties and 9 National Directors of Protected Areas, with a total of 9 countries represented - US$ 110,000)

•	Portuguese Funds-in-Trust: Island of Mozambique, total amount: US$ 24,512

•	Netherlands Funds-in-Trust: International Meeting on the Indentured Labour Route, Mauritius; Interregional Meeting on the Great Salt Road, in Niger. Total amount: US$ 60,000 

•	France - UNESCO Agreement: Workshop on transboundary properties, Durban, South Africa. Total amount : US$ 57,270

•	Radisson Fund: Robben Island, South Africa. Total amount:
US$ 25,000 

•	Nordic World Heritage Foundation: participation in the International Meeting on the African Heritage and Sustainable Development, Durban, South Africa. Total amount: US$ 20,000

•	France – Japan: Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania. Total amount:
US$ 1,462 million

•	NORAD: Island of Mozambique, Mozambique. Total amount: 
US$ 1.1 million 

•	UNDP/GEF: Mount Nimba, Guinea. Total amount: approximately 
US$ 8 million

•	GEF: Mount Kenya, Kenya. Total amount: US$ 600,000

14.	The different themes covered by the training can be found in the Africa Regional Training Programme (2004-2007).

II.	Regional Action Plan 2004-2005 

15. 	Implementation of the Africa Regional Programme (2004- 2007) – Nature –Francophone Session – Djoudj, Dakar, Senegal 30 April to 6 June 2004: the implementation of this Regional Programme has its origin in the recommendations of the Synthesis Report of the First Periodic Monitoring Exercise for Africa, in particular that concerning Training and capacity-building (Africa Periodic Report, p. 56-57).

In fact, at the end of its 26th Session, the World Heritage Committee expressed its satisfaction concerning the Synthesis Report of the First Periodic Monitoring Exercise for Africa (WHC-02/CONF.202/16). As a result, at its 27th session (WHC-03/27.COM/24, p 129-130), the Committee approved Modules II and III of the Africa Regional Programme, for the biennium 2004-05 as they were presented in Committee document WHC-03/27.COM/INF.20C. It also contributed US$ 90,000 and called upon the community of financial backers to support this activity. Which Italy did, providing assistance of US$ 110,000.

This first francophone session of the Seminar for the updating of knowledge and practices falls within the framework of the Pluriannual Training Programme in Africa (2004-2005) initiated by the World Heritage Centre. It results from the "Action Plan for Periodic Reporting 2002-2007" adopted by the Committee and gives priority to the development of human resources, the reinforcement of the management of properties, and the development of national strategies for the World Heritage natural properties in Africa. The training concerns not only the aspects concerning the conservation of natural heritage properties, but also those relating to the necessary development of local populations, within the framework of the setting up of sustainable development strategies and the fight against poverty.

Host country and site for the Seminar
Senegal was selected to host the first francophone session of the Africa Regional Programme (Africa Nature). The choice of the site finally settled on Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (PNOD), site on the World Heritage List in Danger. 
Africa Nature also benefits from the assistance of the National Parks Department of the Ministry of the Environment, as well as from the UNESCO Office in Dakar, Senegal;

The Africa Regional Programme (2004-2007) for the training of World Heritage site managers in Africa is aimed at both site managers and national administrators. It corresponds to the implementation of the Africa Nature Programme (with two new modules II and III), complementary to the aspects already developed as part of Africa 2009 (module I) and notably relating to the implementation of the Convention at State and site level. In particular:
• Module II: training in the management of the natural heritage of sub-Saharan Africa (providing responses to shortcomings observed in the management of specifically natural properties)
• Module III: formulation-development of national strategies for the World Heritage in sub-Saharan Africa.

The objectives common to these two modules are:
• 	The improvement of the conditions of the preservation of the African natural heritage, through participative approaches, planning and a management strategy that aims to integrate it in the process of sustainable development;
• 	The promotion of professional exchanges and networks between the countries in the region;
• 	The identification and dissemination of good conservation practices and experiences in the management of the natural heritage in the region;
• 	The best participation and the best balance in the identification of the heritage;
• 	The reinforcement of the coherence, the capacities and the legal frameworks of the institutions in the field of the protection, preservation and management of the heritage;
• 	The raising of awareness of heritage values amongst all the partners, in particular women and young people in the local communities.

Total responsibility for the implementation of this project is assigned to the World Heritage Centre.  The Centre is also responsible for the pedagogical coordination of the project, and a team of trainers has been set up to facilitate the implementation of this project.
This team consists of six people from the institutions working in the fields of the environmental conservation and the natural heritage. It includes academics, managers of protected areas, members of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Resource persons are from Africa and Northern countries. They are well informed of Africa's problems, conservation, sustainable development and participative teaching methods. The team's field of competence covers biodiversity, monitoring, counting and inventory techniques, the creation and management of databases, information technology, the quantification and analysis of data, as well as management and planning.

The themes dealt with in Module II are: 
	Theme 1:
	Introduction to the training course: The World Natural Heritage - Presentation of the site hosting the course – Presentation of the programme and the working framework. – Organization of the trainees into working groups - The World Heritage Convention and the other international treaties concerning the natural heritage – Identification of properties: statement of value, the principles and criteria of authenticity and integrity, tentative lists. (2 days)

Theme 2:
Management: Why manage ? – How to manage – The main phases in the preparation of a management plan – the main parts of a management plan – financing and financial autonomy  – zoning – management tools (database, documentation) – management indicators – participative management. Elaboration of the outline of a management plan for the host site. (4 days)
	
Theme 3:
Monitoring: the different categories of monitoring (regular, periodic, reactive) – regular monitoring tools (inventories, counting, database, Geographical Information System), evaluation of fauna and flora numbers (choice of species monitored)– Cybertracker – Landscape monitoring – GPS – participative monitoring – photographic monitoring – Monitoring Indicators – Elaboration of a monitoring plan and an annual work programme. (5 days)
	
Theme 4:
Conservation: protection and conservation – methods of surveillance – natural threats affecting the heritage (management of natural risks) – management of anthropic risks affecting the heritage (clearing, illegal grazing, poaching, unauthorized gathering, looting, etc.) – managed fires – Conflict and the resolution of conflicts – participation of local communities in conservation – Refugee problems – elaboration of a conservation plan, an annual work programme and a natural disaster reaction plan. (5 days)
	
Theme 5:
Development: the usufructuary management of the natural heritage – World heritage and generation of income – Analysis of the reasons for the economic success of certain properties - diversification of resources – ecotourism – traditional gathering and hunting – enhancement of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of local communities – sustainable tourism – village tourism – Elaboration of a local development project centred on the heritage of the site. (5 days)
	
Theme 6:
Communication: communicating with the different generations: elders (gathering knowledge and know-how), school children (transmitting knowledge) – communicating with local visitors: open days, site festival – communicating with foreign visitors: notices, exhibitions, information centre, various media – making the site known further a field (tour operators, video, etc.) (transverse theme)

The themes dealt with in Module III are:
Theme1 :
Preparing a National Strategy for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, integrating protection, conservation and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage into economic and social development plans, management and territorial development (1 day)

Theme 2:
Creating National Committees for the World Heritage Convention: role of a National Committee – field of competences – possible activities – members of the Committee – trusteeship of the Committee – Committee's work programme (0.5 day)

Theme 3:
Optimizing the administrative structures of  properties: Reflection on the updating of the administrative structures of properties – Interest of the empowerment of the management structures of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List – Why ? – How  ? – African case studies – The Scientific Committees of the properties (1.5 day)

	Theme 4:
	Planning: 1. Necessity of planning – 2. Evaluation and updating of  management plans (for properties with a management plan - 3. Complementary planning at site level (regional plans, tourist plans, etc.) (1 day)

Teaching methods
The seminar is based on the use of active and participative teaching methods. Each teaching component will include:
• 	A review of the subject and new knowledge provided by the trainer (theoretical or practical approach);
• 	The relating of the particular experiences of each trainee;
• 	The subject will be illustrated by studying cases taken wherever possible from African World Heritage properties;
• 	A debate or group discussion, from which will be elaborated the concrete methodologies for the resolving of a local problem, in relation with the subject. 
• 	The trainees will be required to produce outlines of projects during the Seminar.
• 	A critical evaluation will be organized at different stages (immediate, final, post-seminar).

A knowledge base (texts and electronic documents related to the seminar) has been constituted by the team of trainers, who for reasons of cost and convenience, have preferred to use computer media (CD-Rom) rather than paper copies. A copy will be given to each participant at the seminar.
Pedagogical worksheets were prepared by the team of trainers for each theme, and a detailed timetable, day by day, hour by hour, was drawn up. In the field, the programme included practical activities that it has not been possible to programme from a distance.

Evaluation of the Seminar 
The interest of a training course cannot be appreciated without an evaluation prepared and carried out by the different participating parties. Within the framework of Africa Nature, an evaluation in three stages is planned:

Stage 1:
On the spot evaluation of each of the teaching components, at the end of each day (accessibility of content, adequacy of methods, satisfaction,…). The evaluation will be done according to a basic framework proposed by the team of trainers, the participants will be able to suggest improvements or additions.

Stage 2:
Final evaluation. At the end of Module II and before Module III, the trainees will perform an oral restitution of their work, in the presence of the administrators participating in Module III. This restitution session will in itself be an element in judging the interest of the course and its perception by the trainees. It will be completed by a general evaluation form, which will give an overall view of the perception of the course by the participants.

Stage 3:
Post-seminar evaluation. This evaluation, in the form of a questionnaire, will be performed in May 2005, in order to assess what this course has contributed to the day-to-day practices of the managers.

Positive results were achieved through the organization of the first session of the Africa Nature Programme.  The Programme contents are well adapted to the needs and aspirations of the participants.  Results of the Programme session evaluations show full satisfaction on the part of the two groups that attended.  
The important points raised by the participants were:

•	To work in a World Heritage site giving them an advantage to easily to put the theory into practice;
•	To use monitoring and management tools (field management tools and soft wares) which are otherwise not used in other protected areas in Africa;
•	To have at the end of the course information knowledge base assembled in a CD Rom containing all the training and information materials prepared by trainers; and
•	To collectively realize an original work, which was an excellent application of the theoretical training provided throughout the course session;

The proposed recommendations at the end of the session highlight the interest of reinforcing the network of African World Heritage site managers and experts, maintaining the exchange through the internet, of publishing a practical Manual for site managers and regularly following up and organizing such technical training programmes.

16. 	The Global Strategy activities will be closely linked to the monitoring actions for the implementation of the Regional Programme for Africa (see WHC-03/27.COM/ INF.20C); 

17. 	Organization of an Interregional Meeting on the Great Salt Road, Niamey, Niger from 22 to 26 November 2004. The aim of this first meeting between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa is to draw up a cultural itinerary on the 'Great Salt Road" in the Sahara Desert;

18. 	Regional workshop on capacity-building regarding inventories of wetlands with a heritage value in view of the elaboration of a tentative list, in collaboration with the UNESCO Office and the Ramsar Convention, Niamey, Niger, 17 – 21 May 2004;

19. 	Assistance mission to the State Party for competence-building regarding inventories of the heritage in view of the elaboration of tentative lists, in collaboration with UNDP Office in Cap Vert, Praia, 31 August – 09 September 2004;

20. 	Assistance to 2 or 3 countries in the setting up of National Committees and National Liaison Centres for the World Heritage Convention in order to improve participation and the sharing of information within and between the African States Parties;

21. 	Activities associated with the Slave Route: "2004, International Year to commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition": 

a) 	Organization of an International Meeting in view of launching the idea of a serial nomination of specific heritage properties in the Indian Ocean on the "Indentured Labour Route" in Mauritius, in from 1 to 6 November 2004. This meeting will bring together the following countries: Mauritius, India, France, Kenya, Republic of South Africa, Fiji, Surinam;	    

b) 	Study on the cultural and mixed properties featured on the World Heritage List and on the national tentative lists relating to the Slave Route; 

c) 	Evaluation of the management and proposal of projects for three pilot properties on the Slave Route (potential financing by extra-budgetary funds);

d)	 Three missions planned on potential properties on the Slave Route in order to encourage a serial nomination;

e) 	Reactive surveillance mission on the Island of Gorée in Senegal (in an alarming condition); 

f) 	Series of publications in the Africa 2009 Newsletter on African Cultural properties linked with slavery and the slave trade (in collaboration with ICCROM and CRATerre-EAG).

III.	Draft decision

Draft Decision: 7 EXT.COM 5C

The World Heritage Committee, 

1.	Notes with satisfaction the progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the Periodic Report on the Africa Region (document WHC-02/CONF.202/16);

2.	Thanks the Italian government for its prompt and generous contribution to the implementation of the first session of Modules II & III of the Pluriannual Training Programme 2004-2007, as well as all the partners for their contribution to the conservation of the World Heritage sites in Africa (document WHC- 03/27COM/20B);

3.	Requests the World Heritage Centre to present a progress report on the results and progress accomplished in the implementation of the recommendations of both the Africa Periodic Report and the Africa Regional Programme at its 29th session in 2005.