From 5 to 16 November 2023, ICCROM, together with the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) and the China Academy of Cultural Heritage (CACH), in collaboration with the Changping Ming Tombs Administrative Centre, hosted the international course on assessing the effectiveness of World Heritage Management systems.
The international course "Improving Management Effectiveness of World Heritage Properties" took place at the Ming Tombs' Visitor Centre in Changping District, Beijing, People's Republic of China. The course brought together 20 participants from Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, Oman, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
The course focused on providing capacity building on management effectiveness assessment for World Heritage using the new Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0. During the first week, participants focused on applying the Toolkit to their respective World Heritage sites and heritage places, drawing on a first understanding of the adequateness of their management system. During the second part of the course, participants worked in groups to assess the management of the Ming Tombs, a component of the World Heritage site of the "Imperial Tombs of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties", and the nominated site of the Beijing Central Axis.
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The course also offered the opportunity to dive deeper into the Chinese World Heritage context, learning more about China's legal and institutional World Heritage framework and how sites are managed across the country.
Participants had the opportunity to meet several institutions managing World Heritage in China. They also had the chance to visit World Heritage sites and heritage places in Beijing, including the Imperial Tombs of the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Jingshan Park and the Shouhuang Complex, the hutongs in Shatan and the site of the Beijing Central Axis. Participants saw first-hand how these heritage places are managed and had the chance to discuss with management teams about current challenges and efforts put in place by managing institutions, communities and other actors.
The Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0 was officially launched on 21 November 2023 and is now available for free download. This innovative Toolkit is designed to assess the effectiveness of World Heritage management systems. The Toolkit represents a substantial update, incorporating the latest advancements in heritage conservation practices and management methodologies. It equips heritage professionals with user-friendly instruments to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their management systems, ultimately contributing to the sustainable preservation of World Heritage properties.