Human Rights And Heritage Management Workshop - Rio de Janeiro, 11-15 May 2020

What are human rights and what do they mean for heritage management? How are decisions made about the heritage? What norms are applied in decision making? Which values, principles and approaches guide those decisions?  Are all relevant rights bearers and duty holders involved?  Will all parties feel the decisions to be inclusive, effective, efficient, participatory and legitimate? How can we identify opportunities and expected heritage developments involving rights bearers? This workshop intends to address these questions and propose concrete case studies.

Objectives

The principal aim of this course in human rights and heritage management is to provide people involvement in heritage management with the knowledge they need to evaluate human rights issues and to apply human rights-based approaches in their work. Focus is on the rights and duties of implementing agencies and involved communities.  

Scope of the course

The course can be seen as enabling the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies (target 16), including to ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels (16.7).

Contents

 The course will provide:

1) a general introduction to the international human rights system, including its institutions and mechanisms,

2) a specific introduction to relevant cultural rights and relevant heritage conventions and texts, as well as the UN and UNESCO institutional framework, as well as

3) a general introduction to human rights-based approaches (HRBA) to planning for heritage governance and management

The course will focus on the perhaps two most difficult aspects of human rights theory: (1) how do we understand “culture”, and (2) how can we deal with the fact that some rights are group-based or collective and others are individual? How can we balance the conflicts between the rights of different communities?

In addition to providing basic knowledge about human rights and practices in the field of human rights, the course will also discuss actual cases of heritage management and rights in protected heritage areas in different countries. 

Methodology
The course has itself a participatory approach, the learning is something we will do together. All participants are requested to prepare for discussions about challenges and dilemmas in their own daily heritage work and prepare for group work. 

 

Expected outcomes
The case study method allows participants to apply newly acquired theoretical knowledge directly to their work, and will help ICOMOS and the course organizers to accumulate knowledge about how HRBA will benefit heritage work.  

 

Registration requirements
Therefore each participant is expected to prepare a one-page summary in advance sent to the organizers  by MARCH 31 , 2020 at the latest to:hrba@icomos.org.br

Think of a specific issue or problem in your own work that appears involve human rights and that you suspect might be better managed or resolved by being more conscious of human rights. How has it been addressed historically and what is the current management approach? 

Human Rights And Heritage Management Workshop Place: Rio de Janeiro Date: May 11-15, 2020 Working Language: Spanish

 Photo by Stéfano Girardelli on Unsplash; Brasil - Maraca, an indigenous instrument of power.