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State of Conservation Archaeological Site of ... 2019

Archaeological Site of Carthage

Tunisia
Factors affecting the property in 2019*
  • Housing
  • Legal framework
  • Management systems/ management plan
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Land development and infrastructures within the property
  • Legal framework
  • Habitat
  • Management system / management plan
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2019

Total amount provided to the property: International Safeguarding Campaign, 1973-1989

International Assistance: requests for the property until 2019
Requests approved: 7 (from 1980-2001)
Total amount approved : 213,315 USD
2001 Management Plan of the the cultural site of Carthage (Approved)   8,186 USD
1999 International symposium on the World Heritage site of ... (Approved)   40,000 USD
1999 Establishing a management plan for the Site of Carthage (Approved)   14,000 USD
1995 2 high level experts missions for the rehabilitation of ... (Approved)   12,129 USD
1993 Financial contribution for the valorization of the city ... (Approved)   15,000 USD
1989 Mission to advise the Tunisian authorities on the ... (Approved)   6,000 USD
1980 Preservation of the Baths of Antonius (Carthage): ... (Approved)   118,000 USD
Missions to the property until 2019**

1980 to 2011: 15 technical missions; January 2012: joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission; April 2019: joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission

2019 Rapport de la mission de conseil conjointe WHC-ICOMOS à Carthage, Tunisie, 22-26 avril 2019
2012 Rapport de la mission conjointe de suivi réactif à Carthage, Tunisie, 24 - 28 janvier 2012
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2019

On 24 January 2019, the World Heritage Centre informed the State Party that the property would be the subject of a report on its state of conservation to be presented at the 43rd session of the Committee due to concerns regarding recent and continuing illegal construction work within and near the property. On 14 March 2019, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/37/documents/, providing the following information:

  • There has recently been an unprecedented expansion of illegal constructions in parts of the serial property, notably in the eastern part of the Roman Circus in the “Area of the Hills” component, as well as within the National Police Officer Training School in Salambo;
  • Out of the 42 demolition orders that have been issued, 11 have not yet been executed;
  • On 28 February 2019, an official note was sent by the Minister of Cultural Affairs to the Head of Government informing him of the possibility of the property being inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, and requesting him to instruct the relevant authorities to proceed with the execution of demolition orders;
  • On 16 March 2019, a meeting to discuss this issue was held at the Training School. Participants included the Director General of National Security Training, the Director of the School, the Director General of the National Institute of Heritage and the Cultural World Heritage Expert in the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

The representatives of the Ministry of the Interior and the Training School have expressed their willingness to respect and apply any decision that will be taken, and to abide by the recommendations of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission that took place on 22-26 April 2019. Other issues reported by the State Party include:

  • Fishing boats have illegally occupied the circular port of the ancient Punic port complex;
  • Modification of the boundaries of the property has not yet been formally approved by the competent authorities;
  • The Protection and Presentation Plan (PPMV) has not yet been approved or implemented; preparation of plans for site presentation and tourism management will begin very soon;
  • A draft Action Plan for the implementation of Decision 42 COM 7B.60 and a high-level Orientation and Steering Committee to supervise this implementation have been created. An ad hoc Commission for the Protection and Enhancement of Heritage has also been established within the municipal council.
Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2019

The State Party has responded promptly to an urgent request from the World Heritage Centre to submit a state of conservation report. An Advisory mission to the property took place from 22 to 26 April 2019. The mission report is being finalized at the time of drafting this state of conservation report, and will be made available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/37/documents/.

The expansion of unplanned and uncontrolled constructions in parts of the serial property is of concern for the adverse impact these constructions may have on the attributes that convey the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, including its authenticity and integrity. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to employ without delay the instruments and mechanisms needed to halt all such constructions, to enforce the outstanding demolition orders and issue new ones as required, and to address to the degree possible any socio-economic issues that may underlie the expansion of uncontrolled constructions in parts of the serial property.

Concerning any planned new constructions, it is recommended that the Committee invite the State Party to inform it, through the World Heritage Centre, of any future plans for new construction or major restoration projects that may affect the OUV of the property, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse.

It is also recommended that the Committee request the State Party to prepare Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) for all works envisaged, in line with the Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage Properties (ICOMOS, 2011), and to submit these assessments to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

It is further recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to halt, or not commence, any works until the above assessments have been carried out.

Furthermore, in view of the potential threats and lack of an approved and implemented comprehensive conservation and management system for the property, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to complete and adopt the management plan and integrate it with a local development plan.

An updated account of the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations of the 2019 Advisory mission, and notably in addressing the issue of illegal constructions within and near the property, should be included in the state of conservation report to be submitted by the State Party by 1 February 2020.

Summary of the interventions
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2019
43 COM 7B.55
Archaeological Site of Carthage (Tunisia) (C 37)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B.Add,
  2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7B.60, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
  3. Welcomes the information provided by the State Party and commends it for the efforts made so far by national, regional and local authorities to address the difficulties and for better protection and enhancement of the property;
  4. Underlines with satisfaction the prompt welcome and successful conduct of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission organized at the request of the World Heritage Centre, which took place from 23 to 25 April 2019 and whose work was greatly facilitated by all the Tunisian parties concerned;
  5. Expresses its concern regarding the recent illegal construction work in and near the property;
  6. Requests the State Party to employ without delay the instruments and mechanisms needed to halt all such constructions, to enforce the outstanding demolition orders and issue new ones as required, and to address to the degree possible any socio-economic issues that may underlie the recent expansion of uncontrolled constructions in parts of the serial property;
  7. Also requests the State Party to inform the Committee, through the World Heritage Centre, of its intention to undertake or to authorize new constructions or major restorations which may affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
  8. Further requests the State Party to complete and adopt the Management Plan and integrate it with a local development plan;
  9. Requests furthermore the State Party to prepare Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) for all works envisaged, in line with the ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage Properties, and to submit them to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, and urges the State Party to halt, or not commence, any works until the above assessments have been carried out;
  10. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property, as well as the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020.
Read more
Draft Decision: 43 COM 7B.55

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B.Add,
  2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7B.60, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
  3. Welcomes the information provided by the State Party but notes with concern the recent and continuing illegal construction work in and near the property;
  4. Requests the State Party to employ without delay the instruments and mechanisms needed to halt all such constructions, to enforce the outstanding demolition orders and issue new ones as required, and to address to the degree possible any socio-economic issues that may underlie the recent expansion of uncontrolled constructions in parts of the serial property;
  5. Also requests the State Party to inform the Committee, through the World Heritage Centre, of its intention to undertake or to authorize new constructions or major restorations which may affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
  6. Further requests the State Party to complete and adopt the management plan and integrate it with a local development plan;
  7. Requests furthermore the State Party to prepare Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) for all works envisaged, in line with the ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage Properties, and to submit them to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, and urges the State Party to halt, or not commence, any works until the above assessments have been carried out;
  8. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property, as well as the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020.
Previous 2018 Next 2021
Report year: 2019
Tunisia
Date of Inscription: 1979
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (ii)(iii)(vi)
Documents examined by the Committee
WHC/19/43.COM/7B.Add
WHC/19/43.COM/INF.7.Rev.4
arrow_circle_right 43COM (2019)
Exports
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* : The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).

** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.


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