The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-09/33.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 32 COM 7A.5, adopted at its 32nd session (Quebec, 2008),
3. Notes with satisfaction the beginning of repatriation operations of FDLR Rwandan militia present in and around the property and requests the State Party, in cooperation with the United Nations Organization Mission for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), to redouble its efforts to disarm all the national and foreign armed groups operating in and around the property;
4. Notes with concern the fact that despite efforts made by the management authority of the property, a large part of the property remains beyond its control;
5. Regrets the lack of significant progress in the resolution of the cases of illegal occupation of the corridor and the granting of mining concessions in the property;
6. Takes note of the revised version of the environmental impact study for the rehabilitation of the RN3 crossing the property and urges the State Party to implement all its recommendations, including the need to restrict the road passing through the property to a limited amount of local traffic only, to realign the main road to pass around and outside the property and to ensure the provision of adequate resources to the management authority to enable it to effectively control and manage the use of the road;
7. Also requests the State Party to continue the implementation of the corrective measures adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 30th session (Vilnius 2006);
8. Reiterates its request to the State Party to develop, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies, a draft Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, as well as a proposal for the desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 34th session in 2010;
9. Further requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN reactive monitoring mission to evaluate the state of conservation of the property and progress achieved in the implementation of the corrective measures, for the establishment of a desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, updating the necessary corrective measures and the timetable for their implementation;
10. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2010, a report on the state of conservation of the property, including an update on the state of the mining concessions granted in the property, progress achieved in the resolution the cases of illegal occupation of the corridor and the rehabilitation of the RN3 as well as the implementation of the corrective measures, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 34th session in 2010 ;
11. Decides to continue to apply the reinforced monitoring mechanism to the property for one more year;
12. Also decides to retain Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.