QUESTION OF: Protecting UNESCO World Heritage Sites in West Africa

FORUM: General Assembly 3

QUESTION OF: Protecting UNESCO World Heritage Sites in West Africa

Main Submitter: Mexico

Co-Submitters: The Czech Republic, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Somalia

The General Assembly,

Stressing the need for preservation of world heritage sites around the globe as they hold invaluable meanings to the world,

Recalling the 1992 UN "Earth Summit”, the UN Conference on Environment Development in Rio de Janeiro, which the Rio Summit produced the controversial Biodiversity, two parts of an intrusive plan for managing the world along environmental guidelines,

Further recalling the past actions executed but the WHC(World Heritage Committee), reaffirms the strong willing upon of member states for the ratification of the World Heritage Convention,

Noting with concern that The Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, the Old Towns of Djenné, Timbuktu, the Tomb of Askia, Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves, and the Niokolo-Koba National Park have become endangered world heritage sites, facing various dangers that threaten their ecology and integrity,

Recognizing the damage done to the ecological and the environmental sustainability of many endangered World Heritage Sites in West Africa due to natural and man made causations, which puts these sites in critical danger

Noting with appreciation the previous attempts made by the World Heritage Convention to help implement the “management and conservation plan” of each site,

Encouraging member states, primarily more economically developed countries (MEDC), to foster the cooperation with relevant Non Governmental Organizations (NGO), such as Fauna and Flora International (FFI),

1. Invites all the member states in West Africa to strengthen the promotion of protection of the heritage sites in the form of educational campaign, and cooperate with NGOs in Africa, both regional and interregional, in ways such as, but not limited to:
2. Utilizing radio broadcast;
3. Creating visual or other easily comprehensible forms of communication to fit the general public with a low literacy rate, like posters and leaflets, to demonstrate the historical, religious, and cultural value that these sites hold in relation to the world;
4. Encouraging the World Heritage Committee (WHC) to put advertisements on large websites and social media, in hopes of gaining more personal donations around the globe, but also raising the awareness of the world to these heritage sites and recruiting more volunteers to participate in the preservation of these sites,

1. Calls for the enlargement of the duty of the World Heritage Committee, as well as the obligation of the West African member states in ways such as, but not limited to:
2. The submission of a “management and conservation plan” from all West African countries, who will draft the plan and submit it before the 43rd session of the WHC;
3. Performing the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) when applicable;
4. The submission of a mandatory annual conservation report to the World Heritage Committee (WHC), concerning the state of the endangered World Heritage Sites from the officials of the site which will include,

i. Significant changes of natural heritage sites, outside of the norm, that can be seen in the flora, fauna, and other environmental factors of the reserves;

1. Changes made within nature reserves for purposes such as industrial and business ventures, like the iron ore mining projects that are happening right next to the Guinean part of the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve;
2. Hindrances, drawbacks, or any new dangers that are threatening the sustainability and the integrity of the Nature Reserve;
3. Any aid that the nation states in the West Africa region might require regarding the conservation and management;
4. The progress that each nation state has made in their respective parts of the nature reserve including;
5. The results of the ESIA and SEA assessments which are performed throughout the year;
6. Encourage the member state to provide the criteria of the World Heritage values of the properties inscribed on the World Heritage List in order to determine the time periods of withdrawal of the endangered sites;

d.Advocating the use of Green GDP as a measurement of the countries’ overall performance on the action taken on environmental compensations;

e. Encouraging West African member states to cooperate with relevant Non Governmental Organizations (NGO), such as Fauna and Flora International (FFI),

3. Proposes the establishment of an official council to collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the governments of the countries, specifically trained to assess and handle matters that are threatening the environment and sustainability of the endangered sites in ways such as, but not limited to:

a. Holding training courses for the locals who are responsible for physical, direct protection of these sites to immediately identify any potential destructive actions toward endangered sites include the Old Towns of Djenné in Mali and Timbuktu in Mali...etc , where the courses will be based on the urgency of the situation, holding the course accordingly to the necessity of the the reconstruction and protection include the less severe situations;

b. The cessation of any iron ore mining activity or project near the area, should the environmental council feel after intensive study and research, that the mining project is dangerous for the ecology of the endangered site;

c. Putting into effect a daily anti-poaching patrol performed by a team, including locals, who is well versed with the logistics of said activity and will be able to perform necessary operations such as removing snares and closing poaching trails swiftly,

4. Recommends the establishment of OHP (Organization for Heritage Protection) groups of experts , in collaboration with UNESCO, to work on the issues of the security of endangered sites, which focus on the detection of the protection of heritage sites, the duty of the experts include, but are not limited:

1. Utilizing the current available sources, like the access of satellites, to help interregional groups or government on the supervision of the Heritage Sites;
2. Paying tribute to the current existing NGOs works on the protection of the World heritage sites, corporating accordingly with the local government without the interference of the nation’s sovereignty;
3. Envisaging the promotion of the regional governance plan on protecting the world heritage sites, this plan does not seek to change the economical state of a nation or offense the nation’s sovereignty;
4. Encouraging a national legislation, assisting proper management of West African heritage sites in ratification status, to introduce their regulation of control of management of World Heritage sites within their jurisdiction;
5. Encouraging the share of experience on the reconstruction of the World heritage sites,
6. Recommending the Heritage Committee enlarges the duty of the global governance on the prevention of the intended destruction of the world heritage sites, avoiding any misconduct happens once again;
7. Encourages the cooperation within the section of the General Assembly, which help each committee to communicate more efficiently, utilizing resources in a quicker respond, and further collaboration between each committee include security,

5. Recommends all West African countries to strive for stronger physical protection against natural causes in the given World Heritage Sites, through methods such as, but not limited to:

1. Planting a surplus number of trees around heritage sites where architectural structures are involved;
2. Creating and fortifying barriers and trenches around the cultural heritage sites in order to prevent damage created by flooding and wind erosion;
3. Cooperating with NGOs, such as Project MUSE and Ukumbi to establish a national team of researchers and architects that will;

i) Always be available to recover and reconstruct the heritage sites when they are damaged;

ii) Monitor heritage sites for signs of deterioration and decay;

iii) Analyze and record data on the effectiveness of the protective measures against natural causes;

iv) Add structural fortifications in the heritage sites that will address problems that may arise from the weak and outdated construction of the sites;

v) Actively try to find new measures that will further strengthen physical protection of heritage sites.