14 December. ICCROM, through its ATHAR programme, contributed to a one-week workshop for the capacity building of professionals working at World Heritage sites in the Arab States.

The workshop was held in Manama, Bahrain, from 27 November to 2 December 2011. It marked the first activity hosted by the UNESCO Category 2 Regional Arab World Heritage Centre in Bahrain, and was carried out in collaboration with the three Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee (ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN), and ATHAR's newly established Regional Centre in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Eleven professionals from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen took part in the workshop, along with experts from the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre.

The overall aim of the workshop was to enhance participant understanding of the World Heritage Convention and the processes prescribed in its Operational Guidelines. This was achieved by exploring issues related to: the protection and management of sites over the long-term; awareness raising; judgement and reporting skills for carrying out evaluations and monitoring; and processes that support the work of the Advisory Bodies. Discussions were held which focused on these processes and concepts, as well as cultural heritage protection methodologies and systems.

Participants were introduced to the principles and practice of assessments on management effectiveness of World Heritage, and their usefulness as a reporting and monitoring tool. They became familiar with the processes of evaluation and monitoring of sites and the role of the Advisory Bodies within these activities. To this end, the site of Qal’at al-Bahrain was used as a case study on how to carry out missions on behalf of the Advisory Bodies.

The meeting provided an opportunity for collaboration between cultural and natural heritage professionals and enhanced their networking and communication possibilities. It was also of great benefit to the Advisory Bodies, as it strengthened their networks in the region.

Member States represented: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Portugal, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen

updated on: 15 December, 2011