Decision 46 COM 7A.48

Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (N 137)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7A.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 45 COM 7A.6 adopted at its extended 45th session (Riyadh, 2023),
3. Regrets that the State Party did not submit a state of conservation report on the four properties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) included on the List of World Heritage in Danger, contrary to Paragraph 169 of the Operational Guidelines;
4. Notes with concern that the lack of reporting by the State Party makes it difficult to monitor the state of conservation of the DRC properties included on the List of World Heritage in Danger by the World Heritage Committee, given the significant conservation threats facing these properties;
5. Requests that the State Party provide information on the implementation of the recommendations made in Decision 45 COM 7A.6 and recalled below;
6. Reiterates its concern about allegations of serious human rights violations against indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) in the context of law enforcement operations, and also takes note of the conclusions of the "Commission of Inquiry into Alleged Violations Committed by ICCN Personnel in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park" established by the State Party to investigate the issues raised and documented in the previous report submitted by the State Party in 2022;
7. Reiterates its request to the State Party to implement all the recommendations of the report of the Commission of Inquiry, as well as any other measures necessary to ensure that all conservation activities fully respect human rights and the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, including, but not limited to, establishing a national code of conduct for ecoguards and an effective and transparent complaints mechanism for human rights violations, and training all conservation personnel tasked with the application of human rights, as well as ensuring an equitably governed consultative process with the participation and decision-making of all rights holders and stakeholders, in accordance with relevant international standards and the 2015 Policy on the Integration of a Sustainable Development dimension into the Processes of the World Heritage Convention;
8. Urges the State Party to accelerate the further implementation of the recommendations of the 2019 Bukavu Dialogue for relations with Batwa indigenous communities, in close consultation with all parties concerned;
9. Requests that the State Party promptly implement all corrective measures updated by the 2017 mission;
10. Recalling its concern about the increasing pressure of encroachment on the property, also reiterates its request to the State Party to submit further details on the rehabilitation plan for the ecological corridor and to ensure that that its implementation takes into account all the impacts of the encroachment on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and the actions necessary to ensure the recovery and regeneration of the natural vegetation, in consultation with all the parties concerned;
11. Recalling the importance of wild flora and fauna to the OUV of the property, remains concerned about the low populations of key wildlife species, in particular the Grauer’s gorilla population, compared to the date of listing and reiterates its requests to the State Party to submit the results of the 2018 wild flora and fauna inventory, or a more recent inventory, to the World Heritage Centre, and to finalise, in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, indicators for the Desired State of Conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), defined on the basis of the draft proposed by the 2017 mission and the wild flora and fauna data;
12. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2025, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and implementation of the above-mentioned points in the Decision 46 COM 7A.6, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session;
13. Decides to continue to apply the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism to this property;
14. Also decides to keep the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.