In partnership with the Heritage Commission of the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we provided a regional capacity-building workshop on disaster risk management (DRM) and building resilience for World Heritage, with a special focus on the Gulf. Course participants analyzed DRM’s role in effective heritage management and reflected on climate-change related threats and how climate action can be integrated into World Heritage management.
Twenty-six heritage professionals from across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries gathered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a course organized by the Heritage Commission of the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the ICCROM-IUCN World Heritage Leadership programme.
The course, held 11–15 February 2024 in Al-Ahsa, was an opportunity for World Heritage site managers and heritage professionals from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to delve deeply into climate-related factors affecting World Heritage. They also explored how DRM and climate actions need to be connected to wide site management so they can proactively strengthen their sites' preparedness and resilience.
Our approach & methodology — 2 upcoming World Heritage resources
The 5-day course brought capacity development in heritage management through a lens of DRM and climate action to the region. The course content, including group work and case studies, emphasized the need to assess current conditions and understand interrelations between hazards and climate change considering the values and attributes of the heritage place and its wider context.
The course's methodology is based on two upcoming resources under development by UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN:
- The World Heritage Resource Manual on Disaster Risk Management and Building Resilience for World Heritage
- A Climate Action Toolkit for World Heritage
These resources are currently being created and tested. Stay tuned for their upcoming launch!
World Heritage site Al-Ahsa Oasis as a learning environment
Course participants put theory into practice using the Al-Ahsa Oasis World Heritage site as a case study. Using the framework and tools presented, they identified the site’s values and attributes and analyzed hazards affecting the site. They used this knowledge to design disaster risk scenarios based on the site's vulnerabilities, identifying preparedness, mitigation and adaptation measures based on their learning.
The fantastic opportunity to use Al-Ahsa Oasis as an instructive case study was made possible by the Al-Ahsa Branch of the Heritage Commission.
Our 26 participants left Al-Ahsa with the knowledge and skills needed to develop climate-conscious disaster risk management plans for the World Heritage they manage.
Images by: Heritage Commission of the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia