UNESCO World Heritage Committee: "Grave Concern" Regarding Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage Area

In its 2005 annual meeting, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee expressed its "grave concern on the impacts that the proposed construction of dams could have" on the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage Area and downstream communities, and stated that any dam construction within the World Heritage property "would provide a case for inclusion of the property in the List of World Heritage in Danger." The Committee will send a monitoring mission to the property in 2006 to evaluate the situation.

Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (China)

The World Heritage Committee Decision 29 COM 7B.7

Having examined Document WHC–05/29.COM/7B.Rev,

• Recalling its Decision 28 COM 15B.9, adopted at its 28th session (Suzhou, 2004);

• Reiterates its grave concern on the impacts that the proposed construction of dams could have on the outstanding universal value and integrity of this World Heritage property and downstream communities, and considers that any dam construction within the World Heritage property would provide a case for inclusion of the property in the List of World Heritage in Danger;

• Requests the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to organize a reactive monitoring mission to the property in 2006 to evaluate progress made on the conservation of the property as per recommendations of the Committee at the time of its inscription in 2003;

• Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2006, a comprehensive report on the examination and approval of the proposed dam projects, so that the Committee can examine the state of conservation of the property at its 30th session (2006).