Archeological site in Rio has management committee back

Brazil’s National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan) has determined the return of the Valongo Wharf’s Management Committee. Valongo is an archaeological site in Rio de Janeiro, which is recognized since 2017 as a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

The group will be composed of representatives of 15 civil society institutions and 16 government entities from federal, state, and municipal spheres. Its main task is to plan preservation, revitalization, and promotion actions for the archaeological site, a trading post for slaves in the 19th century. It is estimated that more than a million black slaves have passed through this wharf.

The operation of the management committee is one of Unesco's requirements for Valongo Wharf to keep its world heritage title. It was created in 2018, but its members met only twice.  The committee was extinguished by a presidential decree in 2019. The members are expected to take office tomorrow (23), at an event in Rio de Janeiro.