Background

The Pacific World Heritage Action Plan (2010-2015) aims to "increase in-country capacity at all levels, inclusive of indigenous people to develop best practices, management plans and arrangements to ensure effective protection of Pacific heritage sites, in a way that takes into account and recognizes traditional knowledge and conversation practices for land, air and sea".  Within this Action Plan, the government of Tuvalu had identified the following two actions as priority; i) create World Heritage awareness and education materials for communities, and ii) hold a training workshop in World Heritage for government agencies involved in cultural and natural heritage.

The workshop

The objective of the Workshop was to introduce and promote the World Heritage Convention through:  i) raising awareness of the importance and benefit of ratifying the World Heritage Convention, ii) encouraging dialogue among government staff, heritage professionals, NGOs and local communities, and community participation in all stages of the World Heritage process, iii) supporting the identification, protection of the country's outstanding cultural and natural heritage to the global community, and iv) facilitating its ratification process of the World Heritage Convention.

Summary of discussion

The Workshop took place at the Conference Room of the Government Building in Funafuti.  In total, 25 participants attended the Workshop, covering all departments of the Government (Education, Culture, Environment, Attorney-general's Office, Home Affairs, Women's Affairs, Foreign Affairs, etc.) as well as the Representatives of the various communities of the countries originated from the several atolls forming Tuvalu (each atoll including a number of islands and islets).

The Workshop was opened by Mr. Kilifi O'Brien, Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and Rural Development, followed by a keynote presentation on the World Heritage Convention by Mr Etienne Clement, Director and Representative, UNESCO Office for the Pacific States.

Several participants made presentations on Tuvalu's cultural and natural heritage.  To be noted that the presentations also covered the gender perspective of the preservation of cultural and natural heritage and an analysis of the potential of World Heritage listing on tourism in Tuvalu (which is currently an insignificant part of the country's economy but with a very high potential in term of income for local populations).

Remarkable interventions were made by the Representatives of the islands who insisted on the importance of closely associating their communities in the protection of the Tuvalu heritage.  They also requested to be involved and consulted in the process of ratification of the Convention, on the preparation of a tentative list and on possible request for nomination of World Heritage sites.

Outcomes

The Workshop resulted in the enhanced awareness of Tuvalu's natural and cultural heritage among the Workshop participants.  Having listened to the presentations by international and national experts, the participants had a better understanding of the World Heritage Convention.  They also concluded that the process of joining the Convention should be an inclusive one, involving all stakeholders in Tuvalu, form all concerned departments and communities.  They expressed their support for Tuvalu to join the Convention.

The Workshop participants also developed an Action Plan, to be promoted and lead by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Rural Development and implemented by all concerned stakeholders.  The action plan covers the formalization of a national culture policy, the identification of important natural and cultural heritage sites, the awareness of local communities and the launching of a consultative process to join the World Heritage Convention, hopefully by the end of 2015.