In a statement adopted at the 8th World Heritage Site Managers' Forum, site managers from across the globe called for more participatory, connected and inclusive approaches to managing the world's shared heritage, urging stronger collaboration among institutions, rights-holders, communities and heritage professionals to strengthen decision-making and ensure the long-term conservation of World Heritage properties.
From 16 to 23 July 2026, 74 World Heritage site managers from 45 countries gathered in Busan, Republic of Korea, for the 8th World Heritage Site Managers' Forum. Held alongside the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, the Forum continued to provide a unique space for site managers to exchange experiences and build connections across the global community of practice supporting World Heritage management.
Organized by the Republic of Korea through the Korea Heritage Service and the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ICCROM and IUCN through the World Heritage Leadership Programme and in collaboration with ICOMOS, the Forum focused on the theme "Connection and Communication: Participatory Approaches to Managing World Heritage."
Building connections through communication and collaboration
Across thematic sessions, workshops, discussions and field visits, participants explored how inclusive governance built on effective communication and collaboration can improve the conservation and management of World Heritage properties while supporting wider sustainable development goals.
The discussions highlighted that safeguarding World Heritage requires establishing and supporting networks that go beyond heritage actors. Effective management is built on meaningful collaborations and relationships between heritage management offices, institutions, rights-holders, local communities, government authorities and other actors whose decisions and actions shape the future of heritage places.
The Forum further addressed emerging challenges facing World Heritage management, including risk management, climate pressures, digital transformation and the responsible use of artificial intelligence in conservation. Participants considered how new technologies can support monitoring, data management, and communication while emphasizing the importance of ethical, transparent and inclusive approaches.
Through visits to several World Heritage properties in the Republic of Korea, including the Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream; Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong; Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies; Gyeongju Historic Areas and the Gaya Tumuli, participants saw how participatory approaches are applied in practice. Direct engagement with local site management teams, local authorities and communities provided valuable opportunities to learn from one another and different contexts and foster better connections among site managers.
In a joint session with the World Heritage Young Professionals Forum, participants explored the role of youth and young professionals in World Heritage management. The session created opportunities for dialogue and networking, supporting intergenerational collaboration and connections among heritage professionals worldwide.
A shared commitment to participatory World Heritage management
Drawing on the Forum’s discussions, the site managers jointly developed and adopted the Statement of the 8th World Heritage Site Managers' Forum, reaffirming that effective World Heritage management depends on strong relationships across the diverse actors involved in conservation, including rights-holders, communities, public authorities, technical institutions and other sectors whose decisions influence heritage management.
The Statement identified a set of interconnected priorities for strengthening participatory management:
- delivering services and benefits to communities through continuous dialogue and recognition of diverse heritage values and knowledge systems;
- reinforcing equitable governance arrangements based on people-centred and rights-based approaches;
- integrating scientific, Indigenous, traditional and local knowledge, alongside responsibly applied digital technologies, into decision-making; and
- improving communication across all management processes, ensuring that information is timely, accessible, inclusive and responsive, particularly during times of crisis.
Site managers call for action to support long-term conservation
Participants also called on States Parties to:
- establish formal coordination mechanisms between heritage authorities and other sectors so that conservation objectives are considered before decisions affecting World Heritage properties are taken;
- recognize site managers as active contributors in national decision-making processes who bring attention to emerging concerns and participate in reporting and responding to Committee decisions;
- provide financial means and resources for establishing participatory and inclusive governance arrangements at World Heritage properties; and
- invest in long-term capacity building for site managers, including knowledge exchange networks that strengthen peer learning as an essential investment in the long-term conservation and protection of World Heritage.
Through the Statement, site managers reaffirmed their commitment to protecting and conserving World Heritage properties for present and future generations by enhancing cooperation with communities and other actors on the ground, improving communication across all levels of management, promoting more inclusive decision-making, and advancing participatory approaches to interpretations of heritage places.
The Statement was presented by site managers to the World Heritage Committee during its 48th session discussions on the State of Conservation of inscribed World Heritage properties.
Over the following days of discussions and deliberation, the World Heritage Committee adopted a milestone decision (48 COM 7) requesting that the role, functions and responsibilities of World Heritage site managers be more clearly reflected in the Operational Guidelines of the World Heritage Convention, as outlined in the Managing World Heritage (2026) resource manual. This decision reflects a longstanding recommendation that has appeared in successive Statements from the World Heritage Site Managers’ Forum since 2018.
As a co-organizer of the annual World Heritage Site Managers’ Forum together with our partners, ICCROM warmly welcomes this decision, as well as the request to establish the Forum as a standing event. This continued support will enable site managers to better understand the expectations and implementation framework of the World Heritage Convention while strengthening their role in the long-term conservation of World Heritage properties.