On 13 December, Dr Webber Ndoro, ICCROM’s Director-General, visited the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in New Delhi, India to speak about cultural heritage with students, faculty and alumni of that institution. The school’s director, Dr PSN Rao and its dean, Dr Sanjukkta Bhaduri, introduced the role of the various departments in the field of planning, habitat studies and involvement in education for cultural heritage conservation and management in India.
Students presented their course curriculum, developed for the Indian context, along with some of the hands-on work they have done in Delhi, the Deccan capital of Ahmednagar and the cultural landscapes of Kodaikanal.
Dr Ndoro encouraged the students to share their research with the wider conservation community and with decision-makers through digital media and publications.
“Emerging professionals have an enormous role to play in helping the cultural heritage sector better integrate with environmental conservation and sustainable livelihoods for local communities,” underlined Dr Ndoro on the occasion.
Dr Ndoro next gave a keynote address at the second edition of the International Conference on Heritage Management Education and Practice (14-16 December 2018) on the theme 'Developing Integrated Approaches'. Dr Ndoro’s keynote speech centred on heritage values and sustainable development.
The conference set out to explore the gaps in efforts of the conservation sector to connect disciplines and stakeholders. The conference also addressed questions such as the challenges faced in conserving and managing heritage, what the sector has achieved, and how best to integrate heritage resource conservation with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Speaker presentations centred on research, practices, pedagogy, and case studies on the successful stories. Critical inquiries highlighted ways of integrating diverse aspects of heritage, diverse stakeholders, and bridging the gaps in heritage management practices.
The conference was organized by Centre for Heritage Management at Ahmedabad University, Gujarat, India.