Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information.

Administration
Budget
Capacity Building
Communication
Community
Conservation
Credibility of the World Heritage ...
Inscriptions on the World Heritage ...
International Assistance
List of World Heritage in Danger
Operational Guidelines
Outstanding Universal Value
Partnerships
Periodic Reporting
Reinforced Monitoring
Reports
Tentative Lists
Working methods and tools
World Heritage Convention








Decision 47 COM 7B.153
Historic Town of Grand-Bassam (Côte d'Ivoire)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/25/47.COM/7B.Add [and WHC/25/47.COM/7B.Add.Corr],
  2. Recalling Decision 45 COM 7B.121 adopted at its extended 45th session (Riyadh, 2023),
  3. Notes with appreciation the efforts and commitments of the State Party for the conservation and enhancement of the property, raising awareness in local communities, as well as for the mobilisation of financial support and public-private partnerships (PPP) for the rehabilitation of the emblematic buildings of the historic town, following the example of the former Hotel des Poste et Douane, supported by the Société Générale Côte d'Ivoire (SGCI);
  4. Notes also the scale of the rehabilitation work to be carried out and the various challenges associated with promotion and enhancement, and encourages the State Party to develop a wide-ranging programme to develop the city's heritage and raise funds, including in particular:
    1. a set of specifications proposing a detailed, costed plan for each project aimed at renovating heritage buildings, both public and private,
    2. with regard to these renovations, the formulation of recommendations for the future use of the buildings to serve local culture and heritage interpretation,
    3. a proposal to create an Interpretation Centre to improve visitor reception,
    4. a tourism infrastructure development plan that will tap into the socio-economic potential of local communities and focus on capacity-building and institutional structuring, in particular for the staff of the Maison du Patrimoine, the municipality, tourist guides and the hotel sector, among others,
    5. actions to develop cultural entrepreneurship, targeting young people in the city, training in heritage professions and promoting cultural industries,
    6. building the capacity of the historic city to improve risk management;
  5. Welcomes the State Party's reaffirmation of its intention to incorporate the 2011 Recommendation concerning the Historic Urban Landscape, which should be pursued, including for the increased enhancement of the N'zima village and culture, and urges the State Party to inform it of the progress made in its next report;
  6. Also encourages the State Party to foster its support for private owners to make them aware of the rules to be observed and to ensure that any work carried out is geared towards preserving heritage values, and calls for the updating of the intervention guide developed by CRAterre to be finalised as soon as possible so that it can be widely distributed among the main stakeholders concerned;
  7. Regrets that the work to open the mouth of the Comoé River as part of the project to safeguard and enhance the Cocody Bay and the Ebrié Lagoon (PABC) was completed without consultation and sharing of a technical dossier at the start of the project with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, and calls on the State Party to draw up mitigation measures for any potential impacts;
  8. Takes note of the information provided by the State Party on several impacts already observed and considered positive as a result of this opening, notably the reduction in the risk of flooding and the environmental remediation of aquatic plants in the Ebrié and Ouladine lagoons, and also requests the State Party to continue to provide updated information on this subject in its future reports, paying particular attention to the potential effects on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, and further requests the State Party to provide details on the development projects envisaged at the N'zima village and the western jetty of the mouth;
  9. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2026, 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 49th session.
Decision Code
47 COM 7B.153
Themes
Conservation
States Parties 1
Year
2025
Documents
WHC/25/47.COM/17
Decisions adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th Session (UNESCO, 2025)
Context of Decision
WHC-25/47.COM/7B.Add
WHC-25/47.COM/7B.Add.Corr
top