Strategy -
Biennial priority 1: Protecting, safeguarding and managing the tangible and intangible heritage

Extracts from Draft Programme and Budget 2010-2011
35 C/5, vol. 2
Major Programme IV

04007- As in the preceding biennium and with a view to pursuing the Strategic Programme Objective of document 34 C/4 "Sustainably protecting and enhancing cultural heritage", during the 2010-2011 biennium, emphasis will be placed on the following:  

Main line of action 1: Protecting and conserving immovable, cultural and natural properties in particular through the effective implementation of the World Heritage Convention

04008 - The World Heritage Centre will continue to implement the key priorities adopted by the World Heritage Committee and the General Assembly of States Parties to address global strategic issues, key challenges, trends and opportunities facing the World Heritage Convention, notably by focusing on the importance of conservation, management and monitoring of World Heritage so as to contribute to its sustainable development. The effective implementation of the Convention will be undertaken in cooperation with the States Parties, the Advisory Bodies, UNESCO public and private partners and within the framework of the five "C" strategic objectives: credibility, conservation, capacity-building, communication (including awareness-raising) and communities.

04009 - The sites on the World Heritage in Danger List and sites in post-conflict and post-disaster countries will receive priority attention. With a view to increasing awareness on heritage protection and conservation, the World Heritage Centre will continue to integrate the Convention processes into its information and knowledge management system and will expand the sharing of information with public and private partners. It will also enlarge its partnership with civil society organizations, including the private sector, in order to support the implementation of the Convention.

04010 - Special attention will be paid to heritage conservation and capacity-building in Africa, in close cooperation with the African World Heritage Fund. Gender equality will be promoted through the development of technical and managerial skills of both men and women at the national level in order to safeguard and enhance cultural and natural sites. Particular attention will be given to promoting and implementing the Convention in SIDS and LDCs, with a view to improving the representation of sites on the World Heritage List, the management of existing sites and the capacity-building of site management agencies and staff.

04011 - Complex global issues such as climate change and its impact on World Heritage properties, natural disasters, tourism development and urbanization will be addressed through a multidisciplinary and intersectoral approach, especially through the two intersectoral platforms on climate change and SIDS. Special attention will be given to support local communities in managing sustainable tourism initiatives in cultural and natural sites, as part of the overall contribution to sustainable development.

Main line of action 2: Safeguarding living heritage, particularly through the promotion and implementation of the 2003 Convention

04012 - The rapid and constant ratification of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage demonstrates the importance that all the Member States give to the promotion and safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage. The intangible heritage, which is a profound expression of the identity of individual peoples, is at the heart of numerous issues in this age of globalization. The knowledge and practices conveyed by this heritage with respect to nature, modes of subsistence, and social and economic relationships, constitute a key factor for sustainable development.

04013 - The challenge set by the biennium will be to ensure the effective functioning of the Convention’s statutory bodies and the expansion of the Urgent Safeguarding List and the Representative List as well as the register of programmes, projects and activities, in keeping with the Operational Directives. The coordination of the consultative process will continue, in the same way as the requests for assistance made under the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, with particular attention being given to developing countries, notably in Africa, throughout all the stages of its work.

04014 - While the promotion of the Convention and its ratification remain a priority, the assistance given to States Parties in the form of policy advice and capacity-building, especially as concerns the identification of the immaterial cultural heritage and the role of women in this area, will also be key priorities, in order that the principles of the Convention can be put into effect at the national, and notably the legislative, level. There will be continued cooperation with all the Member States in order to promote all possible identification and safeguarding measures. The collection, analysis and dissemination of good practices will continue to be the main focuses of action in this regard. In this context special emphasis will be put on endangered languages, taking into account the role they play in transmitting the intangible heritage and their importance for cultural diversity.

04015 - Large-scale communication actions should also be undertaken through suitable partnerships and aimed at young people in particular. The complementary relationships that exist between the intangible heritage and the other forms of heritage should also be clarified. Emphasis should also be put on intersectoral action in order to reach young people through the formal and informal education systems, and the new communication media. Cooperation will also be instituted with the natural sciences.

Main line of action 3: Enhancing the protection of cultural objects and the fight against their illicit traffic, notably through the promotion and the implementation of the 1970 and 2001 Conventions, as well as the development of museums

04016 - Museums and movable cultural objects are not only the repositories of cultural identity and diversity, but also powerful vectors for social cohesion and human development. In post-conflict areas, the strengthening of museums also contributes to national and transnational reconciliation and social cohesion. The strategy for protecting cultural objects will simultaneously aim at the implementation of existing Conventions and operational activities at the country level, with backstopping provided to field offices.

04017 - International cooperation will be promoted through the effective implementation of the 1954 (The Hague) Convention for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols, the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, and the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, as well as through support to the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation.

04018 - The operational component of the strategy will focus on LDCs, in particular in Africa, and countries in emergency situations as a result of conflict or natural disasters. The programme will contribute to development through capacity-building activities, such as training workshops and regional meetings with built-in gender components. These will be organized directly and through category 2 institutes and will also involve the production of educational tools. Efforts will be made to encourage professional networks and partnerships, to strengthen museums, in particular community-based museums, to consolidate and enhance their educational content, to enlarge access to museums, and to develop a limited number of high visibility and high-impact projects in this domain, including an international awareness-campaign.

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