Decision 41 COM 7B.70

Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove (Nigeria) (C 1118)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 39 COM 7B.43, adopted at its 39th session (Bonn, 2015),
3. Welcomes the progress made by the State Party in regard to the development of a conservation project for the sculptures;
4. Recognizing the vulnerabilities of the property, as identified by the 2015 Reactive Monitoring mission, expresses its concern that the detailed recommendations of the mission were not specifically addressed in the submitted report and that no progress appears to have been made with significant mission recommendations relating to the development of defined conservation methodology, analysis of the polluted river water, over-commercialization of the Festival, support of the Festival for on-going conservation work, community engagement, lack of resources for professional staff, fencing the buffer zone and plans for a proposed new road and bridge;
5. Considers that more clearly-defined progress is needed across a wide range of activities in order to put the management of the property onto a more sustainable basis;
6. Urges the State Party to address, as a matter of urgency, the detailed recommendations of the mission, in particular the review of the Conservation Management Plan, with, if necessary, advice from ICOMOS, and to halt further conservation work until a conservation methodology has been developed and submitted to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
7. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2018, 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 43rd session in 2019.