Decision 45 COM 7B.130

Sukur Cultural Landscape (Nigeria) (C 938)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.10 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Commends the State Party on the progress it has made in ensuring security returns to the property and on the collaboration with international partners to address the challenges that emerged from the 2014 insurrection, and encourages the State Party to continue its work in ensuring security at the property, implementing conservation work, provisioning of essential community facilities and community engagement activities in the property;
4. Notes the updating of the Management Plan for the property and requests the State Party to submit this for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
5. Further commends the State Party and national stakeholders, especially ICOMOS Nigeria, for conducting an assessment of the climate vulnerability of the property, but also notes the State Party’s reports of climate change impacts and the challenges these are causing to the livelihoods of the inhabitants of the property and to the implementation of conservation measures due to the strain on the availability of traditional construction materials, and welcomes the actions undertaken by the State Party to monitor the situation;
6. Further notes that a departure from traditional building forms and materials may adversely affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and also requests the State Party to develop, with the support of the Secretariat, Advisory Bodies and other partners, a comprehensive and inclusive strategy to define the contribution that traditional construction techniques make to the OUV of this property and, in collaboration with the Hidi-in Council and the local communities, including an appropriate policy, guideline and awareness programme for existing and future construction in the property, addressing also the opportunities for the development and promotion of employment, in particular of young people, related to traditional construction techniques;
7. Notes furthermore that the persisting security concerns in the area that continue to prevent an international expert's mission to the property, also welcomes the State Party's invitation for a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to be carried out as soon as the necessary security clearance can be obtained;
8. Finally 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.