Decision 43 COM 7B.112

Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba (Togo) (C 1140)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B,
2. Recognizes the responsiveness of the State Party following the severe weather of 2018 that caused the destruction of several Takienta in requesting the organization of an emergency mission to the site and initiating restoration work on the damaged Takienta;
3. Regrets, however, that the State Party did not inform the World Heritage Centre of the destruction of several Takienta during the 2018 rainy season;
4. Expresses deep concern at the destruction of several Takienta according to the findings of experts from the World Heritage Centre emergency mission in October 2018, and urges the State Party to provide more details on Takienta restoration measures underway, in particular with regard to the extent of the damage, the state of progress of the work, the actors involved and the financial resources deployed for these activities;
5. Notes the existence of management problems related to a lack of human, material and financial resources, as well as insufficient legal and legislative frameworks, and requests the State Party to provide the conservation service of the site with adequate resources and legal and legislative frameworks;
6. Also noting that the 2016-2026 Management Plan for the site has not yet been validated by the State Party and therefore is still not in force, also urges the State Party to finalize and validate the Management and Conservation Plan including a risk management plan, by first updating it according to the recommendations made by the experts outlined in the October 2018 emergency mission report, and to submit the revised version for consideration by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
7. Also expresses its concern about the emergence of new forms of construction, including administration facilities, having a negative impact on the Koutammakou cultural landscape, and the phenomena of deforestation and uncontrolled urbanization on the site;
8. Also requests the State Party to delineate the perimeter of the property and its buffer zone and submit to the World Heritage Centre an updated map of the property;
9. Further requests the State Party to develop an inventory of Takienta and the attributes that contribute to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property as a whole, including mapping, and submit them to the World Heritage Centre for consideration by the Advisory Bodies;
10. Requests furthermore the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to assess the state of conservation of the property, as well as the state of reconstruction of the Takienta and the impact of new constructions and alterations to the OUV of the property;
11. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2020, 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 45th session in 2021.