Conservation and Management of Heritage Sites: Strengthening the Capacity of Heritage Managers

The workshop was aligned with one of the six recommendations: capacity building provided by The International Scientific Committee for the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property (ISC-KV) in 2023. ISC-KV is established to assist the Government of Nepal in the recovery and management of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property.

The first day of the workshop provided guidance on six sector strategies - (i) Conservation Management Plan, (ii) Urban Planning, (iii) Subsurface Archaeology, (iv) Community and Sustainable Development, (v) Disaster Risk Management, and (vi) Visitor Management. Ms. Himanchuli Gurung, Chief of the Asia and the Pacific Unit at UNESCO World Heritage Centre, shared knowledge on the Regional Framework Action Plan for Asia and the Pacific (2023 - 2030) (APA Framework), which was adopted in the extended session of the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee (Riadh, 2023), encouraging Nepal to disseminate the main outcomes of the periodic reporting exercise to the world heritage stakeholders and integrate them into national and local heritage policies and strategies, ensuring proper implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

The second day focused on key concepts - value-based heritage assessment, conservation management plans, socio-economic revitalization for long-term conservation and management of Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property. Moderated by International Expert, Ms. Catherine Forbes, this was complemented by group works and case studies, including a site-wise (monument zone level) mapping exercise on priority setting of relevant and applicable actions of the Regional APA framework, while focusing on sustainable development strategy. Facilitated by two International experts - Prof. Yukio Nishimura and Ms. Catherine Forbes - and two national experts - Dr. Kai Weise and Mr. Bhim Nepal, the workshop was attended by 39 participants [18 male and 21 female] representing site managers of the seven component sites of Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property; the local authorities (4 municipalities), Guthi Corporation under the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty; the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction under the Ministry of Urban Development and Planning as well as several members of ICOMOS Nepal.

In the post-event survey, over fifty percent of the respondents expressed their expectations toward future follow-up trainings. This noteworthy response underscores the enthusiasm and commitment demonstrated by participants in enhancing their capacity for the conservation and management of World Heritage sites.