Decision 43 COM 7B.110

Island of Saint-Louis (Senegal) (C 956bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.71, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Notes with satisfaction the efforts made by the State Party to implement the Committee's previous recommendations and the 2017 Reactive Monitoring mission, in particular for:
   1. The improvement of governance and management of the property,
   2. The creation of a inventory of buildings at risk, which will continue in 2019 for the private heritage,
   3. The elaboration of a Triennial Priority Rehabilitation Action Plan for the emergency safeguarding of Saint-Louis,
   4. The establishment of an Emergency Fund for the Safeguarding of the Architectural Heritage of Saint-Louis,
   5. The creation of an integrated coastal management programme for Senegal;
4. Notes, nevertheless, that the measures presented by the State Party are now only at the planning stage or at the beginning of their operationalization and urges the State Party to accelerate their implementation;
5. Reminds the State Party to develop a permanent support team for the architect-urbanist and to implement a monitoring system to record building conditions over time;
6. Also reminds the State Party of the importance of submitting documentation on all major projects as soon as possible, and invites it to inform the Committee, through the World Heritage Centre, of any major restoration projects or new construction projects that could affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, including in particular the Grand Mosque development, the rehabilitation of the Cathedral and the requalification and redevelopment of the Places Faidherbe and Pointe-à-Pitre, wharves and embankments, and in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before making any decision that would be difficult to reverse;
7. Recommends that the State Party develop a fund-raising strategy incorporating financial needs data as part of the inventory of buildings at risk, to ensure the effective functioning of the Emergency Fund for the Safeguarding of the Architectural Heritage of Saint-Louis, and give greater visibility to this Fund in order to attract contributions from the public and private sectors;
8. Requests the State Party to strengthen the management of the property in the long term through the operationalization of the Heritage House with a manager and a unit dedicated to all aspects of management;
9. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, a progress report, and by 1 December 2020, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above-mentioned points, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 45th session in 2021.