National History Park – Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers

• Management systems (lack of conservation, management and risk preparedness plans)
• Water damage(issue resolved)
• Vandalism (issue resolved)
• Earthquake vulnerability
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
• Ground transport infrastructure

Total amount granted: USD 14,780 for the July 2010 Technical Mission partially funded by the Spanish Funds-in-Trust for World Heritage

On 16 January 2016, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/180/documents/, on the following:

• An important project is under execution, financed by the World Bank, to promote sustainable tourism development in the north of Haiti, Préservation du Patrimoine et appui au Secteur Touristique (PAST). One component concerns the preservation of the cultural heritage for which a budget of USD 27 million is allocated. This includes support for planning and management of the Park and concrete interventions for conservation, presentation and visitors facilities;
• In order to strengthen the management, a Director and specialized staff of the Park will be recruited and located at the Park;
• The first phase of the stabilization of the Batterie Coidavid was concluded; the second phase is scheduled for January-March 2016. A conservation plan will be developed in the framework of the PAST project;
• The maximum number of visitors was defined for two circuits at the Citadel (600 per circuit per day) and two at Sans Souci (750 per circuit per day);
• The Plan for tourism circuits and facilities for the Citadel completed and for Sans Souci to be undertaken. A study “Proposal for Tourism Development at the National Historic Park” has been concluded;
• The study on the limits of the buffer zone will start in February 2016;
• A methodology for the management plan and a work plan were defined for completion of first draft in August 2016;
• As for National Highway n°3, and its deviation around the Park, the State Party reports that no progress has been made since 2014 due to political circumstances. However, the responsible agency Bureau de l’Ordonnateur National (BON) re-launched the dossier in June 2015 with the European Union. In this context it was decided to address a letter to the UNESCO Representative in Port-au-Prince. In this letter the State Party informs that the part of six-kilometers of the route that passes through the park will be provisionally upgraded but that a consensus about the definitive rehabilitation of the road is still to be reached. A declaration of non-objection form UNESCO is being requested for the provisional upgrading. In March 2016, the State Party submitted a document with the terms of reference of the feasibility study for the deviation of the road around the Park that will connect the parts of the road outside of the Park that have already been completed and/or contracted. The document annexes a Technical Recommendation of the Institute for the Preservation of National Heritage (ISPAN) on the road structure and materials in case the road would continue to cross the Park.

The report submitted by the State Party is welcomed. It provides, together with the report of the technical mission that was undertaken by World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS in February 2015, concise information about the efforts made by the State Party to strengthen the management and conservation of the property, to promote sustainable tourism and improve the living conditions of the population in and nearby the park. The 2015 mission report includes a set of 12 recommendations on the management, as well as observations and six recommendations on the conservation of the property. The State Party should be commended for the follow-up it is providing to these recommendations, also in relation to the World Bank financed project Projet Preservation du Patrimoine et d’Appui au Secteur Touristique (PAST) and the European Union funded rehabilitation of National Highway n°3. The recruitment of a Director and two specialists to be located at the Park is considered of utmost importance.

It is noted that stabilization works are being undertaken at the Batterie Coidavid and that the preparation of a conservation plan is foreseen in the framework of the PAST project. The State Party should be recommended to continue stabilization works and prepare the conservation plan on the basis of the recommendations of the 2015 mission.

It is also noted that a series of important studies have been completed regarding tourism management and that the carrying capacities have been defined for the Citadel and Sans Souci.

The inclusion in the PAST project of activities to be conceived and implemented in consultation with UNESCO in order to develop the capacities of ISPAN and to support the Park’s management, conservation and presentation is welcome.

However, even though tourism-related studies and projects are advancing well, there are important delays in areas that are essential for the proper management of the property, such as the definition of the buffer zone and the preparation of the management plan that were both addressed in previous Committee decisions. It is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to complete both actions by the end of 2016 and to submit these documents by 1 February 2017 to the World Heritage Centre for technical review by the Advisory Bodies.

It is noted that no progress has been made in the decision-making about the deviation of the National Highway n°3 and the rehabilitation of the “Park Road”. This is of extreme concern, more so in view of the communication of the State Party to the UNESCO Representative in Port-au-Prince concerning the provisional upgrading of the section of Highway n°3 that passes through the Park. In this context, Decision 34 COM 7B.110 (Brasilia, 2010) should be recalled as it requests the State Party: “To halt the construction of Route RN003 within the limits of the property pending the development of other alternatives to be evaluated, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines”. This was reiterated at subsequent sessions of the World Heritage Committee. It should also be recalled that the World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS technical assistance mission of July 2013 recommended that cultural heritage and landscape specialists should be included in the team that undertakes the feasibility studies and impact assessments of the deviation of Highway n°3 and that it drew the attention to the risks connected to delays in its construction and the pressure this would cause on the “Park Road”. A provisional upgrading of this road would certainly increase the pressure on the Park and would constitute a potential threat to it. It is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party not to undertake any works until the relevant alternatives have been studied and the corresponding Environmental and Heritage Impact Assessments (EIAs/HIAs) completed with specific assessment on the potential impacts to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property.