UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee – ICCROM, ICOMOS, and IUCN – have published a new manual, Managing World Heritage. This is a foundational reference document to guide conservation in World Heritage Sites, outlining the key elements and processes of the management system.
World Heritage Sites are facing increasingly complex challenges such as development pressures, climate change, natural hazards, inadequate and insufficient maintenance and conservation. These trends highlight the urgent need for robust, integrated management approaches to better protect Outstanding Universal Value, link concerns for culture and nature, and ensure that the rights and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities are respected in the protection and management of heritage. They also underscore the importance of equipping management institutions, Site coordinators/managers, and those involved in the management processes of World Heritage with the tools and resources needed to establish and strengthen management systems.
The manual is designed as a go-to reference for WHS coordinators/managers, rights-holders, heritage professionals, institutions, and those involved in the management of World Heritage, by integrating and updating the existing manuals on Managing Natural World Heritage (2012) and Managing Cultural World Heritage (2013). It promotes place-based and people-centred approaches that conserve the multiple values of heritage places within their broader social, environmental and economic contexts. In doing so, it reinforces the role of heritage as a dynamic resource contributing to sustainable development and community well-being.
Click here to down the manual.