National Capacity Building Course for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Organizers: Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represented through its Heritage Commission, Saudi National Committee for Education, Culture and Science and ICCROM-IUCN World Heritage Leadership programme.
We are seeking 20 participants to take part in a national capacity building course on Managing World Heritage: People Nature Culture (PNC23 KSA) at the World Heritage property of “Al-Ahsa Oasis, an Evolving Cultural Landscape” in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 15 to 22 October 2023. This flagship foundational course on World Heritage management is dedicated to site coordinators, members of management teams and institutions, and heritage practitioners working with World Heritage properties and other heritage places in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The course promotes a ‘heritage place approach’ to heritage management focused on understanding how to conserve and enhance the multiple heritage values of heritage places in their wider social, environmental, and economic contexts. This includes applying place-based and people-centred approaches to working with diverse communities. It brings together those involved in all facets of heritage management to share their experiences and learn from each other, advancing practice in the field.
The course provides participants with the knowledge, skills and awareness for managing heritage places, including World Heritage properties, consolidating the uptake of people-centred approaches and nature-culture linkages throughout World Heritage processes. It also promotes long-term networks for life-long peer learning and enhanced capacity building in the heritage sector.
Who can apply
This course specifically targets heritage professionals working in the heritage sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The selection process will prioritize candidates fulfilling the following criteria:
- practitioners working at a specific cultural and/or natural World Heritage property or heritage place;
- individuals involved more generally in World Heritage conservation and management, for example, those working in heritage at a regional or national level, policymakers and other representatives of institutions, non-governmental organizations, charities, local associations, community groups, researchers, etc.
Concept of the course
The course will provide an overview of the basics of the World Heritage Convention, its terminology and requirements for implementation at the national and property levels. During the course, participants will learn how effective management can give heritage places a dynamic and mutually beneficial role in society today and long into the future, reflecting the vast array of people and actors who care for, use and enjoy them. Heritage practitioners, policymakers within institutions, and representatives from communities and networks are among the contributors to the management, conservation and use of a heritage place. Thus, working with all these groups can be essential for gaining benefits to society and the heritage itself. All relevant actors need to be aware of the values that different people associate with a heritage place. They can then collaborate on appropriate approaches and methods to ensure the holistic protection of these diverse values.
In this course, natural and cultural heritage conservation are seen as interrelated and interdependent, overcoming the artificial separation between the concepts to promote quality management at World Heritage properties and other heritage places. While there is no simple recipe for responding to the many challenges our World Heritage properties and heritage places face, there are many examples of possible approaches to explore, understand and be inspired by adopted elsewhere.
Recognizing the need to adapt to changing times and realities, the course provides a general overview of what constitutes a heritage management system. By understanding how the system works, it is possible to evaluate its operation and performance, including how existing resources can be better utilized while exploring new ways of doing things. Participants will be introduced to key tools and resources for improving management, planning and decision-making processes at World Heritage properties and heritage places.
Various frameworks, tools and methodologies are available to support heritage practitioners, decision-makers and institutions in improving the management of heritage places management by promoting better and informed planning and decision-making. However, this course has a particular focus on the learning resources produced through the World Heritage Leadership programme, including the new editions of the World Heritage Management Manual and the Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit 2.0. Additionally, the course will draw on experiences and approaches implemented by participants at their own World Heritage properties and heritage places in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, allowing for a better understanding of the Saudi heritage management system and fostering peer-learning and knowledge sharing at the national level.
Costs and commitment
There is no registration fee for attending this course. Participants will be responsible for their round-trip travel costs to and from Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Accommodation, meals and transportation during the course will be provided.
Venue and programme
The course will take place in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 15 – 22 October 2022 (excluding travel dates to and from the course) and will be delivered in Arabic and English.
During the course, participants will apply the knowledge gained using the case study of the World Heritage property of Al-Ahsa Oasis, an Evolving Cultural Landscape and learn more from other heritage places in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The course will be structured around the following overarching themes:
- Basics of the World Heritage Convention
- Heritage-place approaches
- Boundaries, buffer zones, and the wider context of heritage places
- People-centred and rights-based approaches to heritage management
- Factors affecting heritage places and impact assessments for World Heritage
- Management systems
- Management planning and implementation
- Management effectiveness assessment
- Results for heritage and communities
How to apply
Please submit your application by 20 September 2023
The application process is as follows:
- complete the online application form in Arabic or English
- upload a personal photo
- upload your professional curriculum vitae (in English; maximum two pages)
- (Allowed formats: pdf, doc, docx, jpg, jpeg, png, tif, tiff; maximum file size of 5 MB).
