Decision 42 COM 7B.37

Colonial City of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) (C 526)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 40 COM 7B.4, adopted at its 40th session (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016),
3. Takes note of the progress at the property to date, and in particular the reinforment of the Direccion Nacional de Patrimonio Monumental (DNPM), reiterates its request to ensure that the DNPM is fully involved in decision-making and oversight in regard to the projects being planned and implemented as part of the Programme for Tourism Development in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo (PFTCCSD) and in a second Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-financed programme that is awaiting approval by Congress, and requests the State Party to provide more detailed information about this second programme to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, by 1 December 2018;
4. Notes the proposed action protocol, structural regulations, and geotechnical and topographical vulnerability studies being proposed in the aftermath of the collapse of the Hotel Francés, and also requests these documents be forwarded to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies as soon as they become available;
5. Acknowledges that the visitor’s carrying capacity system is being implemented within the property and urges the State Party to define and implement actions to control interventions in historic buildings and to develop a sustainable tourism strategy that prioritizes heritage conservation;
6. Welcomes the indications by the State Party that the proposed project at the Convent of San Francisco has not moved forward, that no work has been carried out on the Sansouci project that impact the property or its buffer zone, and that the Subway Line 6 is not foreseen to be funded in the immediate term, and also reiterates its request to the State Party, in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, to inform and submit the necessary technical information to the World Heritage Centre in a timely manner so that they can be reviewed by the Advisory Bodies before final decisions are taken;
7. Expresses its concern for the number of threats identified during the 2014 Advisory mission and addressed in Decision 38 COM 7B.42, many of which remain unresolved, and further requests it to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2018, a strategic plan with the responsible authorities and timelines to address the following:
   1. Finalize the work on the extension of the buffer zone and its regulations followed by a Minor Boundary Modification request, as per Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines,
   2. Finalize the process for approval of the Law for Protection, Safeguarding and Development of Cultural Heritage,
   3. Review and improve the management structures with clearly defined responsibilities and authorities to allow adequate conservation, protection and management actions,
   4. Finalize Strategic Plan for the Integral Revitalization of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo including detailed implementation timelines and funding,
   5. To reassure that all projects within the property undertaken by any governmental, non-governmental and private entities must be consulted and approved by the DNPM;
8. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2019, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020.