The Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) and the World Heritage Leadership (WHL) programme are seeking World Heritage Management Teams to join the regional capacity building programme on “Improving Management Effectiveness of World Heritage Properties in the Arab States Region” that will be held in three phases from June to November 2024.

This programme provides World Heritage Management Teams with skills and knowledge to manage World Heritage properties and to carry out management effectiveness assessments to support the improvement and enhancement of management systems for World Heritage.

By promoting a ‘heritage place approach’ to heritage management focused on understanding how to manage and conserve the multiple heritage values of heritage places in their wider social, environmental and economic contexts, the programme will focus on providing World Heritage Management Teams with tools to evaluate how well a World Heritage property is being managed to identify what is working and what needs to be improved in terms of management processes, legal and planning frameworks, governance arrangements and results delivered by the management system.

 

The three phases of the project consist of:

1. In-person course on Managing World Heritage: People Nature Culture (30 June – 4 July 2024);
2. Online facilitation for World Heritage Management Teams on the implementation of a management effectiveness assessment using the methodology and tools of the Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0 (September – early November);
3. Closing in-person workshop on site to finalize the assessment and set the way forward (November).

 

This course is based on two key resources:

• The ‘Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0’ (EOH 2.0), which offers an integrated management effectiveness methodology specific to the needs of World Heritage properties, both cultural and natural.

• The forthcoming resource manual on ‘Managing World Heritage’ (working title), which combines the two previous resource manuals on ‘Managing Cultural World Heritage’ and ‘Managing Natural World Heritage’ offering an integrated framework for World Heritage management and conservation.

 

What are the phases of this capacity building programme?

The programme is made up of three phases accompanying World Heritage Management Teams from a foundational course on World Heritage management, through site-based mentoring in the implementation of a management effectiveness assessment and the identification of a set of follow up actions to strengthen the management system and inform the next cycle of management planning.

World Heritage Management Teams will be asked if they wish to continue the programme after the completion of each phase.

• Phase 1 – Course on “Managing World Heritage: People Nature Culture”

World Heritage Management Teams will select two representatives to join the regional course on “Managing World Heritage: People Nature Culture” that will take place at the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, from 30 June to 4 July 2024.

The course provides an overview of what constitutes a heritage management system and tools to assess its effectiveness, recognizing the need to adapt to changing times and realities. By understanding how the system works, it is possible to evaluate how it operates and its performance, including how existing resources can be better utilized while exploring new ways of doing things. During the course, participants will be introduced to key tools and resources for improving management, planning and decision-making processes at World Heritage properties and other heritage places.

Each World Heritage Management Team will be required to select a Team Leader and a Team Coordinator to attend the course on behalf of the larger team. The larger team may follow the course through online modalities.

• Phase 2 – Online facilitation on the implementation of the management effectiveness assessment using the EOH 2.0
• This phase will consist of the World Heritage Management Teams to 4 online sessions of 2 hours with a dedicated Facilitator. The World Heritage Management Teams will work independently through the various tools of the EOH 2.0 and share their work with the Facilitator to discuss their progress on the management effectiveness assessment of their World Heritage site’s management system.

 

• Phase 3 – Workshop hosted by selected World Heritage properties to finalize the assessment

World Heritage Management Teams will host a 3-day workshop at their sites to finalise the management effectiveness assessment and set the way forward. The workshop will be jointly coordinated and implemented with the Facilitators that accompanied the Team in the assessment.

 

Who can apply?

The programme is open to World Heritage Management Teams from World Heritage properties located in the Arab States region (Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen).

World Heritage Management Teams should include site managers, representatives of heritage and planning institutions, agencies, organizations and communities involved with and with responsibilities in relation to the management of World Heritage.

Teams should be made up of a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 6 people representing the different actors involved in World Heritage management. Management Teams from World Heritage properties that are undergoing the process of revising the management plan are recommended to apply.

How to apply?

To apply for the course, please complete the application form by 5 May 2024. In the application form, applications should include the following documents:

• Professional Curriculum Vitae (in English, max. 2 pages) of all team members;
• Indicate who are the Team Leader and the Team Coordinator that will attend the course on “Managing World Heritage: People Nature Culture” in-presence;
• Endorsement form signed by your employer/institution.

For the World Heritage Management Teams interested in applying for a grant, a letter of intent is also required to be submitted with your application to [[email protected]] (explaining why this capacity building programme is needed and how it will contribute to your work and the management of the World Heritage property you are concerned with) .