Heritage practitioners and institutions meet in Suwon, Republic of Korea, to reflect on the People-Nature-Culture course and to map the services and benefits heritage places provide to people

Rome, 10 October 2022 – Heritage is often understood as a provider of economic gains, but it provides much more. Heritage places supply a wide spectrum of social, cultural and environmental benefits to people and communities – from clean water sources to spiritual services and improved health and mental well-being.

This topic is being explored at the People-Nature-Culture (PNC) Forum 2022, taking place from 10 to 12 October 2022 in Suwon, Republic of Korea. The PNC Forum is jointly organized by ICCROM (the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s World Heritage Leadership Programme (WHLP), the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea (CHA) and the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage (KNUCH).

PNC Forum 2022 poster

Heritage practitioners and institutions involved in managing heritage places around the world have gathered to discuss how the heritage places to which they are connected contribute to the lives of Indigenous peoples and local communities. The forum will also include a visit to the World Heritage property Hwaseong Fortress, where participants will meet with local cooperatives and citizens’ organizations to see which benefits are provided locally.

The forum aims to shine a light on the range of services and benefits generated by the conservation of heritage places: particularly for Indigenous peoples and local communities associated with these places. The event also provides the opportunity to reflect on the PNC course’s role in building capacity and how we can continue progressing.

In addition to celebrating the World Heritage Convention’s 50th anniversary, the PNC Forum commemorates the conclusion of the 2017-2022 Korea-ICCROM Funds in Trust and the approaching completion of Phase I of the WHLP. It also marks the beginning of new agreements between ICCROM, CHA and KNUCH.

The PNC Forum’s results will guide future PNC courses, which will be developed under the renewed agreements with CHA and KNUCH.

Media Contacts

Jennifer Copithorne

ICCROM Communications

Communications@iccrom.org  

(+39) 0658553413

 

Boram Shin

Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea (CHA)

madameshin27@nuch.ac.kr

(+82) 42-481-4737

 

Kyungmin Lho

Korea National University of Cultural Heritage (KNUCH)

meteor0827@nuch.ac.kr

(+82) 02-779-7871

   

ICCROM is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the conservation of cultural heritage. ICCROM aims at improving the quality of conservation practice as well as raising awareness about the importance of preserving cultural heritage. It serves the international community as represented by its Member States. ICCROM contributes to preserving cultural heritage in the world today and for the future through five main areas of activity: training, information, research, cooperation and advocacy.

The Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea (CHA) is a governmental agency in charge of the preservation, management and promotion of Korean cultural heritage. It was established to safeguard the integrity of cultural traditions of Korea and enhance the cultural life of Korean people by preserving and promoting the use of cultural heritage.

The Korea National University of Cultural Heritage (KNUCH) is a national university that was established by the Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea (CHA) in 2000 with the special purpose to foster the education of future professionals in the field of tangible and intangible cultural properties, cultural property repair and maintenance, and traditional culture and cultural assets.