Comoros prepares a management and conservation plan for the Historic Sultanats of Comoros

As part of the UNESCO World Heritage Fund International Assistance project “Support for the finalization of the management plan and the analysis of the state of conservation of the Historic Sultanates of Comoros in preparation of a World Heritage nomination dossier,” the Direction General of Arts and Culture (DGAC) of Comoros organized a capacity building workshop for the national team currently preparing a World Heritage nomination file for the serial site “Sultanats Historiques des Comores,” which was inscribed on Comoros Tentative List of potential World Heritage sites in 2007.

The hybrid workshop, which mobilized Comorian participants at the Retaj Hotel in Moroni and included online participation by the international expert, Ms. Hamida Rhouma, and UNESCO took place from 17 to 20 November 2020. The workshop aimed to review the current state of conservation of the sites proposed for inscription on the World Heritage List, and to provide guidance and resources for the development and finalization of Comoros Management and Conservation Plan for the Historic Sultanats of Comoros. Existing UNESCO resources such as the series of UNESCO Resource Manuals for the management of heritage sites, the UNESCO 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, and case studies from other heritage sites in the Africa region were shared with all participants. The workshop also highlighted the need for legislation and awareness-raising as well as considerations of climate change, disaster risk management and sustainable tourism management