PNC23 SpanishDates: 19-21 and 24-26 April 2023; 15:00 – 18:00 Rome time (CET) 

Place: Online 

Application deadline: 31 March 2023 

Organizers: ICCROM, IUCN, Regional Institute for World Heritage in Zacatecas (IRPMZ), Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea, Korea National University of Cultural Heritage 

We are seeking 35 participants to join the international course on Managing World Heritage: People Nature Culture (PNC23) that will be held online in Spanish from 19-21 and 24-26 April 2023.  

This flagship foundational course of the World Heritage Leadership programme is intended for heritage site coordinators, members of management teams and institutions, and heritage practitioners working with World Heritage properties and other heritage places around the world.  

PNC23 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. The course brings together people 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 necessary knowledge, skills and awareness for managing heritage places, including World Heritage properties. It also promotes long-term networks for lifelong peer learning and enhanced capacity building in the heritage sector.  

In addition, all capacity-building initiatives organized by the World Heritage Leadership programme contribute to consolidating people-centred approaches and nature-culture linkages throughout World Heritage processes. This reinforces the potential of World Heritage to be a catalyst for improving institutional and legal frameworks, with positive repercussions for heritage in general. 

This course specifically targets:  

  • professionals working in a heritage site, preferably recognized as a cultural and/or natural World Heritage property;  
  • people working in institutions in charge of the management of World Heritage properties and/or other heritage places;  
  • people more generally involved in World Heritage conservation and management. For example, those working in heritage at the regional or national level, policymakers and other representatives of institutions, non-governmental organizations, NGOs, local associations or community groups. 

This course focuses primarily on the Latin American and Caribbean region. However, interested applicants from other regions are welcome to apply if they can commit to the time zone and to attending the course in Spanish. 

Course concept 

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 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 for society and heritage itself. It is important for all relevant actors to be aware of the values that different people associate with a heritage place. They can then collaborate on appropriate approaches and methods to protect these diverse values holistically.  

In this course, natural and cultural heritage conservation are seen as interrelated and interdependent, overcoming the artificial separation between the two concepts to promote quality management at World Heritage properties and other heritage places. Engaging people is still a considerable challenge at many heritage places, while linking nature and culture can have realistic barriers, including separate institutional and legal protection systems. While there is no simple recipe for responding to these challenges, there are many possible approaches to explore and consider adapting elsewhere.  

The course provides a general 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 its operation and 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 heritage places.  

Various frameworks, tools and methodologies are available to support heritage practitioners, decision-makers and institutions in improving the management of heritage places by promoting better and informed planning and decision-making. However, this course focuses on the learning resources produced through the World Heritage Leadership programme, including new editions of the Managing World Heritage Management, the Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit 2.0 and the Guidance and Toolkit on Conducting Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context. Additionally, the course will draw on experiences and approaches implemented by participants at their World Heritage properties and heritage places, allowing for better understanding of heritage management in the international context and fostering peer learning and knowledge-sharing throughout the course. 

Costs and commitment 

There is no registration fee to attend this course. However, all other expenses must be covered by the participant, e.g., access to and use of a computer with internet connection and the time commitment.  

Participants who complete the course and attend at least 80% of the sessions will receive a certificate of attendance recognizing the hours of training attended. 

Course content and logistics  

PNC23 LAC will take place online using the online conferencing platform Zoom. The course will be implemented in Spanish.   

The course is structured around the knowledge framework for managing World Heritage that is the basis of the forthcoming revised manual on Managing World Heritage, which includes: 

  • Heritage Place Approach 
  • Boundaries, buffer zone(s) and wider setting  
  • People-centred and Rights-based approaches to heritage management 
  • Factors affecting heritage places 
  • Management systems 
  • Management planning and implementation 
  • Evaluating management effectiveness 
  • Results 

The course will be implemented from 19 to 21 April and 24 to 26 April 2023 in six 3-hour online sessions from 15.00 to 18.00 Rome Time (CET). 

How to apply

To apply for the course, please email the following documents to pnc23-lac@iccrom.org by 31 March 2023. 

Please send your documents in pdf, doc, docx, jpg, jpeg or png format.  

If you experience any issues with sending your application, please contact us at pnc23-lac@iccrom.org.