The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7A.Add,
- Recalling Decision 40 COM 7A.34, adopted at its 40th session (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016),
- Welcomes the continued efforts of the State Party, with support from the ECOFAUNE+ and Central Africa Biodiversity Conservation Programme – Protecting Central Africa’s Elephants (CABPC – PCAE), for the progressive strengthening of the protection of the fauna and flora in the North-east part of the country, where the property is located, in particular as regards the fight against poaching and the mitigation of cross-border transhumance in cooperation with the States Parties of Cameroon, Sudan and Chad;
- Notes with concern that cross-border transhumance, artisanal mining and insecurity continue to threaten the property;
- Recalls that due to persistent insecurity and extremely significant pressures faced by the property, and in the absence of data allowing an analysis of the current situation, the perspectives for restoring the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property have been called into question for many years;
- Also welcomes the planned organization of a workshop to develop an Emergency Action Plan for the property, as requested on several occasions by the Committee, and urges the State Party to undertake a feasibility study for the restoration of the OUV of the property before organizing this workshop;
- Reiterates its request to the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission, as soon as the security situation permits, to assess the state of conservation of the property and to determine whether there remain perspectives for the regeneration of the characteristics of the property justifying its OUV;
- Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2018, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and on the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 42nd session in 2018;
- Decides to continue to apply the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism to this property;
- Also decides to retain Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park (Central African Republic) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.