Decision 42 COM 7B.45

Lamu Old Town (Kenya) (C 1055)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 7B.40, 40 COM 7B.12 and 41 COM 7B.69, adopted at its 39th (Bonn, 2015), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) and 41st (Krakow, 2017) sessions respectively,
3. Noting the recommendations of the Advisory mission carried out to Nairobi, Kenya from 24 to 26 January 2018,
4. Notes the efforts of the State Party to respond to the decision of the Committee with regards to the Lamu Port−South Sudan−Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project;
5. Reiterates its concern that the scope of the LAPSSET project may continue to have significant impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
6. Requests the State Party to revise the draft Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the entire LAPSSET project to include a chapter on the impacts and proposed mitigation measures for cultural and natural heritage, and specifically the impacts on the OUV of Lamu Old Town;
7. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre drafts of the revised Master Plan for the Lamu Metropolis, the EU transportation infrastructure plan, the LAPSSET Planning and Investment Framework, and the revised chapter on LAPSSET of the Management Plan for the property, for review by the Advisory Bodies as soon as they are completed and before they are approved;
8. Takes note of the commitment of the State Party not to allow LAPSSET developments on the islands of the Lamu Archipelago, but considering that there could be a spillover effect from other development related to LAPSSET, further requests the State Party to:
   1. Develop necessary planning measures and development controls (including restrictions on height, building materials, land use and use of HIAs) to ensure that any spillover developments in the setting of the property do not have a negative impact on its OUV,
   2. As a matter of urgency, and as requested in a number of previous Committee decisions, submit a proposal for a Minor Boundary Modification to the World Heritage Centre which sets out the extent of a revised buffer zone around the property including at a minimum all of Lamu Island, the parts of Manda Island visible from the property, and the larger mangrove areas,
   3. Carry out additional studies to ascertain any effects that the pollution resulting from the coal-fired power plant may have on the fragile coral stone buildings of the Old Town and any other impacts on other attributes that carry the OUV of the property;
9. Requests furthermore the State Party to complete the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority and the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) to include the NMK on the LAPSSET Board, as mentioned during the 2015 mission;
10. Recommends that the State Party set up a significant funding mechanism to deal with conservation issues, including training in traditional building technologies and the use of traditional building materials, within the Lamu Old Town World Heritage property as the LAPSSET project continues to develop;
11. Requests moreover the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, once the necessary security clearance has been obtained, in order to examine the state of advancement of the LAPSSET project as well as the state of conservation of the property, and to hold discussions with local stakeholder groups;
12. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2019, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019.