Engaging Youth in World Heritage: developing policy guidance and good practices for State Parties and World Heritage Stakeholders

UNESCO advocates the reaffirmation of identity, mutual respect, dialogue, and unity in diversity, solidarity and a positive interaction among the cultures of the world. This is valid for all areas, including for heritage, its identification, protection, conservation and promotion. It is of key importance that youth is involved in these activities so that it can build commitment and strengthen action in favour of preserving our cultural and natural heritage. Thus, efforts employed today will benefit not only the present generation, but also the generations of the future.

Fund this project

Budget Proposed
US$ 150,000

Duration
18 months

Beneficiary
Youth
Global

Category
Education
Sustainable Developement

Document
Download project description

This project is part of the Marketplace.

Context

Over time, it has been affirmed that heritage does not belong to the present generation and that it should go to future generations to be preserved and cherished by them so that they can do the same for those that will follow them.

Over more than two decades the World Heritage Education Programme has been promoting the educational potential of heritage, in particular by strengthening traditional knowledge and integrating heritage into formal and non-formal education through the development of activities, materials and tools.

A number of States Parties have developed programmes and tools to enhance involvement of youth in the protection of heritage.

Nonetheless, while developing the World Heritage Policy Compendium it has become evident that one of the main World Heritage policy gaps concerns engagement of youth, on the national, regional and site level.

How can we rethink heritage? How can the conservation, promotion and transmission of heritage be adapted to the challenges of the future? Urbanisation, climate change, global inequality, – much work lies before us. The most important actor in this debate is our global youth, the ones who will drive the change that is only starting now.

Objectives

Assist States Parties and other WH stakeholders to promote awareness among young people of the importance of World Heritage and of the World Heritage Convention, in order to obtain a sense of ownership and future stewardship for the sustainable management of World Heritage Sites
Develop policies and programmes in this regard
Encourage the active participation of youth, make their voice heard on how they could be involved and contribute to World Heritage and its conservation.

Outcomes
& Beneficiaries

Development of States Parties’ policies concerning youth engagement in preservation and promotion of heritage.
Increased number of youth engaged, not only as beneficiaries of actions, but also as fully-fledged actors, partners and advocates.
More actions and measures undertaken by in the conservation and promotion of World Heritage.

Implementation
steps

Detailed project document, outline and budget;
Research, key actors, consultation survey, data gathering and analysis;
Preparation of the appropriate material;
Side-event and other visibility outreach to launch the materiel;
Communication and dissemination.

Relevance

UNESCO is committed to empowering youth and ensuring that their voices are heard. The Organization is guided in this by an Operational Strategy on Youth (2014-2021). Through this project, we are encouraging the active participation of youth, and the integration of youth concerns and issues into the national policies, programmes and activities carried out to implement the World Heritage Convention.)

Budget

An estimated overall extrabudgetary funding of USD 150,000 is needed for the implementation of this activity. These funds will cover the development of policy guidance and good practices, as well as monitoring and coordination costs.

Donor's visibility

A communication & visibility plan will be developed in consultation with the donor(s) and will include (but not limited to) the options below:

Visibility Material	Collaterals	Placement	Outreach	Target audience
Dedicated webpage on the WH website	Donor's logo	World Heritage Centre website whc.unesco.org	● Public	Statistics for 2018: 14,340 000 visits 9,835 000 unique visitors 4, 1650 00 pages viewed
Promotional and communication campaign on social media	Donor's logo	UNESCO networks: Twitter Facebook Instagram Google+ YouTube	● Public and subscribers to UNESCO social media	1,300 000 social media subscribers 5.800.000 impressions per month Statistics 2018 (+13%) : : 3,56M followers :1,257941 followers 63,841 subscribers : 1,271 453 subscribers Instagram:1,032 067 followers
News and event article(s) in focus on UNESCO and World Heritage Centre website	Donor's logo	World Heritage Centre's website Site: whc.unesco.org	● Public interested in world heritage issues	Statistics for 2016: 13,340 000 visits 9,735 000 unique visitors 4, 1650 00 pages viewed 111, 343 members
	Donor's logo	UNESCO website : www.unesco.org	● Public interested in UNESCO mandate	Statistics for June 2016 to June 2017 38, 379 764 visits 26, 763 513 pages viewed
Side-events at the World Heritage Committee	Donor's logo	World Heritage Committee - Official Launch and promotion campaign	● Committee members ● State Parties ● Observers ● NGOs ● Site Managers ● World media present	Around 2,000 participants from 193 countries 5963 media coverage recorded during the 41COM More than 2000 live connections on YouTube
Article on the Site Managers network in paper review	Donor's Logo	The World Heritage Review and/or World Heritage Paper Series	● Public	More than 20 000 subscribers

Contact

Petya Totcharova
Head of Unit
Policy and Statutory Meetings
World Heritage Centre
p.totcharova@unesco.org

For first email correspondence, please copy: wh-marketplace@unesco.org

Ines Yousfi
Associate Project
Policy and Statutory Meetings Unit
World Heritage Centre
i.yousfi@unesco.org

Share on social media

UNESCO social media