UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE

UNESCO, a specialized agency of the United Nations, has been pursuing a mission of dialogue and
cooperation since it was founded in 1945. It covers four major fields: education, science, culture and
communication. Its aim is to build peace in the world through knowledge, social progress, exchange and
mutual understanding among peoples.

OBJECTIVES

UNESCO's World Heritage mission is to

 Encourage countries to sign the World Heritage Convention and to ensure the protection of
their natural and cultural heritage;
 Encourage States Parties to the Convention to nominate sites within their national territory for
inclusion on the World Heritage List;
 Encourage States Parties to establish management plans and set up reporting systems on the
state of conservation of their World Heritage sites;
 Help States Parties safeguard World Heritage properties by providing technical assistance and
professional training;
 Provide emergency assistance for World Heritage sites in immediate danger;
 Support States Parties' public awareness-building activities for World Heritage conservation;
 Encourage participation of the local population in the preservation of their cultural and natural
heritage;
 Encourage international cooperation in the conservation of our world's cultural and natural
heritage.

Examples of the Convention at work

 Angkor (Cambodia)
One of the most important archaeological sites in
South-East Asia, Angkor Archaeological Park in
Cambodia contains the magnificent remains of the
various capitals of the Khmer Empire. Over the years,
political and military upheavals, illicit excavation,
pillaging of archaeological sites and landmines were
destroying the site. Although many monuments are
still in need of attention and pressure from tourism is
growing, more than fifteen major conservation and
restoration projects have been undertaken. In 2004, the Committee considered that Angkor
was being properly managed and that the numerous conservation and restoration activities
were successful and the site was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
 Sangay National Park (Ecuador)
In 2005, Sangay National Park, Ecuador, was
removed from the List of World Heritage in
Danger as significant measures had been taken
to address threats. Heavy poaching of wildlife,
illegal livestock grazing, encroachment along
the park's perimeter and unplanned road
construction were threatening to cause
irreversible damage to the natural
environment. Today, activities such as hunting,
mountain climbing or illegal grazing can only be
found in a minimal section of the park, and road construction has been modified to satisfy
rigorous international environmental standards.

 Ilulissat Icefjord (Greenland, Denmark)

Over the years, the town of Ilulissat experienced
a rise in the number of cruise tourists. Without
proper management, the growing number of
visitors led to difficulties such as attrition,
crowding and problems of waste disposal. A
management plan (2009–2014) was formulated
with initiatives encompassing commercial
hunting, motorized vehicles, navigation, recreational activities, research and information. When
the plan was presented at a public meeting, many citizens joined the discussion about the
management of the World Heritage site.

 Island of Mozambique (Mozambique)

Decades of wars and economic stagnation allowed
the former historic capital, on the Island of
Mozambique, to lapse into decay. Under a truly
multi-donor rehabilitation project – with financing
from Japan, Portugal, the Flemish Government of
Belgium, the Netherlands and the Union of Luso-
Afro-American-Asian Capital Cities – more than 100
local and Mozambican professionals and students were trained in traditional building
techniques, using local building materials and decorative principles to restore the fortress and
install a new public water cistern.
 Tongariro National Park (New Zealand)
New Zealand’s Tongariro National Park, whose
mountains have cultural and religious significance
for the Maori people and symbolize their spiritual
links with the environment, was designated as the
first cultural landscape on the World Heritage List
in 1993. The recognition of cultural landscapes as
World Heritage sites in 1992 was an important step in underlining the intimate spiritual
relationship between peoples and their natural
environment.
 Old Walled City of Shibam (Yemen)
The 16th-century Old Walled City of Shibam, Yemen,
nicknamed 'the Manhattan of the desert', has been
under threat of destruction because of the
abandonment of the old agricultural flood
management system in the wadi surrounding the city
and the overloading of the traditional sanitary
systems. Extensive conservation works implemented by partner organizations have resulted in
the restoration of 65 per cent of the buildings, and large-scale flood control measures have
been taken in the wadi.

 Mammoth Cave National Park (USA)

At 390 contiguous miles, Mammoth Cave is the longest
cave in the world. Even though it was designated a
national park in 1941 and inscribed as a World Heritage
site in 1981, 80 miles of the cave and most of its 60,000
acre watershed lie outside the national park boundary.
Thus, Park staff developed partnerships in many areas of
park protection and management: groundwater, river
resources, tourism, research and education. Partners include the Biosphere Reserve Council,
made up of elected officials, conservation agents, and business people; the Kentucky
Department of Transportation; the Nature Conservancy-Sustainable Rivers; Western Kentucky
University; tourism businesses; local schools, and nature conservation volunteers.
With the goal of effectively protecting Tulou buildings, the local government has used
developing the tourism industry as a critical opportunity for restructuring the local economy,
and endeavors to build the county into a natural cultural tourist center and an excellent tourist
destination rich in Hakka cultural characteristics. To fully encourage community participation in
the protection and management of the heritage, the county government established such
organizations as the County Tourism Development Office Villager Supervising Team and the
Communist Party Member Volunteers.

Kaiping Dialou and Villages (China)

Inscription on the World Heritage List boosted the steady and
sustainable development of Kaiping City’s economy and social
fabric. While protecting the heritage site in a scientific way and
utilizing the historic buildings properly, the city promoted the
development of tourism and related industry, thus providing
numerous employment opportunities to the local residents. In
addition, the city integrated various cultural resources to
develop local tourism and related service industries. For
example, local residents are employed to serve as
administrators, guides and logistics personnel in scenic spots.
They are also encouraged to run farm hotels, and to create
Diaolou culture-related souvenirs so that the public can fully
participate in the protection of the cultural heritage. The
World Heritage status also led to dramatic improvement of local infrastructure
Old Town of Lijiang (China)
Inscription on the World Heritage List in 1997 has
promoted cultural, economic and eco-
environmental development of the city and the
people living there. It provided the public with
opportunities to better understand the Dongba
culture as well as the ancient music and handicrafts of
the Naxi ethnic minority. This, in turn, has
encouraged protection and transmission of this
culture. Over 2000 artists in the city have
established opera troupes, traditional Chinese calligraphy and art galleries, and cultural product
specialty shops. Moreover, the comprehensive development of tourism brought about by the
World Heritage inscription has secured steady economic growth. While the city received a total
of 845,000 visitors in 1995, the number reached more than 4 million in 2005; by then tourism
directly or indirectly provided 116,000 job opportunities to citizens.
 Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (Canada)
In 1907, when Jasper National Park was first
established, there were several hundred indigenous
people living in the park. Park legislation and
management then did not consider indigenous
perspectives and traditions, and alienated the
aboriginal people. Striving to mend broken
relationships, Parks Canada created the Jasper
Aboriginal Forum in Jasper National Park in 2004.
Biannual meetings of the Forum bring together Parks Canada and over 20 Aboriginal groups
with a defined historic connection to the park. Over time, shared interests such as “advancing
the reconciliation process and facilitating access to the park” were revealed. The most evident
change that has resulted from the forum work lies in the new management plan for the park,
which was tabled in Canada’s Parliament in 2010. The new plan devotes a whole section to
shared interests, incorporating for the first time such points as “aboriginal voices … influencing
park planning and decision-making.”

 SGang Gwaay (Canada)

The Haida people, native to the Gwaii Haanas (“Islands of
Beauty,” also known as Queen Charlotte Islands), operate the
Haida Gwaii Watchmen Program to safeguard their important
cultural sites. The Watchmen, made up of men and women,
elders and youth, spend shifts from two weeks up to the whole
summer in Gwaii Haanas. They protect the sensitive cultural
sites by presenting visitors with a first-hand introduction to
Haida culture through sharing knowledge of the land and sea,
and their stories, songs and dances. Having started with parties of one or two volunteers thirty
years ago, today the Watchmen program is funded from several sources, including visitor fees.
It has its own management and provides seasonal employment for the Haida.
 Kluane / Wrangell-St Elias / Glacier Bay /
Tatshenshini-Alsek (Canada/USA)
The goal of the “Healing Broken Connections”
project is to build respectful relationships with
the ‘Kluane First Nation’ and ‘Champagne and
Aishihik First Nations’ peoples and help them
reintegrate into Kluane National Park and
Reserve. The site became the Kluane Game Sanctuary in 1943. At the time, Aboriginal people’s
entrance to the park for gaming and hunting purposes was no longer allowed. Launched in
2004, the four-year project took important steps in welcoming back the members of the First
Nations into the area. This was through a series of activities, including youth and elder culture
camps, historical presentations and traditional knowledge workshops for Aboriginal people and
Parks Canada staff.

 The Wadden Sea (Germany/Netherlands)

Since 2010, sustainable and nature-sound tourism
has been a focus at this site, and a joint German-
Dutch project was launched to develop a
sustainable tourism strategy for the entire World
Heritage property. Meanwhile, the German
National Parks introduced campaigns which
proved to be successful. For instance, at the
Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park,
more than 200 tourism and shipping companies work in close collaboration with the national
park administration. They offer high-quality service and regional, seasonal, fair and
environmentally compatible products. In the Wadden Sea National Park in Lower Saxony, travel
by train to the coast is heavily advertised through the campaign “Fahrtziel Natur (Destination
Nature),” in cooperation with the German railway company.
 Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of
Germany(Germany/Slovakia/Ukraine)
This World Heritage natural property preserves valuable
beech forest and its ecosystem. A trilateral management
project among Germany, Slovakia and Ukraine started in
2010, financed by a German advisory assistance programme.
The project aims to enhance information exchange between
protected areas in this serial, trans-boundary property. The
network of experts and protected area management bodies
cooperate in such fields as socio-economic aspects of buffer-
zone management, and the development of joint information
materials for better communication and awareness-raising.
Sustainable use of natural resources in the buffer zones is a
major component of the project. Considering it is essential to
link to traditional practices and ethnic and cultural heritage
in the region, the project supports traditional crafts, products
and ecotourism, in order to strengthen sustainable resource
use.

 Wachau Cultural Landscape(Austria)

A scenic hiking trail, called the “World
Heritage Trail,” was planned from 2003
and finally integrated into the site in
2010. It is a circular, 180-km hiking route
around the property, passing through all
of the villages and cities of the World
Heritage site. Thus it links all the main
attractions of the region, such as
monasteries, museums, old city centres,
restaurants, wine estates and apricot
farms with the unique traditional
winegrowing landscape. The trail helps
promote the sustainable development, notably in tourism, throughout the World Heritage
property. Within a year of its introduction, the Trail has become a major draw of the site. In
2011, a special guide was issued by the site management office and the tourism marketing
board, linking for the first time all of the special offers, guided tours and wine tavern opening
days along the Trail.
SPAB (SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS)
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) believes old buildings have a future. From
cottages to castles and from churches to cathedrals we are here to help buildings and the people who
care for them. Through our unique training schemes, courses, advice and research we help people put
our expertise into practice.

Founded by William Morris in 1877, the SPAB was established in response to the work of Victorian
architects whose enthusiasm for harmful restoration caused irreparable damage. Today the SPAB
encourages excellence in new design to enrich and complement the built historic environment. We train
new generations of architectural professionals and building craftspeople to shape this landscape with
sensitivity and skill, and we play a statutory role as adviser to local planning authorities. In our casework
we campaign actively to protect old buildings at risk.

Mission

The SPAB Manifesto of 1877 continues to guide the Society's overall purpose and sets out a distinctive
SPAB Approach to building conservation. The Vision, Mission and Values of our current strategy indicate
ways in which the Society should pursue its aims in the 21st century to maintain its relevance and
authority.

Vision

That old buildings are understood, cared for and appreciated today, and protected for future
generations.

Mission

The SPAB Approach is adopted by all people caring for old buildings.

To supply expertise that keeps old buildings useful, beautiful and part of people's lives.

To connect with all people who appreciate old buildings or care for them.

Values

 That buildings should be valued for their entire history, recognising understanding and
respecting change.

 That the authenticity of fabric, as a true record of the past, is best respected by regular
maintenance and skilled conservative repair.

 That changes and additions, where essential, should contribute positively to a building's interest
and story.

 That people and the buildings they construct are a conduit for knowledge across generations.

 That knowledge of the SPAB Approach and of the good conservation practice it encourages,
should be available as widely as possible.

 That decisions about old buildings should take a long-term view.

  Campaigning

Since 1877 the SPAB has campaigned tirelessly for the protection of old buildings and for the
conservation of our shared built heritage. SPAB founders William Morris and Philip Webb's initial focus
was on opposing the damage being inflicted by destructive restorations of the Vicorian era and
promoting instead an approach of 'conservative repair' in a time when old buildings were routinely
demolished or partially destroyed to suit current tastes.

We continue to build on our long history through our casework and national campaigns, always
promoting the value and good sense of caring for the fabric of old buildings. All our campaigns are
underpinned by our 1877 Manifesto and the more recent SPAB Approach - a simple, practical message
of maintenance, repair and sustainability.

Casework

Since the foundation of the SPAB in 1877, casework, campaigning and advice has been at the centre of
our work. Today in England and Wales, the Society has a statutory role in the secular planning system.
As directed by the Secretary of State, the SPAB is one of six National Amenity Societies that must be
notified by local planning authorities of all applications that involve the total or partial demolition of a
listed building, giving us an opportunity to comment on the proposed scheme. We have a similar role
within the ecclesiastical consent systems operated by the religious denominations that are granted
exemption from secular listed building controls.

Each of the National Amenity Societies concerned with the conservation of old buildings has particular
interests and specialist knowledge in terms of architectural history. For this reason and due to our
limited resources the SPAB concentrates on applications concerning buildings with fabric dating from
1720 or earlier.

Generally we are unable to get involved in cases concerning:

 structures post 1720

 applications affecting buildings in conservation areas

 applications affecting the setting of listed buildings

 the implementation of other heritage controls

 local planning policy issues.

 Please read our Campaign Toolkit for more information on other sources of advice on these
issues and other organisations that may be able to assist where we cannot.
How to notify the SPAB of a relevent casework application

To notify us officially of an application or to request pre-application advice, please email

[email protected].

We aspire to log all relevant cases within 5 working days for our casework team's consideration. If you
would like to check if your case has been received by the SPAB you can check our publically accessible
database.

On the homepage click the SPAB icon to be taken to a search page. Here enter the details of your
application and select ‘search’. Any relevant applications will be retrieved. Click the link to an application
and if there is a green tick against the SPAB’s name in ‘notified organisations’ that means your
application has been sent to the relevant caseworker for their consideration.

How to alert us to a building at risk

We cannot take up all cases, however, if the fabric of an important historic building is threatened by
neglect or proposals for significant alteration please use the following form to make an enquiry.

Recent Cases
The Royal Clarence Hotel

The Royal Clarence Hotel is a grade II listed

complex of buildings in Cathedral Yard, Exeter
which suffered catastrophic damage after a fire in
2016. Regrettably, the proposals fore rebuilding
would result in an uncomfortable mix of a
restored Georgian building to the front and a
collection of unremarkable and homogeneous
contemporary secondary elevations elsewhere.
We wrote to the Council urging that they strive for
excellence in design and advised that they must
seek details regarding the treatment of the
medieval fabric in The Wellhouse.
The Romping Donkey, Cheshire

The Romping Donkey is a grade II former public

house in Cheshire. The building is in a poor and
vulnerable condition with no use at present,
however, a recent submission of planning and listed
building consent applications suggest there may be
fresh hope on the horizon. The proposals sought to
convert the former public house to a dwelling.
Unfortunately, we did not feel able to support the
applications as the proposals did not appear to
address crucial structural issues where members of
the timber frame had previously been truncated or
were missing completely.

Past campaigns

Campaigning for the protection of ancient buildings has always been at the heart of the SPAB. In 1877
William Morris objected strongly to the restoration of Tewkesbury Abbey which sparked the foundation
of the Society. The SPAB went on to put its weight behind the international campaign to save St Mark’s
in Venice, to lobby the Church of England to look after its wealth of architecture - leading to the
establishment of the Diocesan Advisory Committees - and to oppose the irretrievable loss of old
buildings during the slum clearances of the 1930s.

Casework is the Society’s everyday campaigning voice; we receive over 2500 cases for consideration a
year and give a substantial response to over 500 of those cases.

After 2016’s successful History at Your Feet campaign to highlight the importance of old floors and to
promote their care and retention, we hope to run more campaigns. If you think there is a cause the
SPAB should be involved with please contact [email protected]

 History at Your Feet

2016-2017

In summer 2016, the SPAB launched a campaign to

encourage people to look down and appreciate the
history at their feet in the form of beautiful old floors.
Often in plans submitted for our consideration there is
not much consideration given to historic floors.
 SPAB Scotland Thatch Survey

2015-2016

With the support of Historic Environment Scotland, the SPAB

undertook a nationwide survey of Scotland's thatched
buildings. The survey demonstrated the significant losses that
had occurred in recent decades, and helped establish the
need for revisions to policy, grants and craft training.

 Airport's expansion

1990 - present

The SPAB has expressed concerns about expansion proposals

for a range of UK airports including Heathrow, Gatwick,
Stansted, Manchester and Southend. Our primary concern is
for the historic buildings that would be demolished for or
blighted by new runways. We are not experts in aviation, but
have campaigned alongside other bodies with the aim of
securing national policy that respect people, old buildings and the wider environment.

The SPAB Domesday Barn Survey

1985-1990

Concerned about the number of barn conversions occurring

across England, the SPAB conducted a volunteer-led national
survey to record the numbers of farm buildings still in
agricultural use and the impact of residential conversion.
Maintenance Co-operatives Project

“This is such a worthwhile initiative; all churches should be encouraged to get involved”

- Lincolnshire volunteer

Established in 2013, the SPAB Maintenance Co-operatives Project (MCP), funded by the Heritage Lottery
Fund, provided free-of-charge, practical support to the dedicated staff and volunteers who take care of
some of our most treasured and distinctive built heritage. Working in five regions across England and
delivering a further five 'Co-op Minis' the Maintenance Co-operatives Project project built on the
success of Faith in Maintenance and assisted places of worship not only with training but also with
practical support on gathering volunteers, carrying out baseline building surveys and turning all that
knowledge into maintenance plans and practical working parties.

As the SPAB's founder William Morris put it, ‘stave off decay by daily care’ or, thinking of it another way,
‘a stitch in time saves nine!' However you look at it, if costly major works to places of worship can be
avoided through inexpensive, effective regular maintenance it's a good thing.

The project came to a close in March 2017, but our advice and resources will continue be available on
this website and we hope to be able to continue our work in this area in some way. If you want to know
more about the project, how to set-up a maintenance co-op or need technical advice on your place of
worship these pages will give you a great start.

Faith in Maintenance

"Stave off decay by daily care."

- William Morris

The SPAB's award-winning Faith in Maintenance project helped volunteers who care for historic places
of worship to understand their buildings better and to carry out basic preventative maintenance.
Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage, the project ran for five years (2007 -2012). It
delivered 150 courses and trained more than 5,000 volunteers throughout England and Wales for
Anglican, Methodist, United Reformed Church, Roman Catholic and Jewish groups.

Organisation and activities

Today, the SPAB still operates according to Morris's original manifesto. It campaigns, advises, runs
training programmes and courses, conducts research and publishes information. As one of the National
Amenity Societies, the Society is a statutory consultee on alterations to listed buildings, and by law must
be notified of any application in England and Wales to demolish in whole or part any listed building.[3] It
currently has c. 8,500 members (2012). The Society also has a branch in Scotland.

The society's Mills Section is the only British national body concerned with the protection, repair and
continued use of traditional windmills and watermills; Ken Major carried out much work on its behalf.
The society, which is a registered charity, is based at 37 Spital Square, LONDON E1 6DY, England.

For its dedicated service to heritage, the society was awarded the European Union Prize for Cultural
Heritage / Europa Nostra Award in 2012.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE, ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHEOLOGICAL HERITAGE

The Convention for the protection of the architectural heritage of Europe is a legally binding instrument
which set the framework for an accurate conservation approach within Europe. For a total of forty three
member states of the Council of Europe, the Conventions total ratification/accession has reached forty-
two countries since it was opened for signature in 1985. It entered into force on 1 December 1987.

After 30 years of collaboration among member states of the Council of Europe, this convention
constitutes an important framework for the safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of monuments and
sites. The Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage in Europe, along with the
Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society, Faro and European Convention on
the Protection of the Archaeological Heritages, comprise the thrust of cultural heritage protection and
development in Europe.

Issues under the convention

 The issues addressed in this convention are defined by the following objectives:

 Support the idea of solidarity and cooperation among European Parties, in relation to heritage
conservation

 It includes principles of "conservation policies" within the framework of European cooperation

 Strengthen and promote policies for the conservation and development of cultural heritage in
Europe.

About the convention

The starting point of this convention, mentioned in the preamble, was the European Cultural Convention
signed in 1954. After that, the first action toward the protection and safeguarding of cultural heritage
promoted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe started in 1963 through the creation
of Europa Nostra, which promoted the intergovernmental cooperation within Europe.

Preamble

The overall aim is first give a cultural references improving their environment in the European context,
and secondly fostering a sustainable development considering economic enhancement and social
development. Is stated that European parties, by the accordance of common principles, can commit
themselves in a permanent collaboration for conservation policies. This can be seen by the accordance
of minimum safeguard agreements regarding architectural heritage. It is mentioned that in matters of
cultural heritage and build heritage, the Council of Europe has been working over 30 years. It expresses
the purpose and the European philosophy regarding conservation issues.

Definition of the architectural heritage

It contains the three definition of heritage define by the 1972 Convention for the Protection of the
World Cultural and Natural Heritage UNESCO. This comprises the description of monuments, groups of
building and sites.

Identification of properties to be protected

This section is composed by Article 2, which establishes the realisation of a survey by the creation of an
inventory. This will permit not only the documentation of heritage, define in article 1, but also the
assessment of properties as the initial action towards legal protection.

Statutory protection procedures

This part is defined by Article 3, 4 and 5. It contains the legal, political and administrative measures to be
taken by each Party for protecting the properties in question. This measures will be applied differ in
each region or State. It also describes in article 4, the legal actions applicable to the protected heritage,
that ensure the supervision on work which is affecting protected properties.

Ancillary measures

Composed by Articles 6, 7 and 8. Here explain the types of financial support that public authorities may
give to guarantee, facilitate and encourage the maintenance and restoration of protected properties.
Also, is mentioned the different measures to consider in respect of the environment, like public spaces
and pollution control.

Sanctions

It contains only Article 9, and which explains that Parties may ensure, that infringements of the law
protecting the heritage, will have an adequate response by criminal law or administrative law.

Conservation policies

It consists in Article 10, 11, 12 and 13. It describes principles of integrated conservation of the heritage,
reflected in the previous work made by the Council of Europe. Also explain the principle for
maintenance though the heritage use, describe in previously in Article 5 of the Venice Charter,[1]
ICOMOS. It also states that there must be balance between the using and conservation, which will
conserve the architectural and historical value of the property. This will be aimed by the principles of
integrated conservation explained in article 13, which implies and effective cooperation between the
administrative departments concerned.

Participation and associations

It contains Article 14, and describes the establishment of structures to facilitate cooperation between
the parties or regions concerned.

Information and training

Contains Article 15 and 16, and explain the importance of public participation in early stage, as a whole
to appreciate and understand heritage. This might concerns training systems and trades implicated in
conservation.

European co-ordination of conservation policies

Define by the Articles 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21. It can be found in Articles 17 and 18 the description of the
coordination of European conservation policies. It describes also the technical assistance system under
Council of Europe. Article 19 expresses the desirable exchanges and trade of persons involved in the
conservation of the heritage. In Article 20, in order to ensure the successful application of this
Convention, is desirable the creation of a committee for monitoring.

Final clauses

This section consist in Articles 22, 23, 24,25, 26 and 27, and which has the Europe Council's final clauses
for conventions and agreements.

Role and impact of cultural heritage

Cultural heritage can be an economic asset, a tourist attraction and an identity factor, and it can also
contribute to social cohesion. Throughout 2018, declared European Year of Cultural Heritage (EYCH), all
EU Member States and institutions have been organising events, conferences and meetings, and have
been allocating funds to preserve and promote all forms of cultural heritage. In 2015, a report on
'Getting cultural heritage to work for Europe'stressed that cultural heritage doesnot entail, as is often
claimed, solely costs, nor is it only limited to aspects related to identity, but that it has multiple positive
effects:

 economic – cultural heritage can be an economic production model that has a positive

 economic impact on job creation, including in other sectors;  social – where cultural heritage
favours integration, inclusiveness, cohesion and

 participation;  environmental – where cultural heritage enables the sustainable development

of

 landscapes.

 A study on 'Cultural heritage counts for Europe' liststhe beneficial effects of cultural heritage,
which:  raises the attractiveness of both urban and rural areas and contributes to their

 development;  contributes to the quality of life of the inhabitants and to improving the
atmosphere in

 neighbourhoods;  enhances the uniqueness of such places and provides narratives for cultural
tourism;

 CoE and EU actions for the cultural

 heritage

 Fourteen years after the CoE launched the

 European Heritage Days, the European

 Commission joined the initiative in 1999. Since

 then, the two institutions have been co- organising the yearly event in September in 50

 European countries, attracting over 20 million

 people and giving them the opportunity to

 enjoy free visits, including to monuments and

 sites that are usually closed to the public for the

 rest of the year.

 The Commission also supports, through its joint

 programme with the CoE, the Cultural routes of

 the CoE. Examples of these are the Camino de

 Santiago, the El Legado Andalusi, the Huguenot

 routes and the Jewish heritage routes, which

 literally follow the traces of Europe's diverse

  culture, traditions, craftsmanship and religions.

 EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service

 4

 contributes to job creation directly in the heritage institutions (300 000) and indirectly

 in related sectors (7.8 million), by a ratio of 1 to more than 26;  boosts creativity and
innovation through digitisation and its creative uses;  generates revenues from ticket sales,
tourist activities and increases in property value

 due to cultural heritage preservation and maintenance;  is a key element in the sustainable
regeneration of historic areas;  stimulates education and learning, and the understanding of
history;  helps build social capital and the feeling of belonging, and contributes to social

 cohesion;  preserves the environment by helping combat climate change: it often happens that

 renovated pre-1890 buildings have superior energy efficiency standards than modern

 buildings.

As an economic asset, cultural heritage can contribute to the Europe 2020 strategy for smart,
sustainable and inclusive growth. However, it is endangered by various humaninduced threats (such as
urban development or excessive tourist interest) and threats resulting from natural disasters, climate
conditions and change. The EYCH is an opportunity to look back at the EU's contribution to countering
these threats. The importance that EU citizens attach to cultural heritage (for instance, museums or
historical sites) is reflected in a 2007 European Commission survey on cultural values. Between 40 % and
50 % of Europeans declare that they visit historical monuments and museums. However, other forms of
cultural heritage, such as opera or ballet, have very low scores in the survey, pointing to the complexity
of attitudes towards what cultural heritage is and how it is perceived.
Funding programmes for cultural heritage preservation

Various EU funds are available for cultural heritage with a view to achieving the goals of the Europe
2020 strategy. The Creative Europe programme budget of €1.46 billion for the 2014-2020 period covers
mostly cultural and media projects. Of this amount, nearly €27 million has been earmarked for cultural
heritage-related projects. It is currently co-funding a project on intangible cultural heritage practices in
museums, which analyses various approaches with the aim of providing professionals working with
intangible cultural heritage with appropriate tools and methods to involve practitioners in passing their
cultural heritage to future generations.

This is marginal compared to the funding from the structural funds: €1.2 billion for rural heritage,
including landscapes, from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and €3.2 billion from
the European Regional Development Fund over the 2007-2013 period. The European Maritime and
Fisheries Fund also offers funding for maritime heritage preservation and preservation of traditional
wooden vessels for a land-based heritage function. It has helped maintain the Spanishfishing heritage
'almadraba' tradition in the Cadiz Straits. Similar projects related to cultural heritage professional skills
can be funded from the European Social Fund.

Cultural heritage in education and research

An October 2017 opinion poll reflects the importance of cultural

heritage for EU citizens. It measures EU citizens' interest in their
cultural heritage and the role they believe itshould assume in
education as an element of teaching history and culture. The poll
results reinforced the recommendation on cultural awareness
and expression made in the Recommendation on key
competences for lifelong learning adopted by the Parliament and
the Council back in 2006. The text defined the competence
entitled 'cultural awareness and expression' as the awareness of
local, national and European cultural heritage in the global
context. It brought to the fore the importance of cultural heritage
and of understanding it, in the context of education, perceiving it
from a local, national and global perspective. With its 2007
Agenda for Culture, the Council laid the basis for its work in the
cultural domain and for the application of a new method, the open method of coordination (OMC),
involving topical meetings among experts from every Member State. In 2015, they produced a
handbook on cultural awareness and expression, promoting the need for basic knowledge of major
cultural works, belonging to both classical and popular culture. The Creative Europe programme (Media
strand) co-funds projects on film literacy, with some projects aimed at developing audiences for
European films through school screenings and debates. It thus confirms the place of audiovisual cultural
heritage and the impact of knowledgeaboutthis heritage on audiences and their cinematographic
choices.
Cultural heritage: past activities

 Kyiv Initiative Regional Programme (Black Sea and

South Caucasus)

The Kyiv Initiative brought together five countries at the

south-eastern edge of Europe - Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The aim was to
work with each other, in an era of post Soviet transition, to
create democratic and engaged societies and rebuild trust
and confidence across the region. The programme focused
on five themes that both united and characterised the
participating countries – heritage management, wine culture and tourism exchange, film, the shaping of
cultural policy and literature.

 PCDK - EU-CoE support to the promotion of cultural

diversity in Kosovo*

The Joint Programme “European Union/Council of Europe

Support to the Promotion of Cultural Diversity in Kosovo
(PCDK)” focused on four major components: capacity
development, education and public awareness, local
economic development and community well-being, where
all the elements came together in innovative pilot actions
based on common heritage.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ
Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence

 PIAG - Post-Conflict Actions for the Social and

Economic Revitalisation of the Communities and the
Cultural Environment in the Municipality of Gori

The "Post-Conflict Actions for the Social and Economic

Revitalisation of the Communities and the Cultural
Environment in the Municipality of Gori" (PIAG) was the
Council of Europe’s contribution towards the response to
the conflict in Georgia in August 2008, more specifically on
the damage to cultural heritage, and by extension, to the
built environment.
 Regional Programme on Cultural and Natural
Heritage in South East Europe

This Regional Programme was launched in 2003 in

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, "the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia" and Kosovo*. With its three
components (institutional capacity building, heritage
rehabilitation and local development), it contributed to
peace and reconciliation in a region undergoing
complex political, legal, economic and social transition.

Cultural heritage – from the past to the future

EU recommendations have shown the path to pursue with regard to archaeological and
digitalpreservation. EU funds have co-financed conservation and restoration efforts for heritage sites
andthe digitisation of film heritage and museum collections. Furthermore, they have supported
technical and technological research as well as studies on cultural heritage interpretation, on
understanding its role, on urban development and on many other heritage-related issues. As a recent
conference on cultural heritage highlighted, the current approach focuses on current creative uses and
interpretations as well as on the democratic and social contribution of cultural heritage to ourshared
responsibilities with regard to the legacy of previous generations, our efforts to passit onto the next
generations, and our contributionto the future, including throughtechnologies bridging the past and the
future.