Successful interdisciplinary collaboration is essential for meaningful conservation actions. A shared understanding of core principles of the diverse fields involved is the basis on which such collaboration is built. In order to strengthen this crucial capacity in today’s and tomorrow’s heritage professionals, communication and teaching skills must be developed on a continual basis. Nevertheless, conservation education programmes and professional development activities are under pressure to deliver more content in less time. Now is the moment to rethink our way of teaching and to explore the potential of new didactic approaches, both face-to-face and virtual, to learn about conservation and science.

Textiles are over 5000 years old and common to all civilizations, past and present. A rich and diverse living heritage that comprises a multitude of materials, techniques, and shapes. Time is ripe for rethinking how we approach textile conservation. The course will focus on crucial issues of values and significance, research, conservation approaches, and innovative uses of textile collections - within and beyond the heritage sector - for the common good of society. The role of museums in today’s rapidly changing world, with particular emphasis on textile heritage, will be discussed.

The 2020 Training Course on Impact Assessments for World Heritage will introduce the updated Guidance on Impact Assessment for World Heritage, which has been prepared by the three Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Convention, ICOMOS, ICCROM and IUCN, in partnership with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Therefore, the course will explore how Impact Assessment can be applied to both natural and cultural World Heritage. With the support of the Government of Japan, practical experience will be gained and lessons will be shared during the field assessment of the World Heritage Site of Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region.