Tags
- Capacity Building
- Climate Change
- Climate Resilience
- Community Advocacy
- Community Engagement
- Contested Heritage
- Emergency Cultural Response
- Heritage Conservation Threats
- Landscape Architecture
- Marginalized Voices
- National Preservation
- Policy and Governance
- Sites of Memory
- Tourism
- Urban
- Urban Development
- World Heritage
- Young Professionals
OWH provides an open dialogue platform for people interested in cultural and natural heritage issues. OWH welcomes diverse viewpoints in the spirit of collegial debate where mutual respect is afforded to all. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official position of OWH.
K-Heritage in the Spotlight: Cultural Events at the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee
The 48th World Heritage Committee in Busan (July 19-29) showcased “K-heritage,” pairing plenary sessions with side events, the public K-Heritage House expo, and the “Hexagram 22” performance, placing citizens at the centre and celebrating living heritage directly with the public.
The Crown of Controversy: Borobudur’s New Chattra Installation
Indonesia plans to install a gold-plated bronze chattra atop Borobudur’s main stupa by 2026, framed as “adaptive intervention” for living heritage. Critics cite missing independent impact assessment, structural, seismic and corrosion risks, weak reversibility guarantees, and possible UNESCO “In Danger” listing.
Monemvasia: How EU One-Size-Fits-All Tools Are Flattening Living Heritage
A resident and heritage professional critiques an EU-funded consultation in Monemvasia: generic software, placeholder data, and a rushed 20-minute Q&A reduce participation to ritual, while what is needed is spatial rigor, transparent data, and residents as co-designers from day one.
Pre‑Symposium Round Tables on Public Participation in Heritage Preservation
A September 2026 “Delivering Heritage” round table at WUD Sonipat questioned whether policy, co-management, or trusts can empower precinct residents, proposing a model consent clause, a documentation working group, and a February 2027 symposium.
Living Heritage: Why Domestic Animals Belong to World Heritage Protection
Domestic animals, shaped by millennia of human activity, are living historical sources deserving heritage protection, yet breeds vanish daily under industrialization. Organizations like WHAGR, protecting the Bronze Age Celestial Horse, conserve breeds within their landscapes, since animals, plants, people, and monuments form one inseparable heritage complex.
Palestine today: Cultural heritage under attack.
Since October 2023, Palestine’s cultural heritage has suffered unprecedented attacks. In Gaza, bombardments destroyed most heritage sites, though volunteers are now restoring the Great Omari Mosque and rescuing manuscripts. In the West Bank, settler violence, olive tree destruction, and land confiscation near Sebastia threaten sites. UNESCO listed Sebastia in July 2026.
Modern Heritage of Africa: Rethinking Africa’s Place in the World Heritage Story
FOPCHEN with the UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre Africa Unit held expert meetings in Busan, Lagos, on 25 July 2026. They launched Modern Heritage of Africa initiative (MoHoA) to recognize Africa’s modern heritage as plural “African modernities”, expanding archives, linking conservation to climate-conscious reuse, and prioritizing community-led documentation and protection.
Operationalising the ICOMOS Charter on Cultural Heritage Tourism: From Principles to Practice
New webinars and a collaborative online dossier launched to support the ICOMOS Charter on Cultural Heritage Tourism: From Principles to Practice
World Heritage Committee adds “Guiding Principles for sites of memory associated with recent conflicts” to its Operational Guidelines
OWH welcomes UNESCO’s adoption of “Guiding Principles for sites of memory associated with recent conflicts” in its Operational Guidelines.
OWH Statement at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan
OurWorldHeritage and FOPCHEN urge integrating memory-site Guiding Principles into UNESCO guidelines, ensuring accuracy, stakeholder inclusion, reconciliation, and community collaboration.
Busan Declaration on World Heritage
OurWorldHeritage welcomes the 2026 Busan Declaration, introducing Collaboration as the sixth strategic objective, strengthening global heritage cooperation and connecting local heritage with worldwide conversations.
Reviving traditional mural painting Zanjafoor: Women-led Craft in Ghadames, Libya
In Libya's UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ghadamès, the MaLiCH programme integrated the women's Zanjafoor wall art tradition into the rehabilitation of the Visitor Centre, supporting local craftswomen through training, paid commissions, and community-led heritage preservation.
Mobilizing More Than Financial Capital - Principles for Strategic Funding
Fundraising is a critical part of heritage preservation. Explore strategies, resources, and practical tips to strengthen funding, partnerships, and long-term sustainability for heritage initiatives
Canada Strong! At last a Federal Historic Places Act?
The “Canada Strong” initiative increased national pride and domestic tourism, underscoring the need for federal legislation to protect Canada’s historic sites, which Heritage Ottawa advocates to preserve heritage and strengthen national identity while delivering social and economic benefits.
IFLA's Guiding Landscapes 2025: From Nantes to a Sponge Planet
At the 2025 IFLA World Congress in Nantes, 1,400 participants explored how landscapes can guide a more resilient future. From urban greening to the vision of a “sponge planet,” discussions connected local action with global change.
Our Cities Speak: Busan (Korea) and the Role of Civil Society in Heritage-Making
As part of the Indian Historic Cities Series 2025, Our Cities Speak featured a keynote on Busan, South Korea, examining how civil society participates in heritage-making and World Heritage nomination processes. The lecture highlights why community involvement is critical to shaping credible narratives and sustaining long-term heritage protection.
What’s Happening with the White House East Wing?
The U.S.A. is engaged in a heated debate over the demolition of the White House East Wing to make way for a new federal ballroom. Critics argue that tearing down this historic structure erases an important part of America’s heritage, while supporters claim the project will modernize the presidential complex.
Reflections from Florence: World Heritage at a Turning Point — Governance, Civil Society, and the Next 50 Years
Proceedings of a public event held in Florence in November 2022, bringing together local authorities, civil society, and heritage experts to reflect on governance, community engagement, and challenges facing the World Heritage Convention.
Monemvasia: The Castle That Still - But Barely – Breathes
People travel great distances to experience historic places—while enjoying the comforts that make a true holiday. And in turn, countless livelihoods depend on tourism. But what happens when tourism begins to reshape the very values and history of a place? What if it goes so far that it affects the core of its being?
FRH’s Young Professionals and Researchers Working Group: Giving Voice to a New Generation
In 2023, Future for Religious Heritage (FRH) established the Young Professionals and Researchers Working Group (YPWG) to give emerging experts a stronger voice and better opportunities. Meetalie Gupta, one of the YPWG members, reflects on what the group has accomplished so far and where it is heading next.