UNITAR Hiroshima Management and Conservation of World Heritage Sites Workshop 2009

Heritage is not an article in a vacuum showcase.  It lives with people, and people live in heritage sites.  Architects say that the best way to conserve built heritage is to live inside it.  Even in the case of properties requiring restricted access (reserves etc.), designation as a World Heritage site often attracts a considerable increase in visitors.  It is therefore imperative that the impact of a range of human activities upon both tangible and intangible aspects of heritage be regularly assessed. These assessments provide a baseline for judging the management and use of sites. The major question arises – how can an impact on the heritage “values” of a site be effectively assessed?  UNITAR will apply its “values-based management” as the basis for a methodology to assess impacts on the values of sites.

 The specific objectives of the 2009 workshop will be to:

• Review the basics of the World Heritage regime and its implications for peace, incorporating available information, updates and current trends;
• Elucidate the underlying principles of “values-based heritage management”, with a particular focus on peace building or nurturing;
• Introduce the basics of World Heritage impact assessment;
• Examine leading assessment policies and strategies, identifying best practices and lessons learned;
• Through reality-based practical exercises, extract key concepts and common issues while developing impact assessments for given sites;
• Contribute to the development of a manual for site managers on impact assessment in World Heritage management;
• Enhance long-term peer learning and exchange among the participants.