Launch of the ICOMOS Workshop Series on Heritage Impact Assessment
ICOMOS is set to organise a workshop series on “Capacity building for Heritage Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context” to provide guidance for members of ICOMOS National Committees, starting this September with ICOMOS Austria.
As World Heritage sites face increasing threats to their Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) stand as a vital tool in the management of properties. HIA provide a logical and rigorous framework to determine whether a conservation action or project should proceed, to support well-informed decision making and sustainable outcomes, and to identify ways in which adverse impacts may be avoided or mitigated.
In order to enhance the implementation of HIA in the World Heritage context, UNESCO and the World Heritage Advisory Bodies ICCROM, IUCN and ICOMOS have published the “Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context” in 2022 as a reference for conducting impact assessments for cultural and natural heritage sites.
Objective of the workshop and organisation
ICOMOS assessed the need to further strengthen the capacities and skills among ICOMOS heritage professionals and has therefore prepared the launch of a workshop series on “Capacity building for Heritage Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context”. The main objective of this workshop series is to inform and guide national and local stakeholders on the need to include HIA in any interventions and investments that could have a detrimental impact on the OUV attributes of World Heritage properties. Eventually, the programme aims to establish a base of well-trained heritage professionals among the ICOMOS National Committee members, and t? position these Committees in the local decision-making processes and in the creation of World Heritage property policies.
ICOMOS will organise the workshops in close coordination, partnership and logistical support with the involved ICOMOS National Committees. Conducted by local ICOMOS experts and intended for approximately 20 participants, each workshop will consist of 2 preliminary online meetings, 3-days in-person sessions and a follow-up online session featuring interactive lectures, analyses of case studies, and practical exercises.
The first ICOMOS National Committee to benefit from the workshop will be ICOMOS Austria in September 2024.