Decision 45 COM 7B.125

Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions (Ghana) (C 34)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.5 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Welcomes the completion of the Integrated Management Plan (IMP), the quick action in rehabilitating the damage that occurred at the Fort at British Komenda, the conduction of consolidation works at Fort Amsterdam, and the State Party's commitment to provide details of the Elmina Iconic Project and the Fort Anthony project for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, before any decisions are made on their implementation, and reminds the State Party of the importance to ensure such consultation prior to all major interventions at the property's components, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
4. Also welcomes the application of impact assessments as a tool to safeguard the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of this property, the project to delineate the boundaries and define buffer zones for the components of the property, and the survey of the structural condition of all components of the property;
5. Further welcomes the contribution of international partners, in particular the governments of the Netherlands and France, to the State Party’s activities, notably for the rehabilitation of the Ussher Fort Slavery museum, the consolidation of Fort Amsterdam and the development of signage at the property's components;
6. Encourages the State Party to implement the IMP and requests that the State Party provide a report on the effect of this implementation in its next state of conservation report;
7. Expresses its concern at the continuing deterioration of the integrity of the components of the property, the continued reports of urban encroachment and inability of the State Party to halt projects that may damage the OUV of the property;
8. Also expresses its concern at the State Party’s reports of its lack of resources to execute projects to improve the conservation and management of the property;
9. Recalling that international assistance could be considered to this effect, also requests the State Party to:
   1. Create a disaster risk management plan for the property,
   2. Provide details of the establishment of the Heritage Fund, or other funding mechanisms for each Fort and Castle,
   3. Consider the creation of a scientific and a technical committee to guide the conservation and maintenance of the property,
   4. Urgently develop a plan for the stabilization and restoration of the attributes,
   5. Implement impact assessment procedures in accordance with the provisions of the Operational Guidelines and general development authorizations in conformity with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage context,
   6. Develop a policy to manage urban encroachment,
   7. Expedite the development of an inventory that contains documentation and information critical to the maintenance, restoration, and interpretation of the property;
10. Reiterates its request to the State Party to urgently invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to assess the state of conservation of all the components of the property; the efficacy of the protection and management system; the impacts of development projects at the property's components, in particular those at Elmina, Jamestown, Old Ningo and Axim; the progress on the implementation of the IMP; the implementation of the recommendations of the 2019 and 2020 missions; the progress in the delineation and protection of buffer zones; and the progress on the structural survey and planning to implement urgent remedial structural actions;
11. Further requests the State Party to develop an overview of all projects being planned in the vicinity of all components of the property and submit this to the World Heritage Centre in advance of the requested Reactive Monitoring mission to the property;
12. Calls for increased mobilization of the international community to provide more financial and technical support to the State Party, including through International Assistance, to implement the short and medium-term measures to improve the state of conservation of the property;
13. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2024, 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 46th session.