Decision 44 COM 7B.167

Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena (Colombia) (C 285)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7B.99, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Commends the State Party for the advances achieved despite the context of the COVID-19 pandemic;
4. Takes note of the efforts of the State Party to strengthen the capacity of local authorities, particularly the Institute of Heritage and Culture of Cartagena (IPCC), and requests that these efforts be continued by the State Party;
5. Also takes note of the implementation of the Special Management and Protection Plan (PEMP) for the Walled Enclosure and San Felipe Castle since 2018, and encourages the State Party to continue these efforts;
6. Regrets that the finalization and approval of the other two PEMPs envisaged for the property, as well as the delimitation of the property’s boundaries and establishment of buffer zones, have still not been completed, and urges the State Party to finalize and approve the PEMPs as an absolute priority;
7. Also requests the State Party to submit a Minor Boundary Modification in accordance with Paragraphs 163-164 of the Operational Guidelines to clarify the limits as follow up to the Retrospective Inventory process and to establish buffer zones, immediately following the completion and approval of the PEMPs for the property;
8. Expresses its strong concern regarding the impact of the Aquarela project on the attributes that sustain the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and also urges the State Party to avoid any further damage and to work towards the demolition of the existing building as the main mitigation measure;
9. Further requests the State Party to address concerns regarding gentrification and changing social dynamics, public access to the property, and social appropriation of heritage in the corresponding PEMPs under development for the property, in order to protect its integrity;
10. Requests furthermore the State Party to implement fully the recommendations of the 2017 ICOMOS Advisory mission, giving particular attention to management effectiveness, management structures, and conservation action plans, including the preparation of a Conservation Plan for the Historic Centre of Cartagena;
11. Finally requeststhe State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, 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 46th session.