As an integral part of the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, and in the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, the Ministry of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the National Committee for Education, Culture and Science and the Saudi Heritage Commission will be hosting the World Heritage Young Professionals Forum 2023 under the theme of “Looking Ahead: The Next 50 Years of Protecting Natural and Cultural Heritage" from 3 to 12 September 2023 in Riyadh and the Al-Ahsa Oasis. The Forum will be developed and implemented with the support of the NGO Diadrasis. The Forum is an opportunity to understand and assess the achievements of the past 5 decades of the World Heritage Convention; to highlight the crucial role of youth in the heritage ecosystem; and to pave the way for the next generation of heritage professionals, giving voice to their unique approaches to heritage management. At the end of the Forum, the outcomes produced by the participants will be presented to the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in the form of a Youth Declaration.
Background
The World Heritage Young Professionals Forum are among the flagship activities of the World Heritage Education Programme, designed to foster intercultural learning and exchange by bringing together young people, educators, and heritage experts from different parts of the world to discover new roles for themselves in heritage conservation. They allow the young professionals to gain local insights on heritage management from the experience of the host country and through site visits to World Heritage properties, and also provide an opportunity for them to meet with the members of the World Heritage Committee and its Advisory Bodies and discuss the 1972 Convention and its implementation in greater depth.
Theme
Over the past five decades, the World Heritage Convention has protected and promoted humanity’s treasures and transformed the way we value and safeguard heritage. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Convention, it also an occasion for us to look to the future and at the issues that we must tackle together, such as climate change, sustainable tourism, and the digital transformation surrounding heritage, among others. Hence, the theme of the World Heritage Young Professionals Forum 2023 is set as “Looking Ahead: The Next 50 Years of Protecting Natural and Cultural Heritage”. The overall aim of the Forum is to deepen the knowledge and skills of young professionals in protecting, preserving, and promoting natural and cultural heritage for the next 5o years, and beyond. Accompanied by local and international experts, and through a variety of presentations, roundtables, discussions and site visits, the young professionals will collectively explore the significant challenges encountered in managing heritage ecosystems today and will discuss best practices and shared solutions for their future protection.
With an approach rooted in community engagement and public participation and enhanced further by the context and insights provided by the visit to the Al-Ahsa Oasis, the Forum will address the following sub-themes:
Provisional Programme
With the view to supplement the theoretical knowledge gained by the participants during the Forum with practical hands-on experiences at World Heritage properties, the Forum will be held partly in Riyadh, the host city of the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, and partly at the World Heritage site, Al-Ahsa Oasis, an Evolving Cultural Landscape. In addition, the participants will also have the opportunity to visit the World Heritage site, the At-Turaif District in ad-Dir'iyah, during the Forum. An initial outline of the Forum’s programme is available below. Updates on the programme as well as the final programme will be uploaded on the Forum webpage, in due course.
Application Form
Please note that the application form must be completed only in English. Applications submitted in other languages will not be considered. In addition to education and background information, candidates are also required to submit their CV and a copy of their passport size photo. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Application and Selection Procedure
30 participants will be selected for the World Heritage Young Professionals Forum 2023 through the process of an open call.
Eligible Applicants
Participants of the World Heritage Young Professionals Forum 2023 are expected to be:
In addition to general eligibility, the following elements will also be considered in selecting the participants:
All interested candidates who wish to apply for participation in the World Heritage Young Professionals Forum should fill in and submit the online application form.
Travel and accommodation Information
The participants are expected to arrive on 2nd September 2023 and depart on 13th September 2023. All related expenses (economy class flights, accommodation, local transportation, and meals) will be covered by the host country for the duration of the Forum. The organizers will also assist in the travel preparations and will provide support to the participants who need a visa.
If any participant wishes to extend his/her stay after 13th September 2023, all related costs will be covered by the participant. In such a case, the host country should be informed in advance, in order to make all the necessary arrangements.
Deadline: 04 June 2023
Apply here.