Decision 44 COM 7B.8

Island of Mozambique (Mozambique) (C 599)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7B.47, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Commends the State Party for the finalization of the Management and Conservation Plan of Island of Mozambique (2018-2024) (MCPIM), and urges the State Party to submit it to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies and, once agreement has been reached on its content, to officially approve this document;
4. Also commends the State Party for the new buffer zone delimitation proposal, and requests it to submit it as a Minor Boundary Modification to the World Heritage Centre following the official procedure set in Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies and examination by the World Heritage Committee;
5. Encourages the State Party to pursue its efforts to strengthen the Island of Mozambique Conservation Office (GACIM)’s authority and technical capacities, notably by approving the proposed amendment of GACIM’s statutes, by accelerating the process of recruitment of new official staff, and by reinforcing the cooperation between GACIM and the Municipality on issues and activities related to the management and conservation of the property;
6. Notes with satisfaction the conservation measures undertaken by the State Party to preserve the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, notably the restoration of a number of buildings in the hospital complex, and also requests the State Party to:
   1. Finalize the restoration of the main block of the hospital,
   2. Find a sustainable solution to avoid long-term vacancy of public buildings in the property and maintain their public use,
   3. Undertake restoration work on important buildings, such as the Court of the Island,
   4. Enforce the use of the conservation guidelines to steer renovation and restoration projects,
   5. Submit the requested inventory of Structures of the stone and lime town area of the property, and include their current use in the inventory,
   6. Encourage property owners to address annual building maintenance, to avoid increasing deterioration due to Climate Change and rising Risks;
7. Further commends the State Party on its actions in addressing threats from climate change induced storm surges, also noting the potential spatial and visual impacts of these structures, further requests the State Party to develop a long-term strategy for sea defence infrastructure and to assess this through Visual and Heritage Impact Assessments, and submit these to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
8. Requests furthermore the State Party to finalize the “Urban Structure Plan for the Island of Mozambique District” and to submit it to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before adopting it;
9. Welcomes the elaboration of the “Specific Rules for the Conservation of the Built Heritage of the Macúti Town”, and requests moreover the State Party to update it following the recommendations provided by ICOMOS in its technical review and to officially approve and implement it;
10. Also encourages the State Party to mobilize funds (through International Assistance for example) to address the living conditions in the Macúti town in a way that is appropriate regarding the OUV of the property, notably through development projects to improve the sanitation and living conditions;
11. Also welcomes the holding of the “Workshop on the community participation in the management and monitoring processes at the Island of Mozambique World Heritage Site”, and further encourages the State Party to continue community participation and engagement activities;
12. Recalls that, pursuant to Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, the State Party should inform the Committee through the World Heritage Centre of the status of the “Fortim de São Lourenço”, “Complex and Hotel Desportivo” and “Tourist complex in Goa Island” projects and ensure that no work continue on these proposed projects, until information has been submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
13. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, 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 46th session.