World Heritage 43 COM AMENDMENT Item of the Agenda 43 COM 7B.Add Amended Draft Decision 43 COM 7B.3 (The Sundarbans, Bangladesh, N 798) Amendment submitted by the Delegation of…. Cuba, Bosnia and Herzegovina and China Date 2 July 2019 TEXT Draft Decision: 43 COM 7B.3 The World Heritage Committee, 1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B.Add 2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.25, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017), 3. Welcomes the formation of an India-Bangladesh Joint Working Group (JWG) of the Sundarbans and requests the State Party of Bangladesh to keep the World Heritage Centre informed of the concrete actions and outcomes that arise from the JWG and how these will strengthen the long-term protection of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV); 4. Appreciates the confirmation that any future dredging of the Pashur River will be subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), reminds the State Party that EIAs should be conducted in line with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment and include a specific section on the potential impact of the project on the OUV of the property, and also requests the State Party to ensure that any dredging within the property is conducted in compliance with strict conditions that safeguard the property’s OUV and further requests the State Party to provide information on dredging activities; _________________________________________________________________________________ Email Rapporteur : wh-rapporteur@unesco.org 5. (Cuba, Bosnia and Herzegovina and China) Welcomes the State Party’s actions, such as the implementation of the integrated freshwater inflow management plan, the implementation of Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART), the development of the Tiger Action Plan (2018-2027) and National Tiger Recovery Programme (NTRP), expansion of the wildlife sanctuaries and the adoption of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 to protect and expand the Sundarbans. 6. 5. (Cuba, Bosnia and Herzegovina and China) Deeply regrets that the construction of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant (Rampal) is continuing, Expresses concern about the likely environmental impacts of the Rampal power plant future large scale industrial projects around the Sundarbans on the OUV, and urges the State Party to continue to take all necessary mitigation measures, as may be recommended by the SEA Study to address the concerns previously expressed by the Committee and the 2016 joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring Mission; 6 . Expresses concern that two coal-fired power plants (Taltoli and Kolapara) are being constructed on the Payra River, which flows into the same bay as the property, and that 154 industrial projects upstream of the property are currently active, despite the Committee’s request to ensure that any large-scale industrial and/or infrastructure developments would not be allowed to proceed before the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the Southwest region of Bangladesh, including the property, has been completed, and strongly Urges the State Party not to halt undertake any new such development environmentally hazardous activities, including for the Rampal power plant, large scale industrial projects which may affect the World Heritage Site until the SEA has been undertaken in conformity with international standards; 7. Considers the that the continued construction of the Rampal power plant, the construction of two additional power plants on the Payra River and the numerous other importance of SEA in determining any ascertained and potential danger on hydrological and ecological dynamics which underpin the OUV of the property is essential in construction of industrial and/or infrastructure development large scale industrial projects in different stages of activity, together with their respective associated activities such as dredging and shipping, all taking place in the absence of the SEA, represent both an ascertained and potential danger to the hydrological and ecological dynamics which underpin the OUV of the property, in line with Paragraph 180 of the Operational Guidelines, and decides to inscribe The Sundarbans (Bangladesh) on the List of World Heritage in Danger; 7. (Cuba, Bosnia and Herzegovina and China) Considering the importance of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in determining any ascertained and potential danger on hydrological and ecological dynamics which underpin the OUV of the property, appreciates the confirmation by the State Party of conducting an SEA for the South-West region of Bangladesh, and urges the State Party to ensure that future large scale industrial and/ or infrastructural developments will not be allowed to proceed before the SEA has been completed in conformity with international standards and requests the State Party to submit a copy of the SEA to the World Heritage Centre as soon as it is available; 8. 7 (Cuba, Bosnia and Herzegovina and China) Further requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to develop, in consultation with the State Party; , a set of corrective measures and a Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR); 9. 8 (Cuba, Bosnia and Herzegovina and China Also regrets Strongly urges the State Party to finalize that the National Oil Spill and Chemical Contingency Plan (NOSCOP) and also reiterates its requests that the State Party ensure adequate provision of funding and human resources for the implementation of the plan once it is adopted, and provides further information and data on the monitoring of longterm impacts from recent shipping incidents involving spills of hazardous materials in proximity to the property; 10. (Cuba, Bosnia and Herzegovina and China Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020 2021, 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 44th 45th session in 2020 2021.