Balancing development and conservation in Grand-Bassam (Côte d’Ivoire)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.67, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Welcomes the State Party's reactivity following the floods, by putting in place a crisis management system, by relocating the affected populations and by requesting the organization of a UNESCO emergency mission;
4. Notes the implementation of the project to reopen the Comoé River as part of the project to safeguard and enhance the Cocody bay and the Ebrié lagoon (PABC), regrets that this project was not submitted to the World Heritage Centre in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and requests the State Party to submit the PABC to the World Heritage Centre, as soon as possible, for review by the Advisory Bodies so that solutions can be found to adapt the approach to the recommendations provided in the report of the emergency mission of October 2019, and more particularly to:
   1. Submit to the World Heritage Centre, before any intervention, the dykes project with its different height scenarios for evaluation by the Advisory Bodies,
   2. Carry out a visual and heritage impact study of the civil engineering project planned for a height of 6 metres;
5. Expresses its deep concern at the acceleration of the degradation of the state of conservation of several heritage buildings, including the courthouse, the lighthouse and the former post and customs hotel and, while welcoming the cooperation initiatives taken by the State Party in favour of heritage restoration, in particular through public/private partnership agreements, also requests the State Party to:
   1. Consider these initiatives in a planned manner, with particular emphasis on group operations,
   2. Strengthen these initiatives by:
      1. Consolidation and updating of the inventory of existing heritage,
      2. Establishment of in-depth architectural and cultural diagnoses,
      3. Strengthening of the monitoring and control of town planning and construction rules and the application of regulations by all concerned public and private actors,
      4. Capacity building for heritage and construction professionals,
      5. Establishment of a monitoring committee for restoration work;
6. Further requests the State Party to strengthen the management of the site, by giving more resources to the Heritage House and to relocate it in a heritage building, thus giving it an emblematic and exemplary character at the heart of the site;
7. Also welcomes the draft revision of the conservation and management plan (including a risk management plan) and encourages the State Party to finalize it;
8. Thanks the Government of Norway for its financial support for the implementation of a support programme for the preservation of the property, which includes in particular the inventory work, the finalization of the management plan, the revision and publication of an interventions guide on the property and the establishment of a monitoring committee for restoration work;
9. Also encourages the State Party to strengthen measures to safeguard and promote the intangible heritage of the N'zima community;
10. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, 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 46th session.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 36 COM 8B.17, 37 COM 7B.37 and 39 COM 7B.38, adopted at its 36th (Saint-Petersburg, 2012), 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013) and 39th (Bonn, 2015) sessions respectively,
3. Commends the State Party for the implementation of the conservation and valorization measures in response to the points raised by the Committee in its previous decisions, notably Decision 39 COM 7B.38;
4. Takes note with satisfaction of the continuation of international partnerships, in particular for training in conservation and management, as well as the involvement and mobilization of local communities and efforts to promote the property;
5. Encourages the State Party to continue to implement the specific actions requested by the Committee in its previous decisions and reflected in the Action Plan aimed at strengthening the protection and conservation of the property, further the documentary research on the property, keep the inventory up to date, and regularly verify the applicability of the reglementary texts for a sustainable and efficient conservation and management of the property;
6. Requests the State Party to keep the Committee informed of the implementation of major projects, namely the restoration in conformity with the ancient Palace of Justice, restoration of the Grand Bassam Cultural Heritage House, the development of the road network for the property, operational projects in the framework of the application of the Sanitation Master Plan, and the reopening of the river mouth, and reminds the State Party of the need to inform the Committee, through the World Heritage Centre, of any future projects likely to affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, including its authenticity or integrity, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before hard-to-reverse decisions are taken;
7. Also 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 on the implementation of the above-mentioned points.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 36 COM 8B.17 and 37 COM 7B.37, adopted respectively at its 36th (St. Petersburg, 2012) and 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013) sessions,
3. Commends the State Party for the implementation of most of the points raised in Decisions 36 COM 8B.17 and 37 COM 7B.37, and for the various cooperation initiatives developed at national level between stakeholders, and at international bilateral and multilateral levels;
4. Takes note of the extension of the boundaries of the buffer zone and encourages the State Party to continue its reflection on the revision of the boundaries of the zone;
5. Notes with satisfaction the State Party's efforts for the establishment of the Heritage House and the development of conservation and daily management tools for the architectural, urban and landscape heritage, and for the restoration operations and the monitoring of natural threats;
6. Requests the State Party to implement the specific actions required by Decisions 36 COM 8B.17 and 37 COM 7B.37 and reflected in the Action Plan to strengthen the protection and conservation of the property and bearing on the following themes:
   1. Urban conservation, planning and integrated urban development, taking into account the historic urban landscape and archival documentation,
   2. Training and capacity building in architectural, urban and landscape conservation at local and national level,
   3. Strengthening of financial resources and the technical and administrative capacities of the Heritage House to raise funds and implement activities,
   4. Application of emergency and restoration measures in conformity with the old Palais de Justice;
7. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2016 an updated report, including a 1-page analytical summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above for review by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017.

The World Heritage Committee,

1.  Having examined Document WHC-13/37.COM/7B,

2.  Recalling Decision 36 COM 8B.17 adopted at the 36th session (Saint-Petersburg, 2012),

3.  Takes note of the information provided by the State Party, in particular the boundaries of the property and its buffer zone;

4.  Notes with satisfaction the inscription of all the outstanding monuments and sites of the property on the National Heritage List, the establishment of the local Management Committee, the institutionalisation of the Heritage Centre, an improved functioning of the Building Permits Commission and the implementation of different restoration programmes for the outstanding monuments and houses of the property;

5.  Encourages the State Party to pursue its efforts for the improved knowledge of the property (cadastral inventory) and further to continue its efforts to strengthen the protection of the property through the Building Permits Commission, the conservation of the property and its monitoring as concerns the privately owned buildings and tree-lined areas, daily management (illegal habitations, waste and pollution) and the surveillance of natural threats (closure of the lagoon and its consequences, coastal erosion);

6.  Requests the State Party to:

a)  Provide a global map showing the boundary of the property and its new buffer zone,

b)  Indicate the human resources of the local Management Committee and the Heritage Centre responsible for the management of the property,

c)  Confirm that the notifications of the Heritage Centre and/or the local Management Committee of the property, for the attention of the Building Permits Commission are, in fact, suspensive and not simply consultative, as indicated in some of the documents provided at the time of inscription,

d)  Implement a policy to assist in the conservation of private immovable property at both the technical level (practical conservation guide) and financial (combined public/private assistance),

e)  Implement a plantation and green spaces programme that respects the authenticity of the property in this domain, and carry out the necessary prior studies,

f)   Define more diversified and precise monitoring indicators for conservation, to be applied to both monuments and houses, public squares and plantations.  They must cover all the constitutive components of the property, both public and private;

7.  Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2015 , a report on the state of conservation of the property providing information on the implementation of the above-mentioned points, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015.

The World Heritage Committee,

1.   Having examined Documents WHC-12/36.COM/8B.Add and WHC-12/36.COM/INF.8B1.Add,

2.   Inscribes the Historic Town of Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire, on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (iii) and (iv);

3.   Adopts the following Statement of Outstanding Universal Value:

Brief synthesis

The historic town of Grand-Bassam is an example of a colonial town built at the end of the 19th century and during the early 20th century. It follows a planning concept based on the specialisation of quarters for commerce, administration, housing for Europeans and housing for Africans. It embodies, on the one hand, colonial architecture and town planning, based on the principles of functionalism and hygiene of the time, and adapted to climatic conditions, and, on the other hand, an village N’zima which demonstrates the permanency of indigenous cultures. Grand-Bassam was the first colonial capital, and the most important port, economic centre and legal centre of Côte d’Ivoire; it bears witness to the complex social relations between Europeans and Africans, and then to the popular movement in favour of independence.

Criterion (iii): Grand-Bassam bears witness, through its well preserved urban organisation, to an important cultural tradition linked to its role as a colonial capital, an administrative centre for the former AOF (Afrique occidentale française) and a regional commercial hub. From the 1880s to the 1950s, the town brought together various African, European and Middle Eastern populations. Cohabitation between them was harmonious but at the same time conflictual. 

Criterion (iv): Grand-Bassam constitutes an outstanding example of rational colonial town planning, with its specialised quarters in an overall urban network in which vegetation has an important role. The colonial architecture is characterised by a sober and functional style, using principles of hygiene adapted to a tropical location. The organisation of the vernacular house in the N'zima village echoes this approach, expressing the permanency of indigenous values.

Integrity

The integrity of the urban fabric is generally good. The property includes sufficiently large ensembles of characteristic built structures to enable them to be well understood. However, the architectural integrity of the buildings is under threat in many cases, because of abandonment and lack of maintenance. The integrity of the urban landscape might be under threat from the pressure for property linked to beach tourism.

Authenticity

The authenticity of the urban fabric has been generally conserved, enabling satisfactory expression of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property. While some buildings, which are generally the public ones, have been acceptably restored and reused, the architectural integrity of a large number of buildings is often mediocre or poor, and their authenticity has in some cases been adversely affected by alterations which are not in keeping with the original design.

Protection and management requirements

Protection of the property and its management system are appropriate and their implementation is under way, including through the establishment of the Cultural Heritage Centre and through the overarching Building Permits Commission. However, it is essential to confirm the suspensive effect of decisions of the latter and strengthen the human and financial resources dedicated to the conservation of the property. The boundaries of the unified buffer zone should be extended around the Petit Paris embankment and the lighthouse as in the original nomination dossier.

4.   Requests the State Party to implement the following regulatory measures:

a)   Refine the already well advanced definition of the contour of the property on the basis of cadastral boundaries,

b)   Enlarge the property’s buffer zone by reverting to the initially planned boundaries near the Quai du Petit Paris and the lighthouse, while retaining the current extension which unifies the buffer zone,

c)   Inscribe all the “buildings of heritage interest” in the local inventory on the National Cultural Heritage List,

d)   Clarify, in the near future, the land ownership situation, as the number of land lots announced is the same as in the initial dossier (of 2008), even though the property has been extended to include the N’zima village, and in relation to land lots for which there is no property deed,

e)   Define operational monitoring indicators (in addition to the current indicators) which correspond to precise, periodic and quantified monitoring actions, by considering international standards in this area,

f)    Strengthen and give details of the permanent human resources of the Local Committee and/or of the Cultural Heritage Centre for the property conservation monitoring actions; the presence of an architect and of conservation specialists is necessary;

5.   Recommends that the State Party give consideration to the following:

a)   Providing a progress report on the setting up and functioning of the Building Permits Commission,

b)   Continuing the efforts undertaken to reinforce the practical and operational dimension of the Plan for the Conservation and Management of the property,

c)   Confirming the measures to provide encouragement for the restoration and conservation of the privately owned buildings;

6.   Requests the State Party to submit, by 1 February 2013, a report to the World Heritage Centre outlining progress made in the implementation of the demands and above-mentioned recommendations to be examined by the Committee at its 37th session in 2013.