Undertaking heritage recovery in conflict settings is challenging and could lead to unintended consequences, as well as further discord. Is there a way to avoid such an outcome?
PATH - Peacebuilding Assessment Tool for Heritage Recovery and Rehabilitation, is a first-of-its-kind tool that enhances an understanding of the interplay between heritage and conflict dynamics in a given context.
Designed as a self-assessment and reflective tool, PATH enables its users to identify the cultural drivers of a conflict that could prolong it or make the conflict reoccur due to unresolved, or newer grievances.
The guiding questions and exercises in the Tool can be used at any stage of a heritage recovery and rehabilitation project. Additionally, it can be applied to diverse conflict contexts and different types of heritage.
It is intended to help heritage practitioners, peacebuilders and supporting organizations to take key decisions on which heritage gets preserved or rebuilt; where, when and by whom. Such decisions are key to maintaining peace and addressing the root causes of a conflict.
This book has been divided into two interconnected parts. The first part includes the Peacebuilding Assessment Tool for Heritage Recovery and Rehabilitation (PATH) and the second part consists of the Foundational Concepts, which must be consulted before undertaking a peacebuilding assessment.
If you are working on a heritage recovery and rehabilitation project in a conflict setting, download the electronic version of PATH. Use its interactive features to answer the guiding questions from Steps 1 to 4, and share the document with your team and relevant stakeholders, in order to invite their input. Such an inclusive assessment will make your project more sensitive to the conflict context and contribute to sustainable peace.
PATH has been conceived within the framework of ICCROM’s flagship programme on First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis. It forms the first publication of the Toolkit on Heritage for Peace and Resilience, an initiative supported by the Principality of Monaco.
PATH was field-tested through the international capacity building project Culture Cannot Wait: Heritage for Peace and Resilience, in collaboration with the Principality of Monaco and the Swedish Postcode Foundation.
How to cite
- Tandon, A., Harrowell, E. and Selter, E. 2021. PATH - Peacebuilding Assessment Tool for Heritage Recovery and Rehabilitation. Rome, ICCROM.