Decision 38 COM 7A.36

Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (Côte d’Ivoire/Guinea) (N 155 bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 7A.3, adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013),
3. Welcomes the progress reported by the Ivorian and Guinean State Parties in the implementation of the corrective measures, notably the efforts to restore the integrity of the property and strengthen its management capacity;
4. Notes with concern that the Guinean State Party does not appear to have established a strategy to prolong the accomplishments of the UNDP/GEF (Global Environmental Facility) Programme for conservation of the biodiversity of Mount Nimba that supports the implementation of the corrective measures, foreseen to end in June 2014;
5. Comments the efforts in setting up transboundary cooperation on the Nimba Massif and requests the State Parties to continue efforts to develop a common management plan for the Massif and create a trust fund and implement the agreement through common actions in the field, notably the establishment of a harmonized ecological monitoring system and trans-boundary surveillance;
6. Encourages the State Parties to work on the development of a trans-boundary project in cooperation with the GEF and other potential donors to better combine their efforts for the sustainable protection of the OUV of the property;
7. Welcomes the fact that the Guinean Office for Environmental Assessment has confirmed that the mining companies are obliged to carry out a Strategic Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (SEA) to take account of cumulative impacts on the OUV, and also requests the Guinean State Party to finalize this SEA taking into account the IUCN World Heritage advice note on Environmental Impact Assessments and to submit it to the World Heritage Centre for evaluation by IUCN prior to any decision for approval of their conclusions and recommendations, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines ;
8. Reiterates its request to the Guinean State Party to revise the boundaries of the mining permit of the SAMA Resources Company to eliminate all encroachment on the property;
9. Urges the State Parties to continue their efforts to implement the corrective measures, as approved by the Committee in its Decision 37 COM 7A.3;
10. Further requests the State Parties to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015, a joint updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and on the implementation of the above-mentioned points, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015;
11. Decides to retain Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (Guinea / Côte d'Ivoire) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.