Decision 45 COM 7B.131

Island of Saint-Louis (Senegal) (C 956bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.120 adopted at its 44th extended session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Notes with appreciation the initiatives in favour of the rehabilitation of the private built heritage and the commitment of private owners through the support provided under the Rehabilitation Programme, and encourages the State Party to pursue these efforts, in particular by persuading owners to commit and invest more in the rehabilitation of their property;
4. Welcomes the strengthening of the SINDAR database through the establishment of a monitoring committee and requests the State Party to provide more details on the updated state of developments and transformations in the urban fabric;
5. Requests the State Party, inter alia, to accelerate the elaboration of the first Management and Conservation Plan for the property, foreseen during 2023, and reminds it that it may submit a request for international assistance for this purpose by 31 October 2023 at the latest;
6. Further requests the State Party to submit the study on the impact on heritage and on the possible weakening of the quays following the development of the former Place Faidherbe, in addition to the global environmental study already carried out;
7. Reiterates its request to the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre details of the technical, financial and architectural aspects of the project to rehabilitate and extend the Great Mosque, and also requests the State Party to provide more details on the Island's emblematic squares currently being rehabilitated;
8. Taking note of the major issue represented by the Grande Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas project, thanks the State Party for having submitted the Environmental and Social Impact Study to the World Heritage Centre for examination by the Advisory Bodies, and requests the State Party to:
   1. continue, with BP Petroleum, the consultations with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies begun in January 2021,
   2. provide more information on the commitments made by the Ministry of the Environment and assurances that ecological and heritage issues will be taken into account,
   3. raise awareness, through the Ministry of Culture and Historical Heritage, of all government bodies involved in heritage prerogatives to protect the property and which could be impacted by this project;
9. Notes with appreciation the efforts made to combat coastal erosion in the framework of the Saint-Louis Coastal Protection Project (PPCS / SLCPP), notably the completion of the basaltic riprap structure and the various measures for the regular monitoring of the coastal protection of Saint-Louis, and requests the State Party to provide more information on these measures in order to better assess their effectiveness, which could also serve as an experience benefiting other World Heritage properties facing threats of coastal erosion;
10. Reiterates its request to the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to assess the overall state of conservation and progress made in implementing the recommendations of the 2017 mission;
11. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, 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 47th session.