Recommendations for World Heritage recovery and reconstruction developed in Warsaw

The “Warsaw Recommendation on Recovery and Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage” was developed at the ‘International conference on reconstruction: The challenges of World Heritage recovery’ held in Warsaw, Poland, from 6 to 8 May.

The purpose of the international conference was to summarize previous discussions and experiences regarding the recovery and reconstruction of UNESCO World Heritage sites, and attempt to develop the most appropriate, universal guidelines for moving forward with properties of exceptional value at the time of destruction, notably for historic urban areas. The 200 participants who gathered from around the world included heritage experts from 30 countries and Institutions from Poland, the Global Alliance for Urban Crises, ICOMOS, ICCROM, the World Bank, UNISDR and UNESCO.

The conference was organized by Poland and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, implementing decisions of the World Heritage Committee in 2016 and 2017.

The City of Warsaw, which provided the venue for the Conference, was recognized as the most relevant and inspiring context for the deliberations, considering the tragedy of deliberate destruction it suffered during World War II and the subsequent exemplary reconstruction of its historic centre.