Decision 39 COM 7B.14

Phoenix Islands Protected Area (Kiribati) (N 1325)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 36 COM 7B.13, adopted at its 36th session (Saint-Petersburg, 2012),
3. Highly commends the State Party for its decision to fully close the entire area of Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) from commercial fishing;
4. Notes the information provided by the State Party on the currently available funds in the Trust Fund, and urges the State Party to continue its efforts to fully capitalize the Fund as a matter of priority;
5. Welcomes the involvement of international partners into securing additional funding to cover management activities under the new Management Plan for the period 2015-2020;
6. Also commends the efforts undertaken by the State Party and its partners in the region to minimize illegal activities; however, noting the concern expressed by the State Party that surveillance and enforcement of the Kiribati Cabinet decision remain a challenge due to the size and remoteness of the property, strongly encourages the State Party to strengthen its collaboration with other countries and organizations, including exploring other potentially applicable technological options;
7. Also notes the State Party’s request for assistance with the removal of shipwrecks, and requests the State Party to provide further information on the impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property from the presence of these shipwrecks and the potential impacts associated with the various available techniques for their removal;
8. Further notes the information provided by the State Party on the recent boundary changes to PIPA following the boundary delimitation negotiations between the Government of Kiribati, the United States of America and Tokelau, and also requests the State Party to submit an official boundary modification for the property by 1 February 2016;
9. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2016, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, in particular on the progress achieved towards full capitalization of the Fund.