In July 2024, India hosted the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee from 21 to 31 July at the Bharat Mandapam Convention Center in New Delhi. This event is of great importance to the global heritage community as it provides a forum to discuss international cooperation for the protection of heritage places, the state of conservation of listed sites and examine new nominations to the World Heritage List. This year, 26 new World Heritage sites were inscribed on the List – 20 cultural, five natural, and one mixed.
As an Advisory Body to the Committee, ICCROM plays a vital role in supporting the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Our contributions include advancing the Capacity Building Strategy, participating in the State of Conservation process, and co-organizing the World Heritage Site Managers’ Forum.
In her address, ICCROM's Director-General, Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral, emphasized the need for a flexible and targeted approach to capacity building that aligns with the decisions of the committee while addressing the specific needs of the States Parties. She called for sustained financial resources dedicated to capacity building and the establishment of technical working processes to facilitate more effective implementation of the World Heritage Capacity Building Strategy.
"Investing in capacity building for the conservation of our shared heritage is not only a good thing to do for our present, but also our shared responsibility for the generations to come," she stated, underscoring the long-term impact of these efforts.
Bilateral Meetings and Strengthening Partnerships
On this occasion, ICCROM's Director-General held several bilateral meetings to further ICCROM’s mission, consolidate existing partnerships and expand the organization’s network of collaboration. These meetings included discussions with India’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and representatives from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The Director-General also met with delegations from several ICCROM Member States, including Australia, Barbados, Burkina Faso, Cyprus, Ireland, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United States of America, as well as Uzbekistan, who joined ICCROM in August 2024.
Meetings were also held with non-Member States, including Grenada, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Panama, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, and Turkmenistan to explore avenues for enhanced cooperation, involvement in ICCROM’s initiatives and their possible accession to the Organization. Additionally, the Director-General met with long-standing partners such as the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research – Asia and the Pacific (WHITRAP) and the Korean Heritage Service.
These meetings were fundamental in aligning global efforts toward the management and conservation of heritage, reinforcing ICCROM’s leadership in the of capacity building for heritage, and fostering impactful synergies across the globe.
Gateway for Knowledge Exchange: World Heritage Site Managers' Forum
In conjunction with the 46th session, the 6th edition of the World Heritage Site Managers' Forum took place from 18 to 25 July 2024 at the Humayun’s Tomb Museum and later at the Bharat Mandapam Convention Center. It provided a vital platform for exchanging knowledge and best practices among emerging professionals and experienced site managers. Organized by the ICCROM-IUCN World Heritage Leadership programme, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the host country of India in collaboration with ICOMOS and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the forum focused on heritage and communities, emphasizing the importance of people-centred and rights-based approaches to World Heritage management.
In the Forum’s declaration, site managers highlighted the need for the role of site managers to be formally acknowledged at the national and local levels and to be provided the resources needed to manage World Heritage effectively. Site managers have also called for tailored capacity building and improved communication from and with national and international World Heritage actors with the aim of strengthening management on the ground.
This edition brought together 82 site managers representing World Heritage sites in 34 countries, creating opportunities for them to network and exchange experiences.
ICCROM Side Events
During the session, ICCROM organized and took part in five side events to present the work of the Advisory Bodies, the recently published Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0 (EOH 2.0), the forthcoming Climate Action Toolkit for World Heritage, and to share its work in contributing to the mapping of participatory approaches to World Heritage management and capacity building in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
On 22 July, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN hosted an “Ask Me Anything” event inviting World Heritage Committee members, representatives of national delegations and site managers to ask any question or clarification concerning the work of the Advisory Bodies and their involvement with World Heritage. This annual event offers an open platform for anyone to learn more about our work and the ways in which they can contribute.
On 23 July, we joined efforts with the governments of Australia and the Netherlands to spotlight the ongoing work on the Climate Action Toolkit for World Heritage. The event presented a state of the art on the project highlighting the results of the scoping study and online workshops that will set groundwork for the preparation of the first draft of the toolkit by the end of this year.
On 24 July, ICCROM joined the side event “Discussion on Participatory Approaches to World Heritage” organized by the Republic of Korea and presented the results of the conference that was held in Seoul in March 2024. In the evening, ICCROM and the Swiss Federal Office of Culture hosted the event "Improving Management of World Heritage - How to use the Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0" to present the management effectiveness assessment methodology of the EOH 2.0 showcasing how the toolkit has been used in different contexts - revising management plans, enhancing governance structures, establishing monitoring systems, preparing nominations, and building capacity.
Lastly, on 27 July, ICCROM was invited by the Heritage Commission (HC) of Saudi Arabia to present the collaboration between WHL and HC at the side event “World Heritage Capacity Building in Saudi Arabia Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.
India’s Commitment to World Heritage
The 46th session was inaugurated by India’s Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, alongside UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. In his keynote, Prime Minister Modi emphasized India's commitment to heritage conservation nationally and internationally. The Prime Minister announced several initiatives aimed at enhancing global cooperation in heritage conservation and committed $1 million to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to support capacity-building efforts and conservation projects in developing countries.
The Lasting Impact of the 46th World Heritage Committee Session
The 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi was a resounding success, marking a significant milestone in global heritage conservation. The collaborative efforts of the WHC, supported by ICCROM and other advisory bodies, and the host country India, underscored the importance of international cooperation in safeguarding our shared heritage. The discussions, decisions, and bilateral meetings held during this session will undoubtedly contribute to the long-term protection and management of World Heritage sites. Our heritage is our future.