International Heritage News
01
First Regional Meeting of Managers of UNESCO World Marine Heritage Sites in Latin America and the Caribbean
From September 8 to 13, the first regional meeting of managers of UNESCO World Marine Heritage Sites in Latin America and the Caribbean was hosted at the Península Valdés World Marine Heritage Site in Argentina. Managers from 12 UNESCO World Marine Heritage Sites in the region, along with experts from UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), participated in the meeting. Key topics discussed included the impact of avian influenza on marine life, designing sustainable tourism strategies, early detection of invasive species, and the effects of increasingly warming waters. In addition to the meeting sessions, participants conducted field visits to the Península Valdés World Heritage Site and community‑focused lectures were held, enabling local students, researchers, tour guides, park rangers, and other stakeholders to engage in discussions on the conservation of Península Valdés.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Convention
02
Second Asian Youth Forum on Cultural Heritage Held
From October 1 to 2, at the Second Asian Youth Forum on Cultural Heritage, experts and scholars from 24 countries, including Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bhutan, India, China, and Thailand, along with over 100 student representatives, engaged in extensive discussions on the role of traditional wisdom in cultural heritage conservation. During the event, Professor Pham Hong Long from the Faculty of Tourism Studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Vietnam, Professor Nestor T. Castro from the Department of Anthropology at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Dr. Dominic Chuo, architect and member of the Malaysian Council of Monuments and Sites, and Professor Chin‑Ee ONG from the Macau University of Tourism delivered keynote speeches on the theme.
Source: UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Tourism in Heritage Sites
03
2024 UK Maritime Heritage Annual Forum
From October 2 to 4, the UK Maritime Heritage Forum, organized by the National Maritime Museum Cornwall and sponsored by Beckett Rankine Marine Engineering Consultants, was successfully held. Museum professionals and scholars in the maritime heritage field delivered keynote speeches on topics such as coastal communities and coastal resilience, new narratives for interpreting the sea, and the challenges facing maritime heritage conservation.
Source: World Heritage UK
04
2024 European Cultural Heritage Summit
From October 6 to 8, the 2024 European Cultural Heritage Summit was held in Romania, focusing on discussions on the political, environmental, and social value of European cultural heritage and new opportunities. The summit, organized annually by Europa Nostra, aims to promote the political, environmental, and social significance of European cultural heritage. The Vice President of ICOMOS delivered a keynote speech, emphasizing the connection between communities and heritage and the importance of protecting people’s dignity in heritage practice. She called for strengthened cooperation with policymakers outside the heritage sector to formulate effective policies and reaffirmed the important value of the 2019 ICOMOS European Quality Principles. Furthermore, she urged the adoption of innovative solutions to ensure that historic buildings contribute to sustainable development rather than becoming environmental burdens.
Source: China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation
05
Living Heritage in the Urban Context – 18th Annual Expert Meeting on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Southeast Europe
From October 9 to 11, the 18th Annual Regional Expert Meeting on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Southeast Europe was held in Warsaw, Poland. The meeting paid special attention to the protection of urban intangible cultural heritage (ICH), bringing together, for the first time, national ICH coordination centers, city representatives, and other experts working on living heritage in urban areas. Representatives from 16 European countries and cities exchanged experiences in safeguarding ICH in urban environments. Global urbanization is challenging community bonds. While cities have long accommodated various forms of living heritage, rapid changes in lifestyles and the convergence of new communities in urban environments require heritage managers to adopt new methods for safeguarding ICH in order to build inclusive and sustainable cities.
Source: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Domestic Heritage News
01
2024 Beijing Cultural Forum Successfully Held
From September 19 to 21, the Beijing Cultural Forum, jointly organized by the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the Beijing Municipal People’s Government, was successfully held in Beijing. The forum adopted the annual theme of “Deepening Cultural Exchange for Common Progress.” On September 19, the main forum opened, featuring the successful inscription of the Beijing Central Axis as a World Heritage site as one of its key highlights. Special reports were presented on the “Beijing Experience” in the nomination and protection of the Beijing Central Axis and on further work related to the preservation of famous historical and cultural cities. The highly anticipated “Top Ten Events in the Construction of the National Cultural Center in 2023” were also announced. Additionally, the forum included six parallel sub‑forums and 32 professional salons, focusing on cultural exchange, cultural inheritance, cultural industries, cultural heritage, and cultural dissemination. An innovative Cultural Industry Investor Conference was also held, during which multiple achievements were released and several projects were signed.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
02
First “ICOMOS · China · Cultural Heritage University Forum” Held at Tsinghua University
On September 21, the first “ICOMOS · China · Cultural Heritage University Forum,” jointly organized by the International Council on Monuments and Sites China (ICOMOS China), the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), was held at Tsinghua University. The conference focused on the theme “Disciplinary Development of Cultural Heritage.” Song Xinchao, President of ICOMOS China; Zhang Yue, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University; and Leonardo Castriota, Vice President of ICOMOS, attended and delivered speeches on behalf of the organizers. Participating experts and scholars from various regions and institutions presented reports focusing on the interaction and connection between ICOMOS and university resources, theories and methods of cultural heritage studies, the integration of cultural heritage education and practice, cultural heritage curricula, and the cultivation of young professionals. The successful organization of this forum established a platform for exchange and cooperation in the field of cultural heritage protection in the Asia‑Pacific region, fully demonstrating the development and broad prospects of the cultural heritage discipline, and holds profound significance for promoting international cooperation and advancing the field of cultural heritage research. Wang Siyu, Assistant Professor at the School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, and Researcher at the UNESCO Asia‑Pacific World Heritage Training and Research Center (Beijing), attended the conference and delivered a speech.
Source: ICOMOS China
03
2024 “Belt and Road” International Youth Forum on Creativity and Heritage (IYF) Successfully Held
From September 22 to 28, the “Belt and Road” International Youth Forum on Creativity and Heritage (IYF) was held concurrently in Changsha and Nanjing, China. With the theme “Reimagining Our Heritage: Stories of Resilience and Change,” the forum aimed to encourage youth from various countries to engage in cultural heritage protection and innovation and entrepreneurship, and to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations in Belt and Road partner countries. Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director‑General for Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO, and Chen Jie, Vice Minister of Education and Chairperson of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, delivered video speeches. Zhou Haibing, Vice Governor of Hunan Province and Mayor of Changsha, attended the opening ceremony. Sixty youth representatives from 53 Belt and Road partner countries (including China), along with representatives from UNESCO Creative Cities Network member cities and youth volunteers, participated in the opening ceremony. The UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia expressed its hope that through this platform, exchanges and cooperation among youth from partner countries would be further promoted, contributing youthful strength to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
Source: UNESCO
04
UNESCO Capacity Building Training: Crafting a New Chapter for Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection in Gansu
From September 24 to 26, UNESCO, in collaboration with the World Bank and the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, jointly organized the capacity building training session “Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage: Empowering Communities for Sustainable Economic Growth” in Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. Gansu Province, known for its rich cultural heritage and diverse ethnic composition, faces unique opportunities and challenges in the protection of intangible cultural heritage. This training session was a major activity under the “Gansu Silk Road Economic Belt Cultural Heritage Conservation and Innovation Project.” Over 60 government officials, experts, and scholars from various parts of Gansu Province participated in the training. The training aimed to strengthen participants’ understanding and implementation capacity of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, further enhancing Gansu Province’s work in intangible cultural heritage protection.
Source: UNESCO
05
Second International Symposium on “The Theory and Practice of Chinese Archaeology” Opens
On October 12‑13, to strengthen archaeological capacity and disciplinary development, and to further construct the disciplinary system, academic system, and discourse system of Chinese archaeology, the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University (China Museum and Cultural Heritage Institute), the Center for Chinese Archaeology at Peking University, and the Key Laboratory of Archaeological Science (Peking University) of the Ministry of Education held the second International Symposium on “The Theory and Practice of Chinese Archaeology.” The opening ceremony was held at the Qunying Hall, Zhongguanyuan Global Village, Peking University. Guan Qiang, Member of the Leading Party Group and Deputy Director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration; Jiang Guohua, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Peking University; and leaders, experts, and scholars from domestic and international archaeological research institutions and universities, including Russia, Mongolia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, attended. The opening ceremony was moderated by Shen Ruiwen, Dean of the School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University. Participating scholars engaged in in‑depth exchanges on four thematic areas: “East Asian Perspectives on the Origin and Dispersal of Modern Humans,” “Regional Comparisons of the Processes of Civilization Origins,” “New Advances in Shang Dynasty Archaeology,” and “Civilizational Interaction and Evolution from the Perspective of the Silk Road.”
Source: School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University
06
East Asian World Heritage Site Managers Gather in Beijing to Explore Synergistic Protection of Tangible and Intangible Heritage
From October 21 to 23, to achieve more inclusive heritage interpretation and more integrated management of heritage sites through diverse perspectives and approaches, thereby addressing the challenges facing world heritage protection and management in today’s complex global situation, the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, the UNESCO World Heritage Interpretation and Presentation Center (WHIPIC), the UNESCO Asia‑Pacific World Heritage Training and Research Center (WHITRAP Beijing), and the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University jointly organized the “East Asia Heritage Management Comprehensive Capacity Building Workshop – Synergies of Tangible and Intangible Heritage.” The workshop brought together 22 heritage site managers from twelve World Heritage sites in China, Japan, South Korea, and Mongolia. Through lectures, group discussions, and presentations, they shared innovative practices and challenges in heritage management and explored integrated approaches to regional heritage protection.
Source: WHITRAP‑BEIJING
