Safeguarding World Heritage: Expert meeting on competency standards for cultural heritage management

To enhance the flagship World Heritage mission, UNESCO Bangkok will host a three-day expert meeting to develop a competency framework for cultural heritage management on 4-6 June, 2018. Starting with a focus on the South-East Asian context, this framework is meant to enhance World Heritage Site management in the region and beyond. With the generous contribution of the Korean Funds-in-Trust, it will also improve educational planning at the tertiary and vocational levels in cultural heritage management.

In this meeting, representatives of selected World Heritage Sites, capacity-building experts, academics and important advisory institutions (ICOMOS, IUCN, ILO, WHITRAP, OWHC Asia-Pacific Secretariat, ASEAN Secretariat, SEAMEO-SPAFA, SEAMEO-RIHED and SEAMEO-VOCTECH) will jointly develop key elements for a competency framework.

The framework will identify skills and knowledge areas for different staff levels at World Heritage Sites, from executives and managers to skilled workers. It will also assist World Heritage Sites to improve human resource management, staff performance and training. In addition, it can help to define job descriptions, requirements and staff assessments, as well as identify training and development needs.

Overall, this can strengthen staff capacities to ensure high quality site conservation and management. It will also benefit universities and vocational training institutions in designing qualification standards, training programmes and curricula suitable for the jobs on the ground.

The meeting will be informed by an ongoing UNESCO Bangkok survey of existing university offerings related to cultural heritage management in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, a review of existing models of competency frameworks for cultural heritage and World Heritage management, including natural site management, will be shared. A survey of Southeast Asian World Heritage cultural site management agencies’ current staffing levels and priorities for capacity development will follow the expert meeting.

After the initial expert workshop, the following activities are planned:

• Further development of the competency framework for cultural heritage management in the Southeast Asian context
• Second expert workshop to present the draft competency framework for finalization and discuss how to fill gaps between existing educational programmes and needs in the field
• Third expert workshop to promote university cooperation to strengthen educational programmes in cultural heritage management, within the context of the competency framework

When: 4-6 June Bangkok, Thailand

Where: Bangkok Hotel Lotus Sukhumvit, Sukhumvit 33, Klongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok

For more information, please contact:

Culture Unit, UNESCO Bangkok

Tel:         (66 2) 391-0577 Ext. 509 / Fax:      (66 2) 391-0866

Email: culture.bgk@unesco.org