Decision 38 COM 7B.54

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

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 7B.42 adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013),
3. Acknowledges the legal establishment of the Committee for the Safeguarding of Saint-Louis;
4. Takes note of the findings of the 2014 reactive monitoring mission to the property and urges the State Party to fully implement its recommendations with particular attention to the following;
   1. Develop, within a participatory and inclusive approach, the conservation and management plan for the property, which should include specific provisions for management and decision-making arrangements, including means for enhancing collaboration, the integration of existing regulatory measures and a clear and costed action plan for implementation. The developed management plan should be articulated with the Programme for Tourism Development, funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and with a conservation and maintenance plan for the property,
   2. Based on the management plan, define mechanisms for the review and approval of proposed projects for modification or new construction and for their monitoring during implementation,
   3. Strengthen existing conservation and management capacities at different levels and secure the necessary technical, material and financial resources for the implementation of conservation and management actions sustained undertaking,
   4. Carry-out a comprehensive condition survey and assessment to develop a conservation and maintenance action plan, which should include a clear conservation policy and a road map of actions to address vulnerable heritage components and improvement of current housing conditions,
   5. Halt the housing development that is taking place south of the island and not far from the Comptoir du Fleuve and identify measures to mitigate impacts on this sector;
   6. Enhance outreach and awareness raising regarding the conservation and protection of the property and promote adequate dissemination and consultation on proposed projects;
5. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, in accordance to Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines , technical details and specifications, as well as Heritage Impact Assessments, on large scale projects foreseen at the property for review prior to making any commitments to their implementation;
6. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2015, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016.