China’s National  World Heritage Committee keeps its word! Three years ago  Dr. Du Yue, secretary general of the Chinese delegation at the World Heritage Committee Session,  listened to the RwB representative lamenting that Chinese Exim Bank was about to support the Egiin Gol Hydro Project in  Mongolia which may threaten Lake Baikal World Heritage site  and joyfully responded: “Times changed, this is unlikely to happen. And if You wait for several years, You will see China itself removing dams that affect World Heritage”. Since he was laughing, we decided that …

MONGOLIA made a speech at World Heritage Committee (WHC) on July 28 afternoon.

Photo: Mongolia speaking at the 42nd Session of World Heritage Committee. Left to right: unknown person, the Head of the Division of Environmental Assessment and Auditing Enkhbat Altangerel, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment Mr. Tsengel , the staff of Egiin Gol Hydro company.
LISTEN TO PODCAST HERE: https://youtu.be/HHOs7DUUJzk?t=6925

Points made by the distinguished party of Mongolia
1. Thanks to the Kingdom of Bahrain and WHC for organizing the session
2. We inform you on progress on transboundary waters …

Civil Society Organizations who have attended the 5th International NGO Forum on World Heritage at Risk organized by the World Heritage Watch on 22-23 June 2018 in Bahrain, coming from 24 countries in 6 continents, as active and concerned citizens dealing with Natural and Cultural World Heritage properties at different places, would like to bring the following to the attention of the World Heritage Committee:

Resolution

On implementation of World Heritage Committee decisions regarding Lake Baikal in the light of climate mitigation & adaptation efforts
While Mongolia still prepares for hydropower construction, …

The RwB Coalition is extremely satisfied with  overdue decision to Inscribe the Lake Turkana on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The case of Lake Turkana is an important lesson for similar situation in Lake Baikal Basin where our coalition is most active. The decision does not only give a chance to press for adequate environmental flow provision for the Omo River, but also is a great help in our arguments against new dams in Lake Baikal Basin.
The Turkana and  Baikal represent two opposite cases of China state-owned …

 
The Rivers without Boundaries Coalition addressed the World Heritage Committee which holds its 42nd Session from June 25 to July 4 in Manama, Bahrain. The RwB Coordinator, Eugene Simonov, presented a resolution “ On the Dam Damage: Water Infrastructure Threatening World Heritage” adopted by the 5th World Heritage Watch Forum held by CSOs immediately before the Session.
Podcast of Eugene’s intervention at the Session

Resolution

On the Dam Damage:
Water Infrastructure Threatening World Heritage

Impacts from water infrastructure in the basins where WH properties are located appear to be the most serious …