WELLINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The World Heritage Committee decided Monday here to remove Royal Palaces of Abomey, Benin, and Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, from the List of World Heritage in Danger, recognizing progress in the two sites' state of preservation.

The Palaces of Abomey, inscribed simultaneously on UNESCO's World Heritage List and on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1985, are a unique reminder of the once powerful Kingdom of Abomey. They were damaged by a tornado in 1984.

The removal of the Palaces from the Danger List marks the success of Benin's conservation plan, partly financed by the World Heritage Fund.

The cultural heritage of Kathmandu Valley, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979 and on the Danger List in 2003, features seven groups of monuments and buildings which display the full range of historic and artistic achievements for which the Kathmandu Valley is world famous.

The World Heritage Committee commended Nepal's efforts to protect the outstanding universal value of the site in the face of urban development.

The 10-day session started Saturday also decided here Sunday that improvements in the preservation of the Everglades National Park (Florida, U.S.) and Ro Pltano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras) were sufficient to remove both UNESCO World Heritage site from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The committee will consider and approve from June 27 over 40 new World Heritage site nominations.

Forty nominations for new world heritage sites will be debated during this meeting.

Over 600 international delegates attend the meeting.

In 1972, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the World Heritage Convention as a way to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of the world's most outstanding cultural and natural heritage sites.

With 183 member countries and more than 800 sites, it is one of the most widely supported United Nations' conventions.