World Heritage Cities Programme

Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting launched for Asia and the Pacific region

The Director of the World Heritage Centre, Dr Mechtild Rössler, launched the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting in the region of Asia and the Pacific via a video message addressed to the National Focal Points. One of the two main monitoring mechanisms within the framework of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, alongside Reactive Monitoring, the Periodic Reporting exercise is a statutory requirement under the Convention whereby all States Parties are asked to provide up-to-date information on the implementation of the Convention, both at the national level and for each World Heritage property.

Learn more  

ICLEI Daring Cities

As part of the programme of the “Daring Cities 2020”, on 13 October the Director of the World Heritage Centre, Dr. Mechtild Rossler chaired the webinar on “Cities, climate and culture: The urban research agenda in the forthcoming IPCC co-sponsored expert meeting on culture, heritage and climate change” together with other high-level international panelists to discuss about the inter-linkages between the three disciplines and explore new pathways for integrated policy-making.

The full “Daring Cities 2020” event is organised on-line by ICLEI and the Federal City of Bonn from 7 to 28 October 2020 as a global forum on climate change for urban leaders and is structured as a series of workshops, bootcamps, podcast series, and networking opportunities.

Learn more about the “Climate, cities and culture“ meeting Explore other activities in the programme of Daring Cities 2020

Warsaw: online webinar 'The invincible city. Society in cultural heritage recovery'

The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland and the National Institute of Cultural Heritage, in collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS and ICCROM, hosted a webinar on 21 October 2020.
The webinar was organised as part of the commemoration programme on the event of the 75th anniversary of the reconstruction of the Historic Centre of Warsaw, which was a meticulous effort over 40 years following its destruction during World War II. The city is also celebrating the 40th anniversary of the entry of the Historic Centre of Warsaw in the UNESCO World Heritage List (1980). The reconstruction of Warsaw was a symbolic event, and the city stands as testament to the will of a whole nation. The event was structured in 2 panels of 1 hour each and opened by the Director of the World Heritage Centre, Dr. Mechtild Rossler:

Panel 1. Ruins, bricks and dust. International experience of the recovery of historic cities. 
Panel 2. Ruins towards future. How to plan a recovery process? Solidarity with Beirut.

During discussions, experts in the protection of the world heritage talked about different international experiences in the revival of historical cities destroyed during 20th-century wars and their contemporary challenges facing the endangered heritage.

Learn more

World Heritage City Lab lectures now available on-line

During the World Heritage City Lab held in June 2020, international experts and World Heritage City site managers gathered to discuss about their current challenges and ideas for the future. Lectures are now available on-line through the UNESCO YouTube channel. The presentations include an introduction by the Director of the World Heritage Centre Dr. Mechtild Rossler and by a number of high-level experts and 6 cases studies of World Heritage Cities from around the world.

Learn more

Watch the recordings of the sessions:

1. World Heritage City Lab: Well-being and local communities 
2. World Heritage City Lab: Re-thinking urban infrastructure in historic urban contexts
   
3. World Heritage City Lab: Heritage at the core of local economic development strategies 
4. World Heritage City Lab: Heritage-based recovery and resilience: Way forward

UIA World Architecture Day 2020: Toward a Better Urban Future

On 5 October 2020, UN World Habitat Day and World Architecture Day, the International Union of Architects (UIA) organised the webinar “UIA World Architecture Day 2020: Toward a Better Urban Future”. The Deputy Director of the World Heritage Centre provided an opening address to the event, during which architects, urban conceptualisers and representatives of international organisations came together to discuss how urban planning and architecture can contribute to build a better urban future. Architects and built environment professionals have the capacity and the responsibility to advance efforts to achieve the UN 2030 Agenda by helping make cities sustainable and inclusive while ensuring the protection of heritage values. Towards this end, the Deputy Director called for high-quality built environments that are people-centred and where creativity and innovation thrive while valuable cultural heritage is protected and respected in line the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape.

Watch the recording of the webinar

“Housing for everyone: A better urban future”

On 5 October 2020 UNESCO was invited to the on-line high-level conference on “Housing for everyone: A better urban future”, organised for the UN World Habitat Day by the Ministry of National Territory Development, Urban Planning, Habitat and Urban Policy of the Kingdom of Morocco, where the Deputy Director of the World Heritage Centre gave a keynote address. The World Heritage Centre welcomed Morocco’s efforts to promote decent housing for all and stressed the integration of cultural heritage conservation and climate change policies into urban planning in line with the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape. The event highlighted how Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the global housing crisis.

In-memoriam: John Hurd

The WHC mourns the passing of John Hurd, former President of the ICOMOS Advisory Committee and senior conservation consultant to UNESCO on the Silk Roads cities of Central Asia. Passionate about the conservation of earthen heritage, he chaired the ICOMOS UK National Earth Committee from 1994-2000, and was elected President of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee for Earthen Architectural Heritage in 2006.

He will be sadly missed by colleagues around the world and at UNESCO.

Third UNESCO Creative Cities Beijing Summit

For its 3rd edition, the UNESCO Creative Cities Beijing Summit, co-organized by UNESCO and the city of Beijing, was held from 17 to 18 September 2020, under the theme ‘Creativity empowers cities, technology creates the future’.

The Summit gathered a diverse set of urban stakeholders, including mayors and local policymakers, high-level representatives from UN agencies, as well as experts and entrepreneurs to undertake an in-depth reflection on how to shape new urban development patterns building on culture, creativity and new technologies, beyond the COVID-19 crisis

Learn more about the summit

Check the e-publication "UNESCO Creative Cities’ Response to COVID-19".

The Tracker Culture & Public Policy

The first issue of the Tracker is out now! This monthly Tracker is produced by UNESCO to monitor the role of culture in public policy with regards to the UN Sustainable Development Agenda. It highlights developments within national and regional contexts, as well as emerging debates on culture's contribution to sustainable development. Drawing on a variety of sources, it provides a broad overview of cultural policy trends worldwide at the national, regional and international levels and looks at ways in which countries integrate culture into other policy areas.

Learn more

World Heritage City Dialogues

The next session of the World Heritage Dialogues will take place next month. We invite Site Managers and national World Heritage Focal Points from Europe and North America region to share their latest experiences and challenges. 

If you are a Site Manager or a Focal Point, please keep us updated with your contact details and join us! Share with us the specific topics and ideas you would like to discuss during the upcoming Dialogues.

World Cities Day- Urban Dialogue

On 31 October 2020, UN World Cities Day, will revolve around the theme “Better City, Better Life” and the sub-theme for this year is “Valuing our communities and cities”.
On the occasion, on 30 October 2020, the UNESCO Cities Platform is organising an online ‘Urban Dialogue’ bringing together speakers from the academia, public and private sector, and civil society to discuss and consolidate the integral components of community participation as well as how UNESCO’s work with cities could support in furthering sustainable urban development through community centred approaches.

Learn more

Sharing practice: Quito

The Municipality of Quito through the Metropolitan Institute of Heritage (IMP) has made efforts to resume conservation and protection projects in Quito, Ecuador, home of the World Heritage property “City of Quito”.
Multidisciplinary teams formed by restorers, architects, historians, anthropologists, archeologists, stonemasons, carpenters, and bricklayers gradually resumed interventions in the heritage monuments of the historic centre on projects that had been suspended due to the sanitary emergency. The restart of activities was implemented gradually while complying with the biosecurity protocols and risk management plans.
The majority of the projects focused on the conservation of religious heritage, such as activities to consolidate the structural strengthening of the monumental architecture of the convents of San Diego, Santa Catalina and La Concepción. In addition, the Municipality of Quito also initiated maintenance works in several convents, as well as the emblematic school Franciscan Educational Unit San Andrés. Conservation of movable heritage is being carried out in several churches and chapels. Altarpieces, mural and easel paintings, wooden sculptures, and carpentry elements are being intervened. Besides, the restoration of the valuable Council Books, dating from 1534 to 1808, as well as other historic city documents, which are also part of documentary heritage, has also resumed.
In certain areas where low contagion levels were reported, the archeological research projects that were already under way continued throughout the pandemic.
Concerned about intangible heritage, the IMP took advantage of databases, the decentralized structure of the Institution, and communication and information technologies, to connect with the main bearers of cultural manifestations in rural areas and to learn about the impacts of the pandemic on them. This information will allow the IMP to make a diagnosis and developing targeted interventions for its protection.

Sharing practice: Historic Forts in Gwalior and Orchha in India

The approach of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape in South Asia for Heritage-Based Urban Planning for Sustainable Development in Madhya Pradesh, India 

The UNESCO Cluster Office New Delhi will be co-operating with the Department of Tourism of the Madhya Pradesh State Government in India to adopt the approach of the UNESCO 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL Recommendation) in the urban planning of the cities of Gwalior and Orchha. The project will set a precedent for India, and South Asia at large, ascertaining the best practices and tools for a HUL Recommendation-based urban development for historic cities.
Orchha is the 16th Century capital of the erstwhile Bundela dynasty, defined by a unique amalgamation of Rajput and Mughal architectural influences. Established in the 9th century, Gwalior, is uniquely situated at the interface of its built cultural heritage and local communities. The town morphology of both Orchha and Gwalior represents pragmatic town planning that was historically incorporated into the natural geography of the area and is critical to their modern, urban settlements.
At approximately 12,000 and 1,101981 inhabitants respectively, Orchha and Gwalior have a rising population, pacing with economic change and urban development. Gwalior is located strategically close to prominent commercial hubs and tourism circuits in India and was officially designated a ‘Smart City’ by the Indian Government. The Smart Cities Mission is a national initiative to develop a sustainable urban ecosystem. The cultural identity of Gwalior built upon its historic centre is a key resource for the city. Unfortunately, the urban heritage of many Smart Cities is not valued or integrated in the implementation of the Smart Cites programmes. UNESCO New Delhi, therefore, wishes to further the practice of heritage-based planning for sustainable urban development within the Indian context.
In addition, the historic centres of both Gwalior and Orchha have seen growing religious and cultural tourism, which has greatly contributed to the economic advancement of the cities. This has been accompanied by the negative impacts of rapid and uncontrolled urbanisation and unsustainable tourism. The two cities invite a nuanced and transformed public policy effort and make compelling cases for the introduction of the HUL Recommendation approach.
Proposed over 48 weeks, the Project aims to produce a set of recommendations to be taken into account in the urban development planning of Gwalior and Orchha. UNESCO New Delhi will offer the training and technical expertise critical to the local implementation of the HUL Recommendation approach. The project will also involve multi-level engagement between experts, urban local bodies, civic authorities and stakeholders in the community to develop long-term partnerships, awareness and relationships between cultural heritage conservation, and sustainable development.

Sintra

Cultural offerings will be free in the city of Sintra, Portugal, home of the World Heritage Property of “Cultural Landscape of Sintra”, until the end of the year to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the inscription of the property in the World Heritage list.

Learn more

Spanish World Heritage Cities Group: Heritage Night 2020

On 12 September, the Spanish World Heritage Cities Group held the 2020 edition of the “The Heritage Night”.

This third edition was structured in three different blocks:

• ABRE PATRIMONIO (open-up heritage): late-night openings of sites, museums and cultural spaces 
• VIVE PATRIMONIO (live heritage): an extensive cultural and leisure programme in historic centres 
• ESCENA PATRIMONIO (heritage scene): a contemporary Dance Festival taking place in UNESCO World Heritage sites.

This year, Heritage Night was also available from home. The event was supported by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and several European World Heritage Associations.

Learn more

Bordeaux: World Heritage Sites Week

The World Heritage Sites Week was organised by the Bordeaux Métropole, in partnership with the city of Bordeaux, France, in the context of the Atlas-WH network, a group for exchange of different European World Heritage cities aiming at sustainable development as part of the European Interreg Espace Atlantique program. Florence, Santiago de Compostela, Edinburg, and Porto work together with Bordeaux as part of this network and completed a programme of activities surrounding urban heritage that took place from 14 to 20 September.

In this context, two of the events were accessible online: 

• The conference “Florence, Santiago de Compostela, Edinburgh, Porto, Bordeaux: five UNESCO sites à la carte” (accessible online in English, French and Spanish)
• The study day “Boulevards d’ici & d’ailleurs” (Boulevards from here and elsewhere) on 16 September 2020 was led by a keynote presentation by the Deputy Director of the World Heritage Centre, Dr. Hosagrahar on the different efforts of the city of Bordeaux linked to the implementation of the approach of the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (such as the Bordeaux 2030 project, the adaptation of the quays along the Garonne river, or the “Landscapes Charter”), and counted on the participation of institutional representatives and speakers from other cities to discuss the future development of the city`s boulevards.

Ivrea: UNESCO Modern Movement, sustainable cities?

In the context of the “Festival dell'Architettura di Ivrea”, Italy, held between 18 and 27 September 2020, the webinar entitled “UNESCO Modern Movement, sustainable cities?” addressing historic cities of the Modern Movement on 26 September 2020.

This webinar aimed to connect Ivrea to other cities with comparable modern architecture heritage sites, putting at the centre of the discussion the many challenges that heritage preservation entails while comparing the tools used for the transformation of the city, the actions undertaken with the inhabitants, etc.

The Deputy Director of the World Heritage Centre, Dr. Hosagrahar, provided a keynote address to the meeting with an online presentation on “Safeguarding Modern Heritage in the framework of the Historic Urban Landscape Approach”.

Learn more about the festival (in Italian)

Asia Conserved, vol. IV

UNESCO Office Bangkok and Regional Bureau for Education in Asia and the Pacific Bangkok (2020), “Lessons learned from the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation, 2015-2019”, Asia Conserved, vol. IV, SEU Press, UNESCO, ISBN: 978-92-3-100377-6 and SEU Press ISBN: 978-7-5641-8836-8 (pdf and paperback)

The Asia Conserved Volume IV commemorates the 20th year anniversary of the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. It provides an overview of the past 20 years of heritage conservation practices in the region through commentaries and reflections contributed by award-winning individuals and organizations. Sixty-seven exemplary heritage practices from the region are documented in a case study format accompanied by a careful selection of architectural illustrations and photographs. The volume also discusses a vision towards strengthened heritage practices in the Asia and the Pacific by setting a benchmark for professional competences referring to the newly developed UNESCO Competence Framework for Cultural Heritage Management.  

Browse the publication

The Missing Pillar

British Council (2020) (pdf)

The Missing Pillar – Culture’s Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals underscores the importance of culture to the UN Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report provides an outline of the main frameworks and institutions that work with the SDGs, offers examples of relevant British Council programmes, and outlines recommendations for the arts and culture sector to demonstrate the value of arts and culture in working towards sustainable development.

Browse the publication

Creating City Portraits

Doughnut Economics Action Lab et. al. (2020) (pdf)

The “Doughnut model” jumped to the headlines earlier this year when the city of Amsterdam decided to embrace this model for its post COVID-19 recovery.

Creating City Portraits provides a methodology for adapting the Doughnut model to the city, focusing on four lenses: social, ecological, local and global, which create a more holistic image of the city and its identity. The goal of the report is to make the method simpler and more adaptable, ready to be used as a tool for transformative action.

Browse the publication

Final Report: 2018 CIVVIH Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium: Heritage & Sustainable City

Antoine Bruguerolle (ed.) (2019) (pdf)

The conference proceedings from the 2018 Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium of the International Committee on International Towns and Villages (CIVVIH) are now available online on the ICOMOS Documentation Centre. The document contains interventions on topic such as the integrated and sustainable development of historic cities, cultural heritage and urban regeneration, innovation and new technologies, presented by recognized experts and researchers. The document is a valuable resource and a testament to the important work developed by the CIVVIH.

Browse the publication

The pandemic pushed cars out of this historic Scottish city

In Edinburgh’s Old Town, Cockburn Street has been closed to cars since July to give residents, visitors, and restaurants more space to socially distance during the coronavirus pandemic. There are plans to keep it and other streets pedestrian-only in the future. [...]

by Mahti Mathew, 15 October 2020, National Geographic (online magazine)

Read the full article

Panorama: Nature-Culture Solutions

“PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet” is the name of the on-line platform documenting and promoting examples of innovative solutions across a range of topics, from conservation to sustainable development. The platform aims at providing replicable idea and enabling trans-disciplinary learning and inspiration.
The initiative is the product of a partnership between different international organizations. Among them, the section dedicated to “Nature-Culture Solutions” has been developed by the World Heritage Leadership Programme. The Programme is a partnership between ICCROM, IUCN, and the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and the Environment, in collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS.

Explore the 27 “Nature-Culture Solutions” linked to World Heritage through the Panorama platform
Learn more about the Panorama platform  

ICOMOS: GA2020 Marker Event

On 7 October 2020, Australia ICOMOS celebrated the 'GA2020 MARKER EVENT' to acknowledge the work and challenges undertaken to organise the 20th Triennial General Assembly and Scientific Symposium of ICOMOS, which was to be hosted in Sydney in autumn 2020 but was postponed due to the global pandemic. The event was organised around the interventions of 14 international experts covering six themes in individual presentation and panel discussion formats. The Marker Event live-streamed also a panel discussion on the theme of Shared Cultures - Shared Heritage - Shared Responsibility; and included the launch of a special issue of Historic Environment in this theme.

Learn more about the Marker Event 

ICOMOS Webinar “Advancing Risk Management for the Shared Future”

The webinar “Advancing Risk Management for the Shared Future" took place on 17 October. The event was presented as a cross-disciplinary collaboration between the six International Scientific Committees: ICORP, ISCARSAH, ISCEAH, ICTC, ISCES+CC and CIPA.
The meeting aimed to develop clear trans-disciplinary recommendations by addressing risk management in cultural heritage. The outcome of the joint meeting is to develop potential tools, such as papers or guidelines, for further implementation by heritage practitioners.

Learn more about the program  

3rd meeting of the European Commission Cultural Heritage Expert Group

The Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission organised an on-line meeting on 14 and 15 October gathering professionals in the fields of heritage, technology, sports, education and training.

UNESCO made a special presentation on the “Anniversary of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property” as well as on the projects implemented in the frame of the EU – UNESCO Partnership, such as the “Inter-regional and crosscutting action aiming to strengthen the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property” and “Fighting against the illicit trafficking of cultural property in the Western Balkans”. 

A special focus was put on COVID-19 and its impacts on the culture sector and the opportunities for adaptation and managing uncertainty. 

UNESCO is represented at the Cultural Heritage Expert Group by the Deputy Director of the World Heritage Centre. 

ICCROM Dialogue on “Applying resilience thinking to heritage places: from theory to practice”

On 17 September 2020, ICCROM held a new on-line event, this time, on “Applying resilience thinking to heritage places: from theory to practice”. During the dialogue, four international panellists discussed the definition of resilience, as the “capacity of a system to deal with change and continue to develop” and the practical meaning and implications of such a statement for heritage professionals.

Watch the background video 

Watch the dialogue 

OWHC webinar “Liveability in WH Cities” available online

Last 24 September 2020, the Regional Secretariat for Northwest Europe and North America of the Organization of World Heritage Cities, together with the host city Luxembourg, organised a virtual meeting and webinar on “Liveability in World Heritage Cities. During the session different defining categories for the concept of “liveability” were tackled and graded by all participants through an interactive poll; as a result the most relevant of the five categories were discussed and rated.

Watch the recording of the session 

and access presentation slides. 

Urban October

Every October, UN-Habitat and its partners organise every year in October a full programme of activities related to current urban challenges and with the aim to shape better urban futures. The “Urban October” activities began on 5 October, the World Habitat Day, on the theme “Housing For All: A better Urban Future”.

Learn more and look for upcoming activities

Call for Application: Sustainable Heritage Management Foundation Course

UNESCO launches the inaugural Sustainable Heritage Management Foundation Course for heritage practitioners in the Asia-Pacific region to upskill and reskill core competences.

Pressures on cities such as the current pandemic, climate change, economic slowdown, and conflicts mean that approaches to heritage management need to be reinvented. Beyond conservation-related objectives, heritage managers must also mobilize heritage for local development, as defined by the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Conducted by UNESCO Bangkok in cooperation with the Think City Institute and the Asian Academy for Heritage Management, this course will allow heritage professionals to upgrade their skills on heritage management, with a focus on South-East Asia to meet these new demands.  

The Course offers a combination of self-paced online learning and interactive webinars, followed by a capstone project and finale event. A limited number of scholarships are available, with priority given to World Heritage site managers from South-East Asia.  

Any inquiries, please contact Ms. Injee Kim at UNESCO Bangkok (i.kim@unesco.org)  

Learn more and apply

Call for proposals: Pilot project for the safeguard and promotion of culture in the Outermost regions and the Overseas Countries and Territories

The European Commission, Directorate-General, Regional And Urban Policy, Budget, Communication And General Affairs, Outermost Regions (DG REGIO), published a call for proposals related to a pilot project aimed at supporting culture in the Outermost regions (OR) and the Overseas Countries and territories (OCTs). The selected organisation will provide grants to projects to promote local culture, popular arts and ancestral cultures; to improve cultural dialogue and exchanges amongst ORs and OCTs and across the European Union; and to promote the dissemination of cultural and creative works. The call is worth €1 million and is aimed at supporting a minimum of 45 projects with a maximum amount of €20,000 each.

The deadline for submitting applications is 16 November.  

Learn more

International Training: Building together the future of heritage sites: developing and implementing sustainable management

The Pôle international francophone de formation et d’échanges des gestionnaires de sites patrimoniaux (International francophone centre for the training and exchanges of heritage site managers) will be conducting an international training course between the 31 May to the 11 June 2021. The goal of the training is to promote new, holistic perspectives of site management amongst French-speaking managers and to foster new experiences and exchanges.

The application period is open until the 30 October 2020. 

Learn more (in French)