Second OWHC Asia-Pacific Regional Conference

for World Heritage Cities

HERITAGE AND COMMUNITY; Tools to engage the local community

(5~7 October 2016 / Gyeongju, Republic of Korea)

In the last 15 years, more and more research within the field of Heritage Management has focused on the personal, regional and relative values of heritage sites. People have come to realize the importance of Cultural Heritage as not only a tangible asset but also as a catalyst of a social phenomenon called "Meaning-Making Process".

They argue that an old building can be valuable not just because it is old and architecturally important but also because of the stories and meanings accumulated around the building by the people who live in and are related to it. Those observations have led to the creation of the “People-Centered Approach” who places the communities at the heart of the conservation and heritage management processes and consequently strengthens their ability to participate meaningfully in the process of decisions-making for themselves and their heritage.

Reflecting the importance of the community engagement for managing the future of historic cities, the proposed overall theme of the meeting is “HERITAGE AND COMMUNITY; Tools to engage the local communities.” This is an opportune moment to contribute to pave the way for world heritage cities of our region forward.

Host - Gyeongju Municipal Government

Organizers - OWHC Asia Pacific Regional Secretariat

In collaboration with Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Government, UNESCO Bangkok Office, Korean National Commission for UNESCO, World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and Pacific Region

Venue - Hwabaek International Convention Center(HICO), Gyeongju, Gyengsangbuk-do, Korea

Date - 5th to 7th October 2016

Objectives of the Meeting

- Sharing challenges and good practices in heritage management of the member cities

- Promoting the international exchanges between member cities

- Developing and sharing ideas about cooperative projects between member cities.

- Reconsidering the existing and dominant preservation/management systems in the world heritage cities

- Finding the successful cases to be shared among world heritage cities

- Deepening the understanding of the relationship between Heritage and Communities

Program Schedule

5th Oct.(Wed) 6th Oct.(Thu) 7th Oct.(Fri)

Expert

Workshop

and

Opening Ceremony Working

Meeting

and

Case Study Panel Session

and

Farewell Dinner