Decision 46 COM 7A.46

General Decision on the World Heritage properties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 44 COM 7A.46 and 45 COM 7A.9 adopted at its extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) and extended 45th (Riyadh, 2023) sessions respectively,
3. Regrets that a report on the implementation of these Decisions, as requested by the Committee at its 44th and 45th extended sessions, nor a report on the state of conservation of the four properties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which are inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger were submitted by the State Party;
4. Notes that the lack of timely reporting by the State Party makes it difficult for the World Heritage Committee to monitor the state of conservation of the DRC properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger considering the important conservation threats these properties are facing;
5. Remains concerned about previous reports of alleged human rights abuses towards indigenous peoples and local communities during law enforcement operations, and reiterates its requests to the State Party to take urgent measures to further strengthen efforts to address this issue, including by establishing and implementing a national code of conduct for eco-guards and a grievance mechanism for human rights abuses, and by training all staff on human rights issues as part of regular law enforcement training, as well as ensuring that management processes are founded on a rights-based approach that ensures full involvement of all stakeholders, in particular indigenous peoples and local communities, in line with relevant international norms, the 2015 Policy on World Heritage and Sustainable Development;
6. Notes with concern the continued security issues affecting some of the DRC properties, in particular Virunga National Park, which is partly situated in the territory controlled by rebel groups and has been the scene of heavy fighting since 2022, strongly condemns this violence once again, and urges the State Party to continue to strengthen the capacity of the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) to continue to ensure the safety of its staff while on duty and the management of the properties in the current difficult security situation and to take all measures to restore peace and security in and around the properties;
7. Strongly regrets that the State Party has included in the public auction of oil blocks in 2022 two oil blocks overlapping with Virunga National Park, notes with utmost concern the semi-industrial mining activities in Okapi Wildlife Reserve, reiterates its clear position concerning the incompatibility of mining, oil exploration and exploitation with World Heritage status, and urges once again the State Party to cancel all concessions for oil blocks and mining concessions that overlap with World Heritage properties;
8. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2025, a detailed report on the implementation of the Kinshasa Declaration, the security situation in the properties, the measures taken to address human rights abuses and the actions undertaken to cancel all oil exploration and exploitation and mining concessions that encroach on World Heritage properties, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session.