Following the inscription of Lake Bogoria National Reserve as a World Heritage by the World Heritage Committee at its 35th Session, on the recommendation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), without obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of the Endorois through their own representative institutions, the Working Group drafted a resolution to the attention of the African Commission, which adopted it as ‘Resolution on the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights in the context of the World Heritage Convention and the designation of Lake Bogoria as a World Heritage site’.
The outgoing Chairperson of the Working Group, Commissioner Musa Ngary Bitaye, in his Intersession Activity Report also highlighted the plight of indigenous peoples in different parts of Africa whose livelihood is endangered by the inscription of their ancestral lands as World Heritage by the World Heritage Committee. Accordingly, he called upon UNESCO to review and revise current procedures and Operational Guidelines, in consultation and cooperation with the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and indigenous peoples, in order to ensure that the implementation of the World Heritage Convention is consistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and that indigenous peoples’ rights, and human rights generally, are respected, protected and fulfilled in World Heritage areas.
