World Heritage City Lab – Sustainable Development Practices for Urban Heritage

30 November 2021

The World Heritage City Lab “World Heritage Sites: Sustainable Development Practices for Urban Heritage” was held on 30 November 2021, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the inscription of the World Heritage property “Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” on the UNESCO World Heritage List and in the framework of the UNESCO HUL Call for Action.

The first stage of the Conference took place online on 10th December 2020, as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the inscription of “Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” in the UNESCO World Heritage List. During the conference, national and international experts exchanged scientific knowledge and practical experience. The program of the event included four plenary sessions on the thematic areas "Historical Urban Environment", "Prosperity and sustainable livelihoods", "Knowledge and Skills" and "Inclusion and Participation". Experts discussed the main challenges and resources of selected case-studies of urban sites, their contribution to sustainable development, and the capacity of World Heritage site managers to promote prosperity, liveability and peace in historic cities.

This first stage served to raise awareness about the role of culture and cultural heritage in achieving sustainable development among World Heritage site managers in Europe, their teams and networks, as well as to identify the factors that hinder the full potential of cultural contribution to economic, social and environmental sustainable development.

The second stage of the Conference was a hybrid event, which took place in Kyiv and online on 30th November 2021 and expanded on the results of the first stage, making a particular contribution to the celebrations of the 10th Anniversary of the adoption of the HUL Recommendation by the General Conference of UNESCO and as a follow up to the UNESCO HUL Call for Action. This event resumed the discussion on the prevailing challenges and resources for urban heritage fostering sustainable development, building the capacities of World Heritage site managers contributing to prosperous, resilient and peaceful cities.

The event recording is available on YouTube through this link.
Download the agenda here.
Download the concept note here.