Decision 44 COM 7A.53

East Rennell (Solomon Islands) (N 854)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7A.2, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Welcomes the State Party’s efforts to foster stakeholder dialogue to implement the recommendations made by the 2019 Reactive Monitoring mission, and requests the State Party to continue these efforts;
4. Expresses concern that little progress has been made to implement the mission’s recommendations; considers that the establishment of a Cabinet Sub-Committee dedicated to the property might help to accelerate progress; reiterates its request to the State Party to adopt, as a matter of urgency, a new Cabinet Paper with the commitments and associated budgets of the respective ministries reflected in the budget allocation for the next fiscal year; and urges all parties involved to develop a workable long-term solution for the customary governance of the property;
5. Commends the continued efforts by customary landowners, local communities of East Rennell and the Lake Tegano World Heritage Site Association (LTWHSA) to safeguard the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, but also expresses concern that potential threats to the property’s OUV, and notably its integrity, arising from commercial logging and mining still exist in the absence of an adequate legal mechanism for the property,
6. Notes with concern the proposed construction of a new road across the property, and also requests the State Party to undertake a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the road construction and for other planned developments before implementing the projects, in accordance with the Operational Guidelines and in line with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, and to submit a copy of the EIA to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
7. Notes with great concern the reported food insecurity of the local communities following the prolonged heavy rains in 2020-2021, and further requests the State Party to accelerate the implementation of proposed assistance by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to strengthen the food security of the communities as a matter of urgency;
8. Also notes with great concern the mass mortality of flying foxes, a species recognized as an attribute of the property’s OUV, and the grounding of an industrial barge inside the property, and also urges the State Party to urgently investigate both of these issues and to implement adequate measures to prevent any negative impact on the property’s OUV and local livelihoods;
9. Also welcomes the implementation of a livelihood project in East Rennell with the support of the UNDP-GEF Small Grants Programme, along with on-going efforts by the State Party and the LTWHSA to facilitate dialogues among community members to build consensus on the management of the property and develop sustainable livelihoods in the framework of a UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust (NFiT) project, and encourages the State Party to implement the NFiT project as a matter of priority and to mobilize more actively international support, including through the International Assistance mechanism under the World Heritage Fund;
10. Noting the State Party’s request for an additional four years to implement the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), decides to extend the timeframe to implement the DSOCR until 2025, yet further expresses concern that achieving full implementation of the DSOCR within this timeframe will continue to be challenging without international support, and calls upon the international community to provide the State Party with the necessary support;
11. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, including a progress report of the implementation of the recommendations made by the 2019 Reactive Monitoring mission, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 45th session;
12. Also decides to retain East Rennell (Solomon Islands) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.