! Photo credit: Siavash Laghai, Makli World Heritage Site NOTES on UNESCO World Heritage Centre Inter-regional workshop World Heritage and Sustainable Development: The Role of Local Communities 23-24 November 2017 Karachi-Pakistan By Siavash Laghai II.TED 2017 !1 ! Photo credit: Siavash Laghai, Makli International Institute on Territorial and Environmental Dynamics INDEX i. Presentation sessions of the workshop (Session I & II) 3 ii. Brainstorming session of the workshop (session III) 6 iv. Brief summary of the study visit 11 iii. Conclusion including analysis on issues related to local community engagement in heritage 11 II.TED 2017 !2 ! i. Presentation sessions of the workshop (Session I & II) 23 November 2017, National Museum Karachi The Inter-Regional Workshop “World Heritage and Sustainable Development: The Role of Local Communities”, held in Karachi on 23 and 24 November 2017, provided a firm platform for the discussion and sharing of good practices. The workshop highlighted in particular how the involvement of local communities may improve sustainable development by preservation and promotion of cultural heritage. Several case studies, from Pakistan, Nepal, Jordan, Oman and Iran, were presented during the presentations and discussions of sessions I & II “Cultural Heritage and Local Communities for Sustainable Development” and “Engaging Local Communities for a Sustainable management of World Heritage”. Practices of heritage management and sustainable development by involving local communities were exchanged and discussed starting with (session I): - revitalisation of glazed tiles in Makli World Heritage site in Pakistan, - revitalisation of ancient Terracotta Paharpur Vihara World Heritage site in Bangladesh, - preservation and conservation of Shigar Fort in Pakistan, - sustainable cultural heritage management practices in Jordan. The above were followed by (session II): - Aflaj and water management traditions in Oman, - rehabilitation and democratic management of Kathmandu Vally World Heritage site in Nepal, - government initiatives to engage local communities in the management of World Heritage sites in Jordan, - case studies of Inclusive Sustainable Growth in Iran. The World Heritage Capacity Building Strategy was discussed during the session I. This strategy, adopted by the World Heritage Committee in 2011, responds to the needs identified by a diverse and growing audience, regarding capacity building for World II.TED 2017 !3 ! Heritage conservation and management activities. The development of resource materials such as best practice case studies and communication tools is one of the main activities foreseen by the strategy, aiming to improve the mentioned capacities. Following the above-mentioned debate, the discussion focused on the role of local communities in ensuring that World Heritage contributes to sustainable development. This topic was chosen by the World Heritage Committee as the central theme for the celebration of the Convention’s 40th anniversary. Following the presentation of case studies and the discussions, the 2030 Agenda was explored. The Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly, integrates culture as an enabler of sustainable development in the context of Sustainable Development Goals, by promoting cultural heritage and creativity. The Agenda identifies the following five critical areas of crucial importance for humanity and the planet: - People: We want to ensure that all human beings can fulfil their potential, - Planet: We must respect and safeguard our common home, - Prosperity: We want all human beings to enjoy the fruits of economic, social and technological progress and live productive and fulfilling lives, - Peace: All people yearn to live in peaceful and harmonious societies, free from fear and violence, - Partnership: We want to create an effective Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, which will embrace all countries and stakeholders. Session II highlighted the role of World Heritage as a platform to develop and test new approaches that demonstrate the relevance of heritage for sustainable development. The contribution of World Heritage to Sustainable Development and the policy for the integration of a Sustainable Development perspective into the processes of the World Heritage Convention, were discussed by experts and keynote speakers: “Well-protected World Heritage property may contribute directly to alleviating poverty and inequalities by providing basic goods and services, such as security and health, through shelter, access to clean air, water, food and other key resources.” (...) “World Heritage is also an important asset for economic development, by attracting investments and ensuring green, locally-based, stable and decent jobs, only some of which may be related to tourism. Activities associated to the stewardship of cultural and natural heritage, indeed, 1 are local by definition.” !1 Policy for the Integration of a Sustainable Development Perspective into the Processes of the World Heritage Convention II.TED 2017 !4 ! In this session some notes from the Earth Summit 1992 were selected, recognizing that achieving sustainable development would require the active participation of all sectors of society and all types of people. The Agenda 21, adopted at the Earth Summit, drew upon this outcome and identified 9 sectors of society as the main channels through which broad participation would be facilitated in UN activities related to Sustainable Development. These are officially called "Major Groups" and include the following sectors: - Women - Children and Youth - Indigenous Peoples - Workers and Trade Unions - Farmers - Non-Governmental Organisations - Business and Industry - Scientific and Technological Community - Local Authorities In the same session, some guidelines of the WHC on Management Planning of World Heritage sites were discussed. Possible approaches in heritage management include: - Conservation approach (authenticity-integrity) - Value based approach (OUV) - People-centred approach (management planning) - Monitoring effectiveness approach The document similarly identifies possible governance arrangements: - Governance by government - Shared governance - Governance by private actors - Governance by local communities II.TED 2017 !5 ! ii. Brainstorming session of the workshop (session III) 23 November 2017, National Museum Karachi • The discussions with the key stakeholders were highly compelling and engaging. The moderator started with the following note: “NOTHING FOR US WITHOUT US, involvement is essential to give communities the sense of ownership, despite often the lack of clarity in defining the real owners.” The following questions were then posed to start the group discussions: “How to identify and to involve the community?” and “At what stage should community be involved?” Members of the regional government started the discussions, highlighting their objectives and challenges. Stakeholders and other community members exposed what they identified as obstacles to achieving their goals. During this discussion, many questions, ideas, and solutions emerged. However, all parties agreed that investing in education is a fundamental step toward the involvement and empowering of the community for a sustainable future. An example of this is the UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) framework. Subsequently, the issue of how to define the community was raised. Participants recognized that the communities living in and around the sites need to be engaged, socially as well as politically. Similarly, the group is aware that it is necessary in many cases to deal with the presence of hostile communities, and that often there are differences in the understanding of value between the government and the communities, which can contribute to damage heritage sites. Lastly, the session focused on the importance of determining who the possible beneficiaries are. The participants recognized the importance of understanding the motivations of the community, particularly with respect to their desire to conserve the heritage site. Projects may need to be planned with longer duration, so to give time to develop a sense of emotional involvement with the project among the local communities. The group considered that potential economic benefits must be studied. This means that activities that are linked to the heritage site but that can directly benefit the community economically must be understood, initiated and promoted. Similarly, the session confirmed that the means of dealing with conflictive situations are critical. This is particularly important to resolve tensions between the various community groups, often separated by II.TED 2017 !6 ! economic inequality. It was also noted that there legislation must be put in place to ensure equal rights to the various groups. • The discussions between all group A panel members were organised as follows: 1. One of the main issues discussed in this session, by one of the local government members, was the importance of the archaeological sites in the Sindh region. The discussion was centred on the state of conservation and preservation of this archaeological site. As conveyed by the participant, the Government of Sindh and the Ministry of Culture Tourism and Antiquities, have difficulties with the local communities and residents who live within the site boundaries. For the local government it is not feasible to manage these sites without the involvement of communities. The discussion was integrated by all parties, underlining that the local