Island of Saint-Louis

• Lack of a site manager (Issue resolved)
• Lack of monitoring and control mechanism
• Lack of a conservation and management plan (existence of a Safeguarding and Enhancement Plan serving as a Conservation and Management Plan)
• New constructions, architectural modifications and urban projects affecting authenticity and integrity
• Inappropriate housing restoration
• Environmental disorder due to the modification of the mouth of the Senegal River
• Extremely poor state of conservation of numerous derelict buildings endangering occupants

Total amount granted: USD 192,697.13 from the France-UNESCO Cooperation Agreement

On 1 December 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/956/documents/, as well as additional elements on 6 April 2023, informing on the following developments and measures:

• An inter-ministerial council on the heritage of Saint-Louis was recently convened;
• The SINDAR database has been strengthened by the creation of a monitoring committee, which will carry out an up-to-date assessment of changes and transformations in the urban fabric;
• With a view to drawing up a management and conservation plan for the property, a workshop is scheduled for 2023 to mobilize funding. In November 2022, the property manager took part in capacity-building on risk management and systems;
• Regarding the development of the former Place Faidherbe, it would appear that an overall environmental study was carried out without addressing the specific features of the various components, or the possible weakening of the quays by bypassing the square. A study has been launched and will be forwarded to UNESCO for examination;
• Renovation of the cathedral has been completed, and a number of the Island's emblematic squares are in the process of being rehabilitated;
• The technical, financial and architectural aspects of the project to rehabilitate and extend the Grand Mosque were not accessible, but it is specified that the State would undertake to respect the Safeguarding and Enhancement Plan of the property (PSMV);
• The Grande Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas project is of major economic and financial importance involving a number of ministries. An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report has been drawn up by the State Party and BP Petroleum, but has not yet been made public. The Ministry in charge of the Environment has reportedly given assurances that ecological and heritage issues have been taken into account;
• Numerous meetings were held with owners with regard to the rehabilitation of privately-owned buildings, particularly those at risk. Out of a hundred or so buildings declared eligible for the rehabilitation programme, 68 applications were submitted by owners, some of whom had paid their contributions into an open account domiciled at the Banque de I'Habitat du Sénégal;
• Work on the Saint-Louis Coastal Protection Project (PPCS), with a 2,175m long basalt riprap structure, has been completed;
• Regular scientific monitoring of the Saint-Louis coastal protection includes the installation of a continuous observation camera, regularly renewed topo-bathymetric ground-truth measurements, and satellite readings.

The report submitted by the State Party of Senegal indicates that the efforts made in recent years appear to have had a largely beneficial impact on the conservation and management of the property.

Particular appreciation can be given to the rehabilitation of the private built heritage and the initiatives to further engage private owners through the support provided as part of the rehabilitation programme. The financial contributions of several of these owners seem to illustrate this commitment. Similarly, the strengthening of the SINDAR database through the creation of a monitoring committee, tasked with carrying out an up-to-date assessment of changes and transformations in the urban fabric, is to be welcomed.

However, it should be noted that the State Party's report does not provide sufficient information on a number of requests made by the Committee at its 44th extended session, due to the unavailability of information or documents, or confines itself in several places to announcing future measures or the sending of documents to the World Heritage Centre, without providing further details. For example, the first Management and Conservation Plan for the property is due to be drawn up in 2023, notably to mobilize funding. The State Party is reminded that it may submit a request for international assistance for this purpose by 31 October 2023 at the latest. Similarly, a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) is said to be carried out in connection with the development of the former Place Faidherbe, in addition to a comprehensive environmental study already carried out to address, in particular, the possible weakening of the quays by bypassing the square.

Nor has the State party provided details of several of the island's emblematic squares that are currently being rehabilitated, nor details of the technical, financial and architectural aspects of the project to rehabilitate and extend the Grand Mosque.

The ESIA report prepared by the State Party and BP Petroleum for the Great Turtle Ahmeyim (GTA) gas project has been submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies in April 2023, and the Committee may wish to encourage the State Party and BP Petroleum to continue the consultations with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies begun in January 2021. It was noted that the Ministry in charge of the Environment had given assurances that ecological and heritage issues would be taken into account, and it would be appreciated if the State Party could provide more information on these commitments. Given the major economic and financial stakes involved in this project, as well as the involvement of numerous ministries in its management, it would be appropriate for the State Party, through the Ministry of Culture and Historical Heritage, to lend its full support to raising awareness amongst all the government bodies involved of the heritage prerogatives to protect the property and which could be impacted by this project.

Positive action with regard to measures to combat coastal erosion with a 2,175m basaltic riprap structure built as part of the PPCS is noted, as are the various measures for regular monitoring of the coastal protection of Saint-Louis. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide more information on these measures in order to better assess their effectiveness, and which could also serve as an experience that could be applied to other World Heritage properties facing the threat of coastal erosion.

Finally, it is noted that to date, the State Party has not yet invited a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission, requested by the Committee at its 44th session, to assess the overall state of conservation and progress in implementing these recommendations from the 2017 mission.