Decision 43 COM 7B.103

Royal Palaces of Abomey (Benin) (C 323bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.66, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Welcomes the work that has been started to update the current Management Plan (2007-2011), and the setting up of a special programme for the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage, which will provide additional support to the Museum of Abomey;
4. Nevertheless expresses extreme concern that the 2018 ICOMOS Advisory mission noted very similar conditions to that of the 2016 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission, with a disturbing state of conservation, the degradation of many components, a serious lack of supervision, control and structured action for maintenance, as well as a lack of conservation and site security measures;
5. Notes that all of these negative factors are confirmed in the report by the State Party, together with details of significant pressures for new buildings from members of the royal family, and from substandard constructions and Illegal occupation;
6. Considers that it is increasingly difficult to comprehend the full meaning of the property as a reflection of an integrated symbolic and political landscape of the Kingdom of Dahomey during the 17th-19th centuries, given the dilapidated buildings of its ten palaces, insensitive new additions and overgrown rubbish strewn courts;
7. Also considers that there is considerable urgency for appropriate interventions, given the nature of the buildings, many with mudbrick walls and thatched roofs, as they could be reaching a point where meaningful conservation is no longer possible with the consequent loss of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
8. Also notes the proposal for a major museum focusing on the Kingdom of Dahomey as part of a wider development and investment programme, Bénin révélé, developed with Presidential approval, and covering numerous projects in nine sectors, with national funds and resources negotiated with various partners;
9. Further considers that a new Museum based on the Kingdom of Dahomey could be highly beneficial for the property and for visitor interpretation;
10. Recommends that the State Party ensure that the new museum effectively enhances the understanding of the property and the interpretation for visitors in its final implementation;
11. Also recommends that the location, as well as the forms of the future museum, be chosen with care, so as not to undermine the OUV of the property;
12. Further recommends that the State Party ensure that the new museum project encompasses conservation of the existing palaces and in particular, that the future revenue generated by the museum can also support conservation and management of the property;
13. Recommends furthermore that the State Party consider establishing a comprehensive strategy for the sustainable funding of the property’s conservation;
14. Requests the State Party to submit the final architectural project proposal for the future museum before its implementation to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
15. Also requests the State Party to establish a special fire safety plan for the property and install in the immediate future appropriate fire detection systems in the main buildings, and ensure all fire extinguishers are operable;
16. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, a report on the state of conservation of the property and on the steps taken to implement the recommendations above mentioned, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020.