OurWorldHeritage - Newsletter August & September

Dear reader

Thank you for staying connected to the OWH initiative. 16 sessions were concluded last month, revolving around the #2021debate on Sustainability. We want to thank the team and speakers who made it possible! We invite you to watch back the full series on our website, and stay tuned for the results of these discussions!

In this ‘double’ newsletter, we will announce the thematic debate of August and September, respectively Climate Change and Biodiversity and Heritage Places and Memory! Both of the programmes are published on our website, save the dates we hope you can accompany us making constructive discussions!

On behalf of the OurWorldHeritage initiative, we wish you a deserved summer break (for people in the north), or a fruitful working time in the south.

Climate change and the alteration of the ecosystems due to greenhouse gas emission are threatening both cultural and natural heritage in unprecedented and unpredictable ways. How can World Heritage be effectively protected and how can it serve as a model for heritage conservation worldwide? How can World Heritage support biodiversity conservation efforts? How can prediction of future impacts of climate change on World Heritage sites be improved in order to guide mitigation and adaptation projects? This month we are specifically looking forward to hear the contributions from a great selection of speakers mainly working in the field of Natural heritage protection, we refer to the webpage to see the full list of speakers.

4 sessions will take place in the last week of August. Click on the event for updated information. The exact times and the direct links for access/registration will be made available soon!

TUESDAY 24th: OPENING DAY - CLIMATE CHANGE & BIODIVERSITY

WEDNESDAY 25th: WORLD HERITAGE AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

THURSDAY 26th: WORLD HERITAGE AND CLIMATE CHANGE

FRIDAY 27th: NATURE CULTURE LINKAGES

All heritage sites have the potential to be sites of memory to a greater or lesser extent. The dynamic and plural nature of the world’s cultural and natural heritage in diverse societies has not been sufficiently considered in the discourse of the 1972 World Heritage Convention. How can the World Heritage Convention approach the representation of these sites of memory? How do the other international conventions or programs address this issue and what are the practical ways do ensure their conservation? 

The organizers of this theme are keen to engage in dialogue with various voices from different regions and diverse groups. In addition to the series of academic webinars, campaigns and on-site activities, in particular with the participation of youth, will be organized throughout the month of September 2021.

We would also like to attend you to the YOUTH VIDEO CONTEST and the CALL FOR CASE STUDIES. The deadline is extended August 15th!

Join the sessions and contribute to the debate. Click on the event of your interest for further details or follow our updates on the webpage.

WEDNESDAY 01st, 09:00-10:30 UTC:

OPENING EVENT: Heritage Places and Memory – Different Voices and Diverse Ideas

TUESDAY 07th, 12:00-13:30 UTC:

YOUTH ROUND TABLE: Voices of the Youth – Transmission of Heritage Memory

THURSDAY 09th, 09:00* UTC (French+English):

SESSION 1: HERITAGE SITES, INTANGIBLE VALUES (SITES DU PATRIMOINE, VALEURS IMMATÉRIELLES)

TUESDAY 14th, 11:00-12:30 UTC:

SESSION 2: CHANGING MEANING OF HERITAGE PLACES

THURSDAY 16th, 11:00-12:30 UTC:

SESSION 3: INNOVATIVE MODELS FOR INCLUSIVE INTERPRETATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES

THURSDAY 23rd, 13:00-14:30 UTC:

SESSION 4: HERITAGE SITES – DIVERSE, PLURAL OR DISSONANT MEMORIES

TUESDAY 28th, 18:00-19:00 UTC:

SESSION 5: INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PRACTICES AS LIVING HERITAGE FOR SUSTAINABILITY

THURSDAY 30th, 09:00-10:30 UTC:

CLOSING EVENT: Memory for the Future

OWHvoices is an experimental and online forum that allows people and organizations to share information and viewpoints on the state of conservation of World Heritage sites. It opened on the occasion of the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee, but the forum will remain open in the future.

OurWorldHeritage looks back and wonders: what are your afterthoughts in the wake of the 44th World Heritage Committee meeting? You can share short statements in the forum topic, and we will organize a follow up session as a special edition of the #2021debate, eventually feeding into the the #2021debate policy recommendations. Share your voice, best practice and concerns!

The September #2021debate Heritage Places and Memory appreciates the enormous attention and participation around the world. Therefore, we would like to extend the deadline of the call for case studies to 15th August 2021! You can find specific information here.

The participants are invited to specify which of the three issues below they are addressing:

1. CHANGING MEANING: Cause of change (conflict, natural disaster, socio-economic change, change of interpretation, etc.), Tools for mapping meaning change (digital tools, crowdsources, social media, public consultation such as surveys and internet, etc.)

2. GENERAL INTERPRETATION OF A HERITAGE SITE: How interpretation communicates the values and significance of a site for all stakeholders and the general public, including how interpretation links with contemporary concerns.

3. DISSONANT MEMORIES: Cases addressing issues of discrimination against minorities, of colonial domination or of recent conflicts, using an inclusive approach.

The team of #2021debate Heritage Places and Memory is happy to announce to all the Youth around the world that the deadline for the Youth Video Contest has been extended to 15th August 2021.

If you have a desire to Share your memory about Heritage, please do NOT hesitate and just Participate in the Contest!

Please find the extended guidelines for submission here. You can also easily follow the instructions in this video posted in our webpage.

Do not miss the prizes this team has for you!

In the framework of the #2021debate December: Opening up to Civil Society, this survey aims to gather data that can help us in our research to make effective comparisons about the role of civil society in heritage governance over time and across countries, within and outside of UNESCO frameworks. Thank you in advance for your collaboration. We really appreciate your time! For more questions email us at owhcivilsociety@gmail.com.

Access the survey here!

OurWorldHeritage and the #2021debate team Information Technology congratulate again both 2nd place winners of the global competition!! Some special attention is well deserved:

This winning team is led by Dr. Feng HAN, Dr. Chen YANG, Prof. Fulong CHEN, and Dr. Shizhen XIAO, educators and experts in natural and cultural landscapes, information technology, and virtual reality, the proposed project, Wulingyuan Nature-Culture Lenses, is an augmented reality (AR) based smartphone application designed to enhance the interpretation of natural and cultural heritage values, while bringing awareness to and promoting world heritage values to local communities. The geo-database is loaded with a variety of ‘lenses’, such as the Geology lens, Agriculture lens, or Costume lens, that provide an interactive experience aimed at expanding perspectives. The application also boasts the broadcasting of live events to bring communities and visitors together in shared experiences.

Measuring Tourism & Destination Well-being in the Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal by the Khumbu Caretakers!

The Khumbu Caretakers team led by Dr. Mingma Norbu Sherpa (CEO, Himalayan Trust, Nepal) & Dr. Paul Rogers (Co-Founder & Director, Planet Happiness), submitted the project Measuring Tourism & Destination Well-being in the Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal. Using Planet Happiness’ 10-step approach the project focuses on strengthening community resilience and well-being, considering the challenges caused by the pandemic that have affected international tourism and local livelihoods. Recently, Planet Happiness convened a high-level dialogue with leaders of global tourism industry on the 19th of July to discuss a 2-page COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Position paper recognising the imperative to value and measure travel and tourism’s contribution to destination well-being.

The winning project is iDiscover Ahmedabad, Voicing Untold Narratives. Stay tuned and follow all the results of the 2021 debate on the Transformational Impacts of Information Technology webpage!

In this edition of OWH talks #5, Maria Siguencia Avila continues to interview those people that are committed to our initiative. This month, you can learn more about our guests Minja Yang and Kay Van Damme.

We aim to post as many #2021debate events as possible on our YouTube channel. We thank all speakers, coordinators, conveners and collaborators for their generous contributions and the incredibly insightful webinars that have been featured so far! All sessions´ recordings of the July #2021debate Sustainability are now available on YouTube or here.

We would much appreciate it if you would share this newsletter and our Social Media Channels with your local network, and in doing so, support our Global Outreach Team!

The OurWorldHeritage initiative is focussed on reaching out to people and communities all over the world. We maintain Social Media channels in 10 languages to connect, engage and exchange with local communities. You can also follow news on the relevant events in your language. Willing to add a voice in a new language? Do not hesitate to contact us, and we will assist you. 

Twitter – Instagram – Facebook يمكنكم متابعة حسابنا باللغة العربية 

You can join our network through filling out this online form. If you have ideas that go beyond the options presented in the form, you can always send us an email.