Series on the Management and Conservation of World Heritage Sites: 2010 Session "Conservation for Peace: Conservation Monitoring"
The UNITAR Hiroshima Series on the Management and Conservation of World Heritage Sites started in 2003, and has thus far comprised six annual workshops held in Hiroshima itself and one in-country workshop in Mumbai, India. The Series offers a set of innovative approaches to heritage conservation, including:
- A values-based management approach examining the significance of the properties to be conserved;
- The fusion of cultural and natural heritage management;
- The recognition of both the tangible and intangible aspects of heritage values; and finally
- Conservation for Peace
This Workshop will enable participants to approach World Heritage Management from a "Values-Based" perspective, with particular reference to the importance of adequate monitoring over time. Through group-based work examining real world examples, the benefits of strong, integrated monitoring systems and the indicators therein will be examined. At the end of the Workshop, participants will be able to develop and implement management plans that incorporate the values held in regards to both the tangible and intangible aspects of heritage.
The monitoring of World Heritage Sites is required under the World Heritage Convention in order to achieve the long-term protection, conservation and management of Outstanding Universal Value. Monitoring indicators are required for sites as a key tool to measure and assess the state of conservation. They help to provide an effective and grounded baseline from which to monitor impacts on the tangible and intangible values of a site.
Conservation monitoring must be seen as a continuous process, a non-negotiable standard which allows for increasingly integrated, refined and effective management as site administration becomes more complex. While certain indicators will be universal between sites, the characteristics of specific locations must be considered both quantitatively and qualitatively in their definition. This essential element of the World Heritage monitoring and review process will be the main focus of the 2010 Session of the UNITAR Hiroshima Series.
This Workshop will incorporate the following learning methodologies;
- Interactive Lectures
- Panel Discussions
- Q and A Sessions
- Study Tours
- After-Action Review
- Practical Exercises
- Follow-up Questionnaires
- Potential or actual heritage site managers;
- Natural/cultural conservation specialists and trainers;
- Decision makers and government officers within national World Heritage administrations such as the Ministries of the Environment, Culture, Forestry, Conservation or Tourism;
- Representatives of national academic institutions, think-tanks and civil society.
The working language of the Workshop is English.