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OWH proposal for a revision of the operational guidelines made at the 46th WH Committee
OWH proposal for a revision of the operational guidelines to ensure the civil society organization’s effective participation in the decision process of the WH Committee
The statement was presented by Shikha Jain, OWH representative, under Item 11 of the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee, New Delhi (30 July 2024).
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OWH PROPOSAL FOR A REVISION OF THE OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES TO ENABLE CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS’ EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE DECISION PROCESS OF THE WH COMMITTEE
Mr President,
Thank you very much for giving the floor to OurWorldHeritage, a Foundation whose aim is to express the voice of civil society organizations within the framework of the 1972 Convention.
For many years, the UN as well as UNESCO reiterate, in their policies, the importance of an effective participation of Civil Society Organizations within their activities.
Unfortunately, in practical terms, the voice of civil society in the World Heritage Convention is still too weak. The 2003 Convention and the 2005 Convention have done a much better job of establishing procedures that enable the meaningful participation of civil society in decision-making.
OurWorldHeritage considers that it is high time that the Committee address this question.
The inclusion of civil society organizations will ensure that global communities, from youth to seniors, are truly empowered to protect and preserve our world's cultural sites and treasures. Working together, we must strengthen cultural understanding, promote peace and foster well-being.
To that end, we would like to urge the WH Committee to consider requesting a report on ways and means to enhance the participation of Civil Society Organizations in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, including specific recommendations for the necessary changes to the Rules of Procedure of its Governing Bodies and to the Operational Guidelines.
Our Foundation would be happy to contribute to the elaboration of this report to ensure that the views of civil society are reflected in its conclusions.
Mr President, I would like to request that this Statement be included in the summary records of the meeting. Thank you for your attention.
@Giovanni Boccardi
INTERPRETATION AND PRESENTATION OF CONTESTED HERITAGE TOWARDS TRUTH AND PEACE-BUILDING
OurWordHeritage hosts the third international seminar on heritage interpretation and presentation for future generations. It is co-organized with Seoul National University (Institute of International Studies), King's College London (Department of Classics), and ICOMOS-ICIP (International Committee on interpretation and presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites).
Background
Heritage sites related to the wars and conflicts serve as spaces for peaceful co-existence of multiple or competing memories by amplifying marginalized voices and promoting truth-telling.
However, challenges to understanding narratives associated with wars and conflicts at heritage sites are increasing, facilitated by historical exclusion and revisionism.
Therefore, there exists a necessity to include the underrepresented voices related to the wars and conflicts for a balanced understanding of history and countering disinformation, bias, and discrimination.
In particular, heritage sites and museums are the best place where all information is presented to the public and their interpretation strategies are the key to show the full history of contested heritage sites.* 2023 International Seminar on Heritage Interpretation and Presentation for Future Generation: Understanding Wartime Narratives in the Digital Age (June 15, 2023/ VU Amsterdam & Online), hosted by Seoul National University, VU Amsterdam and Our World Heritage (more information available here)* 2022 International Seminar to Share Best Practices in WW2 Heritage and Youth Engagement: Countering Revisionism – Engaging New Generations in Memory, Truth and Justice around World War II Heritage (July 7, 2022/ Rubin Museum in New York, USA & Online), hosted by Seoul National University and International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (video available here)
Purpose
To gather best practices of heritage interpretation and presentation on various human rights issues during wars and conflicts
To encourage contributions from, and cooperation among various actors working to make known the negative aspects of contested heritage, including experts, institutions, and civil society
To contribute to expanding the understanding of future generations on the controversial nature of heritage history and the importance of finding the full history for peace-building
Places and Cultures in Transition: Heritage Challenges for the Future
This session is a lecture series organised in collaboration with the Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation (Italy) as part of the week-long festival “The World In Florence”. We will record this session, and are in the process of enabling a life stream.
Florence celebrates 40 years in the convention
This event is co-organised with the City of Florence, to celebrate and commemorate the 40 years listing of Florence as World Heritage. We are trying to establish a life-stream, so that you can follow the session!
OWHvoices SYMPOSIUM session 4: Engaging international heritage organisations
Today, diverse international heritage organizations play fundamental roles in advancing heritage protection, advocacy, mobilization of citizens, and direct support to conservation projects. These groups collaborate in conservation and manage World Heritage places within the World Heritage system. The combined voices of the cultural and natural heritage NGO community can make a difference in protection to address the rapid pace of adaptive change that is urgently needed. The calls for their formal inclusion in the World Heritage system in order to confront and make progress on overcoming the plethora of threats facing our shared global heritage in the decades ahead.
OWHvoices SYMPOSIUM session 3: Strengthening heritage governance and management
The Convention puts central governments in charge of proposing sites to the World Heritage List and accounting to UNESCO for their conservation. Generally, central governments do not directly manage these heritage places and site management rests in the hands of local planners, local staff, and territorial agencies. While these on the ground managers protect and sustain World Heritage sites every day, they have no status within World Heritage processes. Inclusive heritage management is an urgent need.
OWHvoices SYMPOSIUM session 2: Promoting Skills and Awareness
Session 2 examines strategies adopted by UNESCO Category 2 Centres and other organizations to develop a diversity of skills for shared governance in protecting, conserving and presenting these sites. Presenters will discuss how they involve multiple stakeholders in their training programs and how they promote a greater role for civil society and non-State actors.
OWHvoices SYMPOSIUM session 1: Protecting our heritage, citizens and communities
The World Heritage Convention is at the forefront of heritage conservation and represents the technical processes of protection and management with limited community voice. While Article 5 of the Convention directs that heritage should have a role in the daily life of communities, to benefit people and the intergovernmental systems, there are limited roles in the World Heritage process that can be taken up by citizens and communities. As we look forward, the coming decades bring accelerated challenges with climate impacts, civil unrest, diasporas and more. The World Heritage system needs to be reframed to address these diverse challenges, and take up the opportunities to address the pressing issues of the 21st century, with heritage as a strong component of solutions at the community level.
OWHvoices GLOBINAR: People-Centric Heritage Voices from the Americas
GLOBINAR SESSION 3 focussed in the American regions, and will address the challenges of sustainability, new approaches to future heritage, and the role of civil society.
LA SESIÓN 3 DEL GLOBINAR, centrada en la región de América, abordará el desafío de la sustentabilidad, los nuevos enfoques sobre el patrimonio futuro y el papel de la sociedad civil.
OWHvoices GLOBINAR: People-Centric Heritage Voices from Africa-Europe
GLOBINAR SESSION 2 focussed in the African and European regions. More information will be posted soon.
We are organizing this globinar to bring together local communities and practitioners to learn from each others practical experiences and actions that come with the conservation and management of natural and cultural heritage.
OWHvoices GLOBINAR: People-Centric Heritage Voices from the Asia-Pacific
GLOBINAR SESSION 1 focussed in the Asia Pacific region, will address what natural and cultural heritage means to civil society. We look for the experiences, in particular:
• Learn anecdotes related to community and natural and cultural heritage
• Understand what does natural and cultural heritage mean to communities
• Explore how to engage community and civil society in sharing responsibilities
• The future possibilities for filling the gaps among community, civil society and practitioners.
Transnational Dialogues 3: City, housing and heritage
CUIDADO: este evento começa às 10h00 horário de Brasília (BRT)
PRECAUCIÓN: este evento comienza a las 10h00 hora de Buenos Aires (ART)
The City, Housing and Heritage roundtable aims to reflect on the place of heritage in the contemporary city, in the light of decolonial perspective and deepen the crossings with the issue of housing as a land use, which reveals itself to be preponderant in the life of communities in their different social strata.
Transnational Dialogues 2: City, Food, and Heritage
CUIDADO: este evento começa às 10h00 horário de Brasília (BRT)
PRECAUCIÓN: este evento comienza a las 10h00 hora de Buenos Aires (ART)
City is heritage. Food is heritage. How is the relationship between the actions, knowledges and experiences of feeding and food production in the city and the valorization of urban heritage? How does food contribute to expand the multiplicity of perspectives and values related to ancestry, interculturality and intersectorality to be bequeathed to future generations?
Transnational Dialogues 1: Art, City and Decoloniality
CUIDADO: este evento começa às 10h00 horário de Brasília (BRT)
PRECAUCIÓN: este evento comienza a las 10h00 hora de Buenos Aires (ART)
Transnational Dialogues is a series of round tables organised throughout 2022, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Article 5 paragraph a. of the convention highlights the value of cultural and natural heritage as part of the life of local communities, which inspired the series of Transnational Dialogues. In a series of roundtables, we will expand on the role of art, food and housing as means incorporate heritage into the daily life, and the life of communities, with a particular focus on decoloniality.
Bridging the Gap - 50 years of World Heritage Convention
While reflecting on the past fifty years of the World Heritage Convention, international experts in the heritage field will discuss the areas overlooked in the Convention and the role of heritage interpretation to complement those gaps. The panel members are going to discuss not only the fifty-year history of the World Heritage Convention but also the future challenges and the role of heritage interpretation in dealing with those issues.
Countering Revisionism: Engaging New Generations in Memory, Truth and Justice around World War II heritage
Representatives of Sites of Conscience and other cultural and heritage generations provide tools to counter historical revisionism. In addition, a roundtable discussion with youth from around the world will explore the importance of war heritage, the power of memory, and the ways that youth can take leadership roles in continuing these vital conversations.
CLIMATE EMERGENCY AT THE INTERSECTION OF LANDSCAPES, HERITAGE, COMMUNITIES AND TOURISM
The Climate emergency threatens our landscapes everywhere. In this session speakers will make short presentations about heritage sites in relationships to climate, landscape, community and tourism addressing issues, opportunities for resilience and tools for management. They will provide a variety of viewpoints, observations, and solutions to the impacts of the climate emergency through a landscape lens including culture and nature. This webinar is organized in the context of the International Day for Monuments and Sites.
CIVIL SOCIETY IN ACTION FOR UKRAINE’S ENDANGERED HERITAGE
This webinar intends to provide an opportunity to highlight these chains of support, and to provide a collaborative exchange between civil society organisations and institutions/initiatives in Ukraine to discuss concrete ways of providing short- and medium-term support in their efforts to preserve Ukrainian heritage and culture.