Decision 38 COM 7A.23

Coro and its Port (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of) (C 658)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 7A.39 adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013),
3. Welcomes the efforts made by the State Party in addressing the state of conservation of the property and progress on implementation of recommendations made by the World Heritage Committee and the monitoring missions to the property;
4. Takes note of the submission of the revised cartography for the component parts of the property and proposed buffer zone and requests that it be finalized within the framework of the retrospective inventory process;
5. Adopts the revised Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), as follows:
   1. Traditional civil, religious and domestic architecture has been conserved in accordance to clear conservation principles that ensure that conditions of authenticity and integrity continue to be met. Conservation interventions are based on a prioritised and comprehensive strategy and plan that ensures continued actions,
   2. The participatory management arrangements for the property are sustained through adequate resource allocation and staffing and guided by the adopted Management Plan, which includes provisions and regulatory measures for the component parts of the property and its buffer zones,
   3. The disaster risk preparedness plan is fully operational and a comprehensive drainage system to prevent impacts from flooding vulnerability has been implemented,
   4. The legal framework has been harmonised and effective measures are in place to adequately enforce regulations and sanction non-compliant development;
6. Also adopts the revised corrective measures and timeframe for implementation, as follows:
   1. Measures to be implemented within one year:
      1. Development of a spatial analysis for the property to identify and assist with the design of the conservation, use and functioning of the component parts,
      2. Full development of the management plan for the property, including definition of regulatory measures for proposed buffer zones and heritage areas, a sustainable development strategy for the property, a public use plan, and a disaster risk preparedness plan to address all vulnerabilities at the property,
      3. Full development of the conservation strategy and action plan, including a prioritised and costed interventions programme, based on the results from condition surveys, and guidelines for conservation, restoration and maintenance interventions,
      4. Development of a strategy and action plan to formally integrate traditional know-how in conservation strategies and support capacity-building in the long-term,
      5. Development and implementation of a strategy to address problems related to ownership and abandonment of traditional domestic and civil architecture and identification of actions for proposed building reutilization,
   2. Measures to be implemented within two years:
      1. Harmonisation of legal tools to ensure that overlapping mandates and provisions have been addressed and that a coherent policies are adopted to better inform decision-making regarding development and/or interventions at the property,
      2. Full operation of the management structure to articulate different levels of government and promote social inclusion in decision-making, so that the implementation of conservation and management endeavours formally includes community councils in the management strategy,
      3. Articulation of provisions made in the Management Plan with local and regional planning tools and development, when appropriate, of supporting municipal ordinances to ensure management policies are complied with,
      4. Development and implementation of a vehicular traffic strategy for the property,
      5. Implementation of comprehensive drainage system for the property to address vulnerability to flooding,
      6. Development and implementation of a strategy to secure adequate resources to support building maintenance and conservation, as well as continued use, by owners;
7. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2015, a detailed report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the progress on the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015;
8. Decides to retain Coro and its Port (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.