Bulletin of the ISPAN, No. 11: The National History Park and Its Threats
Summary: What World Heritage listing obliges Haiti to do. The Citadelle, Sans-Souci and Ramiers park was inscribed by UNESCO in 1982, which binds the state party to commitments, and the issue sets the threats against the outstanding universal value the listing rests on.
Key Findings
- The bulletin recenters debate over tourism development in the Citadelle, Sans-Souci, Ramiers National Historical Park around Haiti's World Heritage obligations.
- It argues that the park's UNESCO status requires the Haitian state to preserve the site's outstanding universal value, not treat it only as a tourism asset.
- The text identifies cultural, landscape and human objectives for the park: preserving monumental zones, protecting characteristic natural settings and improving living conditions in the region.
- It warns that post-earthquake heritage recovery and tourism interest must be balanced against threats to the park and its monuments.
- The issue also documents emergency heritage work after the 12 January earthquake, including gingerbread-house identification, Jacmel historic-center survey work and protective fencing around historic buildings in Port-au-Prince.
- ISPAN used international meetings after the earthquake to seek support for endangered Haitian architectural heritage and for future interpretation and visitor-planning work at the park.
Full Description
What World Heritage listing obliges Haiti to do. The Citadelle, Sans-Souci and Ramiers park was inscribed by UNESCO in 1982, which binds the state party to commitments, and the issue sets the threats against the outstanding universal value the listing rests on. One issue of the Bulletin de l'ISPAN, the monthly bulletin of Haiti's Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National, which ran from June 2009 to at least November 2011 and documented one monument, site or historic center per issue.
How to cite
Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN), 2010, Bulletin of the ISPAN, No. 11: The National History Park and Its Threats, https://www.haiti.org/