Decision 46 COM 7B.22

Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions (Ghana) (C 34)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 44 COM 7B.5 and 45 COM 7B.125 adopted at its extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) and 45th (Riyadh, 2023) sessions respectively,
3. Commends the State Party for the progress made in finalising the Integrated Management Plan (IMP), completion of works for the rehabilitation of the Ussher Fort Slavery Museum and the consolidation of Fort Amsterdam, and the initiation of the project to delineate boundaries and define buffer zones of the components of the property, and encourages the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre already completed survey reports and related documentation, which would allow the Advisory Bodies to offer closer assistance in that process;
4. Thanks the international partners, in particular the governments of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and France, for their continuous support to the State Party’s conservation and capacity building activities;
5. Appreciates the State Party's commitment to respond to the advice provided by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies through the amendment and resubmission of revised material related to the World Bank-funded tourism development projects in Elmina and Axim, and requests that the revised projects be submitted in a timely manner for a new technical review by the Advisory Bodies;
6. Notes both the State Party’s assessment of the challenges it faces in the maintenance of the integrity of the component parts of the property, and its expressed need to obtain technical assistance from the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to address these challenges;
7. Notes with great concern the State Party’s reported lack of capacity and resources that is inhibiting the implementation of the urgent measures previously identified, and requests the State Party to sustain and increase its efforts to implement the requests and recommendations contained in Decisions 44 COM 7B.5 and 45 COM 7B.125 and in past Reactive Monitoring and Advisory mission reports;
8. Also notes with concern that the James Town Fishing Harbour project and the use of Fort Fredensborg at Old Ningo have not been halted;
9. Recalling its request for an increased mobilization of the international community to provide more financial and technical support to the State Party, invites the State Party to enter into discussions with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to explore the possibility of launching a funding and assistance appeal in order to undertake studies from which a strategy or establishing a campaign can be developed for the long-term sustainable conservation of the property;
10. Notes with appreciation that the State Party has invited a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the property scheduled to take place in mid-2024 to address these concerns, which will formulate recommendations for actions to be taken in order to address the numerous above-mentioned challenges the property is facing;
11. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2025, a progress report, and by 1 December 2025, 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 48th session.