XV.1 The Chair stated that this agenda item has two components, the Global Training Strategy and the establishment of a Heritage Partnership Programme. The Secretariat presented working document WHC-2000/CONF.204/18 indicating that there were two recommendations for adoption by the Committee, the first on a Global Training Strategy for Cultural Heritage, prepared by ICCROM, and the second, recommendations for follow-up activities to the Strategic Action Plan for Training in the Field of Natural Heritage. The Centre drew the attention of the Committee to the substantive 66-page document Global Training Strategy for Cultural Heritage prepared by ICCROM, which is provided in full as information document WHC-2000/CONF.204/INF.16, to complement the summary of ICCROM's reflection contained in working document CONF.204/18.
XV.2 The Secretariat reported that the meeting between the World Heritage Centre, ICCROM and interested States Parties and other advisory bodies to develop "the Regional Training Strategy and Programme Matrix and Related Action Plan", which ICCROM proposed to host was not held due to the Special Session of the Bureau in Budapest. She emphasized the increasing awareness of the importance of training, especially national-level capacity building and how the target audience for training evolved along with the changed notion of heritage. Stating that training forms an essential part of UNESCO's fundamental task to support national capacity building in the fields of competence of the Organization, the Secretariat informed the Committee of the main orientation of past and ongoing training activities incorporating them in the heritage conservation supported by UNESCO. Due to difficulties in obtaining donor support for specialized national and regional training institutions for heritage conservation, UNESCO shifted its focus to site-based on-the-job training activities inserted in the operational projects entrusted to the Organization to coordinate or execute, and to building partnerships with existing institutions to insert teaching in heritage management and conservation skills. In this regard, she expressed the Centre's appreciation for the newly established world heritage studies programmes at the Technical University in Cottbus, Germany, Cilento National Park, Italy; Beijing University, China, Waseda University, Japan, and indicated that the Francois Rabelais University in Tours, France will soon be starting a programme on world heritage and cultural landscape.
XV.3 Stressing the need for coherence and complementarity in the numerous on-going initiatives and activities, the Centre expressed its appreciation for the collaboration of ICCROM in the development of this Global Training Strategy for Cultural Heritage which was fully endorsed by the Centre. ICCROM's newly appointed Director-General, Dr. Nicholas Stanley-Price, introduced the Global Training Strategy for World Cultural Heritage and stressed ICCROM's interest in strengthening its role as an Advisory Body to the World Heritage Committee. The detailed presentation, made by ICCROM staff Herb Stovel and Nobuko Inaba, emphasized the importance of bringing the 6 year development of the Strategy to a close, given the advent of the periodic reporting process, and its expected strategic outputs for training. The ICCROM presentation covered historical development of the strategy as initially requested by the Bureau in June 1994, a brief review of ICCROM activities in support of the Convention in 2000, and outlined and elaborated on key elements of the proposed strategic approach.
XV.4 These key elements included a "framework of principles" developed in expert discussions over several years and used to define a "strategic orientation" for the training strategy, priority actions within international strategies and programmes, indicative areas of action within regional strategies and programmes, a funding and implementation strategy and particular roles and responsibilities within a World Heritage training system. The funding and implementation strategy proposed included administrative measures (enhancing use of internal assessment and periodic reporting review tools), measures concerning more focussed use of the World Heritage Fund, and measures to attract and guide external funding. The presentation of roles and responsibilities within an overall World Heritage training system elaborated on the role assigned to ICCROM as "priority partner in training" by the Committee in 1996, stressing ICCROM's co-ordination role, its quality control role, its role as builder of networks for World Heritage training, its role in development of training materials for delivery by others, and the importance of its role in developing training proposals with the World Heritage Centre.
XV.5 The delegates strongly welcomed the Strategy for providing a coherent framework, for emphasizing the link to periodic reporting and for stressing the importance of the practical guidelines. Some Delegates expressed a feeling that the existence of three different documents (two working documents and one information document) rather than a consolidated one, caused confusion. The Committee asked the Secretariat and ICCROM to produce one integrated document for consideration by the Bureau at the twenty-fifth session.
XV.6 The Committee, upon reviewing the actions proposed by the Centre in document CONF/ 204/18, adopted the following:
- For institutional teaching: continue identification of partners in collaboration with ICCROM, ICOMOS and relevant divisions of UNESCO; streamline Forum UNESCO network and activities;
- For individual scholarships and study tour opportunities: joint evaluation by ICCROM-World Heritage Centre on UNESCO fellowship programme and solicit more financial contributions and institutional partnerships.
- For inventory of cultural resources and mapping: to establish modalities of cooperation with international, regional and bilateral development cooperation agencies
- For conservation of historic monuments and archaeological sites: in cooperation with national conservation agencies, ICCROM, UNESCO, Nordic World Heritage Office (NWHO), Nara Cultural Heritage Protection Office (ACCU/Nara) and Forum UNESCO, to develop a more systematic approach to identify on-site, on-the-job training opportunities at World Heritage Sites; develop a proposal for an international or regional UNESCO-ICCROM recognized diploma or certificate which would include on-site training towards these diplomas, and, to identify means to ensure multi-year funding to stabilize such training courses.
XV.7 The Committee, upon examining the proposed Global Training Strategy for Cultural Heritage adopted the following priority actions:
Strategic orientation
- To be most effective, a global training strategy must be composed of complementary regional training strategies. Towards this end, continuing attention must be given to monitoring, updating and refining regional training strategies.
- Training for World Heritage is best improved by strengthening provisions for conservation training at all levels and in all related disciplines globally. Training programmes specifically set up to focus on World Heritage site conservation may cause unnecessarily duplication of effort. Rather, existing and new conservation training programmes should be encouraged to integrate World Heritage components and perspectives.
- The Committee, Centre, and Advisory Bodies should ensure appropriate monitoring and follow-up of training activities carried out within the Global Training Strategy. Information on training activities should be archived as a planning tool for future activities.
- The "checklist and criteria for review of requests of training assistance" developed by ICCROM should be reviewed and adopted by the Committee to ensure consistent and transparent review of training requests.
- The "framework of principles" to guide planning and development of proactive training initiatives should be reviewed and adopted by the Committee.
- Results of the periodic reporting process should be used to update and adapt, as necessary, the global and regional training strategies.
The Committee should integrate these results into its overall strategic planning process
International training perspectives
Challenges:
- Training institutions which have already developed World Heritage components should be utilized by the Committee to the fullest extent possible to deliver training activities.
- In regions where such specialization does not yet exist, the Committee should encourage leading regional institutions to develop programmes with significant World Heritage focus.
- Training programmes should be linked to the whole process of World Heritage protection including preparation of tentative lists, nominations and monitoring after inscription.
- Although specific needs can best be addressed by looking at the local and regional context, the exchange of information and practices at the international level plays an important development and testing role for new approaches and ideas.
Priority Actions
- Establishment of a network of existing international/regional/national training institutions concerned with World Heritage.
- Development of a series of off-the-shelf training modules and supporting materials to improve implementation of the Convention, particularly in relation to preparing nominations and to carrying out periodic reporting and related state of conservation monitoring for sites.
- Continued development of the Management Guidelines series published by ICCROM, UNESCO, and ICOMOS to include areas not yet covered (e.g., archaeological sites).
- Development of simplified "technical notes" and advice, linked to the above Management Guidelines series, for site managers.
- Explore development of a capacity-building programme based on continuing exchange of teams of professionals, site managers and national decisionmakers from "well-represented" and "underrepresented" countries, which would treat, in line with regional periodic reporting results, development of draft tentative lists, nominations, state-of-conservation monitoring reports, and analysis of best management practices.
- Development of trainers' workshops and programmes, intended to strengthen the capacity of training leaders (including site managers) to develop and deliver needed training for improved implementation of the World Heritage Convention.
Natural Heritage
XV.8 The Secretariat introduced the natural heritage component of the document WHC-2000/CONF.204/18 as reported on pages 13 - 15 of that document.
XV.9 IUCN agreed with the five points of action recommended by the Secretariat for adoption by the Committee. IUCN considered training to be an important tool for achieving the goals and objectives of the Convention and informed the Committee that it will start discussions with the Centre to find better ways to implement the Strategic Action Plan for Training Specialists in Natural Heritage as adopted by the eighteenth session of the Committee (Berlin, 1995). IUCN also offered to assist the Committee and the Centre to elaborate a Global Training Strategy for Natural Heritage similar to that developed by ICCROM for cultural heritage.
XV.10 The Delegate of Canada encouraged the Committee and the Centre to accept the offer of IUCN to develop Global Training Strategy for Natural Heritage. If developed, this natural heritage component, together with that developed by ICCROM for cultural heritage, will constitute a complete training strategy for the Convention.
The Committee requested the Centre to co-operate with IUCN and other relevant partners in order to:
- Re-inform States Parties of the Strategic Action Plan for Training in the field of Natural Heritage adopted by the Committee in 1995, stressing that the Plan will determine the activities eligible for financial support from the World Heritage Fund beginning from 2001;
- Communicate with Regional Training Institutes such as Mweka College, Tanzania and Garoua College, Cameroon, to review the annual fellowship-support granted to them so far and initiate negotiations with them as well as with other new, training institutes in Africa to redesign training support to African site personnel using World Heritage Regional Training Workshops as recommended by Action 2 of the Plan that could benefit a larger number of personnel each year;
- Review links between the Strategic Action Plan for Training in the field of Natural Heritage and the recommendations of the CONNECT (Capacity Building for Outreach, Natural Heritage Networking, Education, Co-operation and Training) Task Force meeting with a view to design and develop pilot projects and actions which have significance for natural heritage training, education and outreach;
- Expand partnerships for designing and developing training, educational, networking and outreach actions benefiting World Natural Heritage sites and develop pilot initiatives that could attract financing from both public and private sector sources other than the World Heritage Fund; and
- Report on measures taken to implement the abovementioned recommendations, including significant achievements made and difficulties and constraints encountered and proposals for a 3-year work programme, to the twenty-fifth session of the Committee in 2001.
XV.11 The Chairperson requested that the Centre should also, in accordance with the proposal made by the Delegate of South Africa, place significant emphasis on the Training of Trainers as a way to ensure sustainability of knowledge and skills transfer and a more cost-effective use of the limited resources provided by the World Heritage Fund for training specialists in natural heritage.