International Heritage News
01
UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development Held in Mexico
Recently, the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development was held in Mexico. The 150 States Parties unanimously adopted the UNESCO 2022 Cultural Declaration. The declaration affirms culture as a “global public good” and represents a common roadmap for strengthening public policies in this field. It calls for stronger regulation of the digital sphere, especially major platforms, to protect online cultural diversity, artists’ intellectual property, and equitable access for all.
The declaration calls on governments to strengthen international cooperation to combat the illicit trafficking, looting, and plunder of cultural property. Director-General Audrey Azoulay also announced that UNESCO, in partnership with Interpol, will create a virtual museum of stolen cultural objects by 2025 to educate the public.
Source: www.unesco.org
02
UNESCO Site and Sustainability Academy 2022-23 Activities
The UNESCO Site and Sustainability Academy plans to hold a series of activities from November 2022 to March 2023. Based in Milan – a city that hosts three UNESCO designations: World Heritage, Creative City, and Biosphere Reserve – the Academy aims to protect cultural and natural resources through UNESCO’s global networks and make them drivers of local sustainable development.
Since 2015, the UNESCO Site and Sustainability Academy has organized five editions. The 2022-23 activities will be carried out in three phases. A pre‑launch event will be held on November 18, 2022. Five online lectures will be organized from January to February 2023. A field study will take place from March 21 to 24. The activities will focus on UNESCO sites including World Heritage, Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Creative Cities Network, the Man and the Biosphere Programme, and the Global Geoparks Network.
Source: www.unesco.org
03
Ukrainian President Zelensky Submits Odesa Nomination to UNESCO
On the afternoon of October 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a video address to the UNESCO Executive Board, formally submitting the candidacy of the historic center of Odesa for inscription on the World Heritage List. He also thanked UNESCO for its actions in Ukraine based on its mandate and called for “expanding joint efforts” to protect the country’s cultural heritage.
That morning, UNESCO had formally accepted the nomination file submitted by a delegation led by Vadym Omelchenko, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Ukraine to UNESCO, and Hennadiy Trukhanov, Mayor of Odesa. An advisory body will review the file before presenting it to the next session of the World Heritage Committee. The final decision on inscription will be made by the 21 member states of the Committee.
Source: www.unesco.org
04
ICOMOS Holds Thematic Framework Workshop on 20th‑Century Heritage
On October 14, the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on 20th Century Heritage and the Getty Conservation Institute held a new online seminar on the “20th‑Century Heritage Thematic Framework,” exploring its use as a tool for identification, assessment, and communication of heritage sites. Representatives from TICCIH, the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces, and Historic England participated in the roundtable discussion. For more details: isc20c.icomos.org/introductory-seminar-20chtf-eu/?utm_content
Source: International Heritage Watch
05
WMF and Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport Collaborate to Scan Cave World Heritage Site
WMF signed a cooperation agreement with the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport to conduct high‑precision digital recording of the Altamira Cave World Heritage site using photogrammetry and laser scanning. The scanning will employ state‑of‑the‑art technology to improve the level of scientific documentation for the Altamira Museum, facilitating the conservation, management, and promotion of the World Heritage site.
Sources: www.wmf.org; International Heritage Watch
06
Japan Plans to Renominate “Sado Island Gold Mines” for World Heritage in 2024
Due to incomplete nomination documents, Japan’s 2023 nomination project “Sado Island Gold Mines” was returned by the World Heritage Centre. However, Japan has not given up. After revising the text, the Japanese government resubmitted the preliminary dossier on September 29 for format review. It also stated that it would coordinate with UNESCO on the content before the nomination deadline of February 1 next year.
On September 30, a South Korean foreign ministry official commented that the Japanese government must first honor the commitments it made when nominating Battleship Island (Hashima) in 2015. When asked whether Japan’s renomination of the Sado gold mines would affect the pace of improving Korea‑Japan relations, the official said that the nomination process will proceed within the institutional framework of a multilateral body and is not directly related to restoring bilateral ties. However, South Korea is currently seeking to express its position at the UNESCO level, arguing that Japan has not explained the history of forced conscription of Korean laborers at the Sado mines.
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org; Loving World Heritage
07
Greece Subplements Pre‑review Dossier for Mount Olympus to UNESCO
On October 22, Greece submitted a pre‑review dossier for Mount Olympus for inscription on the World Heritage List. The dossier was compiled in cooperation with the Greek Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Environment, and the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency. The dossier will be assessed by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and returned to Greece, with the final version to be submitted in early 2023. Currently, Greece has only two mixed heritage properties on the World Heritage List; the remaining 16 are cultural properties.
Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni said: “Mount Olympus is an ideal combination of nature, mythology, and history. Although it is world‑famous because of Greek mythology, it also possesses valuable biodiversity. Promoting Mount Olympus as a natural landscape for World Heritage status aims to strengthen the country’s sustainable development.”
Source: International Heritage Watch
Domestic Heritage News
01
Four New World Heritage Irrigation Structures Added in China
(Figure: Intake gate of the Tongjiyan main canal)
On October 6, Tongjiyan (Sichuan Province), Xinghua Duotian (Jiangsu Province), Songgu Irrigation Area (Zhejiang Province), and Shangbao Terraces (Jiangxi Province) were successfully inscribed on the 2022 (9th) World Heritage Irrigation Structures list. With these four additions, China now has a total of 30 World Heritage Irrigation Structures. Also inscribed in the 9th batch were 15 sites from Australia, India, Iraq, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, and other countries. Currently, there are 140 World Heritage Irrigation Structures distributed across 18 countries.
Source: http://www.ncha.gov.cn/
02
China Wins the Right to Host UNESCO’s 5th World Biosphere Reserve Congress
In May 2022, with the approval of the State Council, China formally submitted its bid to host the 5th World Biosphere Reserve Congress. Recently, the Assistant Director‑General of UNESCO wrote to the Chinese National Committee for Man and the Biosphere, confirming that the 5th World Biosphere Reserve Congress will be held in China in 2025. This will be the first time the congress is held in China and also the first time in the Asia‑Pacific region. After the congress, UNESCO will also hold the 37th session of the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme in China.
Source: UNESCO
03
Regulations on the Protection of Beijing Central Axis Cultural Heritage Take Effect
On October 1, the Regulations on the Protection of Beijing Central Axis Cultural Heritage came into force. The Beijing Central Axis cultural heritage has been included by the National Cultural Heritage Administration on China’s Tentative List for World Heritage. Strengthening legal protection is a necessary step for world heritage nomination. To this end, the Regulations were adopted on May 25, 2022, at the 39th session of the Standing Committee of the 15th Beijing Municipal People’s Congress and took effect on October 1, 2022. The Regulations consist of five chapters and 31 articles, covering general provisions, protection planning and measures, transmission, utilization and public participation, legal liability, and supplementary provisions.
Source: National Cultural Heritage Administration
04
Results of the Global Joint Conference on Culture, Heritage and Climate Change Released
From December 6 to 10, 2021, the Global Joint Conference on Culture, Heritage and Climate Change, co‑organized by UNESCO, ICOMOS, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), was successfully held online. This conference was the highest‑level academic seminar on climate change and cultural heritage held globally. The National Cultural Heritage Administration of China provided financial support; ICOMOS China offered constructive advice during the preparation and recommended Chinese experts to attend. Zhang Rouran, a youth expert representative of ICOMOS China, delivered a speech.
The conference outcomes have now been freely released to the public as an electronic publication. Information can be accessed and downloaded on the conference website: https://www.cultureclimatemeeting.org
Source: ICOMOS China
05
First World Cultural and Natural Heritage Academic Forum to Be Held Next Month
Under the initiative of the UNESCO UNITWIN/Chairs Programme and the spirit of the Ministry of Education to promote interdisciplinary development, on the 50th anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the first World Cultural and Natural Heritage Academic Forum will be co‑organized by the UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Tourism in UNESCO Designated Sites, the UNESCO Chair on Living Heritage and Sustainable Development, the UNESCO Chair on Cultural Resource Management, WHITRAP, the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University, the Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology at Fudan University, the School of Architecture at Southeast University, the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University, the School of Landscape Architecture at Beijing Forestry University, and the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat‑sen University.
Forum Theme: 50 Years of the World Heritage Convention: Change, Dialogue and Sustainable Development
Date: November 26‑27, 2022
Location: Sun Yat‑sen University (Zhuhai Campus)
Source: Asia Heritage Management Society
06
First 100 Geological Heritage Sites List Released Globally, 7 in China Selected
On October 26, the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) released the first 100 Geological Heritage Sites list in Spain. Seven geological heritage sites from China were selected, making China one of the countries with the most selections in this batch. China’s seven selected sites cover petrology, structural geology, stratigraphy and paleontology, geography, and geomorphology. They are:
·Ordovician Rocks of Mount Everest (China/Nepal)
·Permian‑Triassic Mass Extinction and Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) at Meishan, Changxing (National Geological Heritage Reserve)
·Cambrian Fossil Site and Lagerstätte of Chengjiang, Yunnan (World Natural Heritage Site and National Geopark)
·Early Cretaceous Acidic Volcanic Columnar Joints in Hong Kong
·Rongbu Valley Detachment System, Southern Tibet
·Shilin Karst, Yunnan
·Bilutu High Sand Dune and Lakes of the Badain Jaran Desert, Inner Mongolia (World Geopark)
Source: World Heritage
07
Project Involving WHITRAP‑Beijing Wins Runner‑Up of 2022 Keck Awards
Recently, the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC) announced the results of the 2022 Keck Awards. After public voting and expert review, the heritage conservation innovation project titled “Community Practice for Routine Inspection and Protection of Heritage Sites in Changping District, Beijing in the Pandemic Environment,” submitted by a Chinese team, was shortlisted and ultimately won the Runners‑Up award. The project was jointly carried out by the Changping District Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Beijing Weiming Wenbo Cultural Technology Co., Ltd., with support from the Peking University research team and WHITRAP Beijing. This is the first time a Chinese team has won this award (biennial heritage conservation award).
Source: Peking University Cultural Heritage Research
