Decision 42 COM 7B.64

Ennedi Massif: Natural and Cultural Landscape (Chad) (C/N 1475)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 40 COM 8B.15 and 41 COM 8B.52, adopted at its 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) and 41st (Krakow, 2017) sessions respectively,
3. Welcomes the proposal to upgrade the protection status and consolidate the management of the property, and the opportunities offered by the new partnership between the State Party and African Parks Network (APN), with financial support of the European Union, Dutch Postcode Lottery and other partners, and encourages the international community to continue to provide financial and technical support for the property;
4. Also welcomes the efforts undertaken by the State Party to document and mitigate the reported cases of vandalism of some of the rock art in the property since its inscription, and requests the State Party to provide a detailed report of the extent of the damage and measures taken to rehabilitate the affected sites;
5. Strongly encourages the State Party and its partners to systematically address all the outstanding requests and recommendations already expressed in Decision 40 COM 8B.15 through the new project to support Natural and Cultural Reserve of Ennedi (RNCE), in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
6. Recommends that the long-envisioned strengthening of the legal protected area status be accompanied by a review of the best possible configuration for the property, ensuring full harmonization between the national legal status, management approach, World Heritage status and buffer zone boundaries, and urges the State Party to consult with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies before finalizing the proposal for the boundaries of the RNCE so as to guarantee that all important areas are included and that an appropriate buffer zone is foreseen, and to submit a request for boundary modification for examination by the World Heritage Committee;
7. Recalls that the longstanding relationship between local communities, the archaeological remains and an extreme natural environment contributes to the authenticity and sustainable conservation of the property, and reiterates its request to the State Party to ensure full participation of local communities and their traditional authorities in the governance and management of the property, and also encourages traditional management systems be further documented;
8. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 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 44th session in 2020.