Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena

• Construction of TRANSCARIBE, a new public transportation system and its impact on the wall (issue resolved)
• Marine transport infrastructure (impact of the harbour public works on the fortifications of Cartagena)
• Management Systems/Management Plan (lack of a Management Plan; lack of a regulatory conservation management system for the property; need for urban regulations for the protected area)
• Impacts of tourism/visitor/recreation
• Identity, social cohesion, changes in local population and community
• Housing
• Commercial development
• Governance

On 1 December 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/285/documents. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report, as follows:

• The State Party reported on the implementation of the Special Management and Protection Plan (PEMP) for the Walled Enclosure and San Felipe Castle (MURCA) since its approval in March 2018. In this context, the Ministry of Culture continues to develop projects that are implemented by the Cartagena de Indias Workshop School (ETCAR), such as the Value Enhancement programme. Details of the projects implemented in the framework of the PEMP have also been provided (e.g. maintenance activities, cultural corridors, free Sunday etc.);
• The termination of the PEMPs of the Historic Centre (PEMP CH), which has been formally included in the Local Development Plan 2020-2023, and of the Fortified Landscape of the Bay of Cartagena (PEMP FORTBAHIA), is foreseen for 2022. A "comprehensive proposal workshop" for the PEMP CH is foreseen for the first semester of 2021. In the framework of the development of the PEMP FORTBAHIA, working groups ratified the need to harmonize the existing management instruments, and to conduct carrying-capacity and use studies as well as an emergency repertoire of strategies to adapt to climate change. The State Party reiterated that it needs to finalize all PEMPs before the final boundaries of the property and its buffer zones can be established;
• The strengthening of the Institute of Heritage and Culture of Cartagena (IPCC) is included in the 2020-2023 Development Plan for Cartagena, and the Cartagena municipality is implementing a modernization process with the support of the Administrative Department of the Public Service;
• The Mayor's Office of Cartagena is participating in the “Living Heritage” programme of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with the support of the Spanish Government;
• The Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of the Aquarela Project concluded that the project represents a large or very large impact on the integrity and authenticity of the property. The project remains suspended and the State Party lists several outstanding legal actions concerning the case;
• According to the IPCC, the intervention of the Hotel de Santa Catalina does not affect the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and no current regulations are being infringed.

While recognizing the advances the State Party has made in the development and implementation of the PEMPs, it is important to impress the urgency of finalizing these tools, which have been pending for more than a decade, as they constitute the basis of all further conservation and protection.

Following the approval of the PEMP MURCA in March 2018, the Ministry of Culture has begun licensing procedures for urban modifications, which is considered a very important step; however, the submission of more detailed information would have been beneficial. Among the activities undertaken to reinforce the capacities of local authorities, the institutional strengthening of the IPCC was included in the 2020-2023 Development Plan for Cartagena as part of a strategy for a more transparent government. This formalizes the position of the IPCC, but it would be important to clearly define its role in the two outstanding PEMPs, especially its competencies in the management of the property. The participation of the local government in the “Living Heritage” programme of the IDB is mentioned by the State Party as a way to respond to concerns regarding gentrification and changing social dynamics, public access to the property, and social appropriation of heritage. While this participation is a step in the right direction, it will still be necessary to address these issues in the PEMPs.

The HIA on the Aquarela Project concludes that the historic visual relationship of the urban landscape has been fragmented, causing a very large impact on the attribute. Furthermore, it suggests that the expected change in the balance of social and commercial activities in the surrounding area could cause an additional large/very large impact. These conclusions are supported by the Intersectoral Committee for World Heritage and the National Council of Cultural Heritage of Colombia. The HIA highlights that the Aquarela Project in 2015 did not comply with the urban regulations in force at that time; that the proposed modification of the Aquarela Project does not comply with current urban regulations (2019); and that, therefore, the Ministry of Culture does not consider this proposal viable. Several still outstanding legal actions concerning the case are also listed. It is a positive development that the Colombian State Legal Defense Agency has signed an agreement with the Mayor's Office of Cartagena to advise the District on legal issues, especially those related to the Aquarela Project. However, no timeframe has been given concerning the resolution of this situation. It is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to avoid all further construction and to work towards the demolition of the existing building as the main mitigation measure.

In response to the Committee’s recommendation to conduct a study on the potential impact of the Hotel Santa Catalina project, the State Party has declared that according to the IPCC, the project will not affect the property’s OUV and that no current regulations are infringed. No further details are presented.

The report submitted by the State Party addresses the Committee’s recommendations in a very direct and concise manner that highlights the main issues. However, it is advised that more detail be requested on the licensing procedures for urban modifications and on the case of the Hotel Santa Catalina, as well as on the implementation of the 2017 ICOMOS Advisory mission recommendations, such as the preparation of a Conservation Plan for the Historic Centre of Cartagena, on which no advances have been reported.

In conclusion, it is noted that the main challenges faced by the property - the lack of adequate management tools and structures and of defined buffer zones with suitable regulations - still persist, but the State Party should be commended for the advances attained during a year complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.