Decision 38 COM 7A.20

Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo (Panama) (C 135)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 7A.36 adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013),
3. Appreciates the efforts made by the State Party to fund and organize the advisory mission conducted in 2014 and encourages it to implement the recommendations contained in the mission report;
4. Welcomes the development and adoption of the Emergency Plan for the property and urges the State Party to secure the necessary resources to commence the immediate implementation of the identified priority conservation and stabilisation measures;
5. Expresses its concern about the findings of the mission regarding the continuing deterioration of the historic fabric and erosion of the conditions of authenticity and integrity and also urges the State Party to prioritise implementation of the following provisions of the UNESCO World Heritage Management Plan and of the Emergency Plan for the property:
   1. Update the legislative and regulatory measures to ensure the protection of the property and its terrestrial and maritime setting and to legally define the functions of the Patronato Portobelo-San Lorenzo,
   2. Strengthen management arrangements and establish a technical office for conservation, with specialised staff, at the local level to guarantee high quality interventions at the component parts,
   3. Define the boundaries of the component parts of the property and their buffer zones, including regulatory measures for their management and submit the revised boundaries as a minor boundary modification for consideration by the World Heritage Committee,
   4. Develop a land use plan for Portobelo and San Lorenzo and include provisions and measures to control urban development and relocation of families occupying the inscribed property;
   5. Promote international and interdisciplinary collaboration for the implementation of conservation actions and define a capacity building strategy to ensure the sustainability of conservation efforts,
   6. Define, in collaboration with local authorities, measures to address environmental degradation and deficiencies in infrastructure services that are impacting cultural and natural heritage assets and constitute public health concerns,
   7. Carry out the necessary scientific studies in relation to deterioration processes to better inform decision-making regarding conservation options;
6. Requests that technical details of proposed major interventions be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review prior to making commitments to their implementation;
7. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015.
8. Decides to retain Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo (Panama) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.