From 27 to 28 November 2024, the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (WHITRAP), hosted the 2th Annual Meeting of HeritAP on World Heritage Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals in Hangzhou, China. The meeting was co-organized by WHITRAP Shanghai and the Management Committee of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area, in cooperation with the Cultural Relics Protection and Utilization Association of Zhejiang Province, College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University and the Shanghai Tongji Urban Planning and Design Institute Co., Ltd. The Annual Meeting took place in Hangzhou, home to the West Lake Cultural Landscape, inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2011. It brought together a total of around 140 heritage practitioners from China, India, Japan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as experts from UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICCROM, HIST, and other institutions such as the China Academy of Cultural Heritage, the Longmen Grottoes Academy, the University of Tsukuba, Tongji University and Shandong University.
The annual meeting consists of four parts: the opening ceremony, keynote speeches, the Award Ceremony and presentations for the 2024 Good Practices on "Environment & Resilience," and the Call for Good Practices on "Prosperity & Livelihood."
WHITRAP Shanghai Project Director Ms. Li Hong Hosting Opening Ceremony
Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Delivering Address
HE Lei, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area, Delivering Address
YANG Jianwu, President of the Cultural Relics Protection and Utilization Association of Zhejiang Province, Delivering Address
Professor SHAO Yong, Secretary-General of WHITRAP, Delivering Address
The annual meeting began with the opening ceremony, hosted by Ms. Li Hong, Project Director of WHITRAP Shanghai. During the ceremony, several distinguished figures gave their addresses, including Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre; HE Lei, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area; YANG Jianwu, President of the Cultural Relics Protection and Utilization Association of Zhejiang Province; and Professor SHAO Yong, Secretary-General of WHITRAP. Following the speeches, the "Good Practices in Environment & Resilience" award ceremony took place, recognizing excellent cases including "Historical Inheritance and Sustainable Development—Exploration on the Protection and Management Model at West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou," "Walled City of Lahore at Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore, Pakistan," "Symbiosis and Co-prosperity of Heritage and Community at Cultural Landscape Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er, P. R. China," “UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism as a Development Engine for People in Nature: Pilot Project of Wulingyuan at Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area, P. R. China”, “Longmen Grottoes Protection and Restoration at Longmen Grottoes, P.R. China” and “Hometown at the Foot at the Great Wall, P. R. China” among others. These cases highlighted successful models in heritage conservation and sustainable development, with project representatives sharing their practical experiences, underscoring the role of World Heritage in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and offering valuable insights for heritage conservationists worldwide.
The keynote speech sessions featured a series of insightful presentations from experts, including SONG Xinchao, President of ICOMOS China; Gabriel Caballero, Focal Point for SDGs at ICOMOS; ZHAO Yun, Director of the World Cultural Heritage Center of China; SHAO Yong, Secretary-General of WHITRAP; Rohit JIGYASU, Project Manager at ICCROM; and WANG Xinyuan, Deputy Director of HIST. The sessions were moderated by Gamini WIJESURIYA, Special Advisor at WHITRAP Shanghai, and DUONG Bich Hanh, Director of the Culture Section of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia.
In the "Call for Good Practices in Prosperity & Livelihood" session, Ms. Li Hong introduced the 2025 call for cases, followed by Professor Nobuko Inaba and Duong Bich Hanh, who explained the requirements for the collection of cases through projects conducted at heritage sites in Japan and China. The session was moderated by Hatthaya Siriphatthanakun, Senior Specialist in Cultural Heritage Conservation at SEAMEO SPAFA, with a summary provided by Carolina Castellanos, Special Advisor at WHITRAP. The discussions highlighted the importance of aligning heritage conservation with sustainable livelihoods and community development, providing valuable insights for future practices in heritage management.
This annual meeting facilitated communication among heritage site managers on implementing sustainable development in heritage conservation and management, recognized the contributions of heritage practitioners, and shared experiences and lessons learned from excellent cases that promote sustainable development through World Heritage. Additionally, WHITRAP Shanghai, in collaboration with an expert panel, will analyze the case studies presented in each yearly session and submit a regional report to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, highlighting the unique significance and contributions of World Heritage in sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.
