Decision 40 COM 7B.18

Island of Saint-Louis (Senegal) (C 956bis)

The World Heritage Committee, 

1. Having examined Document WHC/16/40.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 34 COM 7B.51, 35 COM 7B.43, 37 COM 7B.42 and 38 COM 7B.54 adopted at its 34th (Brasilia, 2010), 35th (UNESCO, 2011), 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013) and 38th (Doha, 2014) sessions respectively,
3. Commends the State Party for its efforts in developing a 2015-2020 Action Plan for the implementation of the Safeguarding and Enhancement Plan of Saint-Louis (PSMV), in a participatory and inclusive approach with local stakeholders;
4. Takes note of the decree of the Governor of St. Louis issued on 19 January 2016 to suspend all demolition operations of buildings threatening ruin inside the property;
5. Expresses nonetheless its grave concern about the significant state of disrepair and lack of restoration and maintenance of several historic buildings, illustrated by the collapse of an old building in an advanced state of disrepair in March 2016, injuring children;
6. Also expresses its concern at the very low level of implementation of the recommendations of the reactive monitoring mission of 2014 and the recommendations made by the Committee since 2010, and urges the State Party to take urgent measures to accelerate the implementation of these recommendations, with particular attention to the following:
   1. Establish provisions specifying management and decision-making modalities as well as the means to strengthen collaboration between stakeholders, notably the municipal development agency, the town hall, and the management body of the property,
   2. Promote the integration of regulatory measures in force already contained in the PSMV, and recruit sworn-in agents to reinforce the application of these regulatory measures, including sanction measures,
   3. Define mechanisms to study, advise and vet projects proposing modifications of structures or new constructions, and to control and monitor these projects during their implementation by heritage architects,
   4. Conduct a diagnostic study on the most degraded public buildings, and seek funding to carry out emergency restoration work to increase occupant safety and improve heritage protection,
   5. Strengthen existing capacities in conservation and management at various local, district and national levels, and provide technical, material and financial resources for the implementation of sustainable conservation and management measures,
   6. Strengthen conservation and protection of the property through information and awareness raising actions targeting local communities and institutional and policy decision-makers;
7. Requests the State Party to invite a joint UNESCO/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to assess the general state of conservation of the property and progress made in the implementation of these recommendations; 
8. Considers that the lack of significant progress in the urgent implementation of these recommendations would put the property in specific and proven imminent danger, in accordance with Paragraph 179 of the Operational Guidelines;
9. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2017, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the points mentioned above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017, with a view to considering, in the absence of significant progress in the implementation of these recommendations, the possible inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.