“Capacity Building for Heritage Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context” – ICOMOS Workshop in Malta

The in-person segment of the “Capacity Building for Heritage Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context” workshop, organised by ICOMOS in close coordination with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, has successfully concluded in Malta. This workshop is part of a series by ICOMOS designed for members of ICOMOS National Committees, with the Superintendence serving as the national coordinator for the Maltese edition.

The Maltese workshop brought together 25 key stakeholders from state entities and local authorities involved in World Heritage decision-making. The workshop was presented by notable international and local experts, Dr. Nicholas Clarke (ICOMOS World Heritage Advisor), Dr. Ulrike Herbig (ICOMOS Austria), Mr. Joseph Magro Conti (Advisor, Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government), and Dr. Anthony Pace (Coordinator, Malta World Heritage Nomination Project).

The primary goal of the course was to enhance awareness and understanding among these stakeholders about the effectiveness and necessity of Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) for preserving World Heritage sites. Eight officers from the Superintendence participated in this course.

Spanning five weeks across October and November 2024, the workshop included both online and in-person components, concluding online in mid-November. Its aim is to equip stakeholders with knowledge on integrating HIAs into processes concerning interventions and investments that may impact the attributes conveying the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of World Heritage properties.

This was achieved through group sessions aimed at connecting stakeholders from different entities, fostering collaboration, and bridging gaps between local organisations involved in World Heritage contexts. The in-person segment strengthened this effort, bringing stakeholders together for interactive lectures and collaborative group work. Using a fictional development case study set within a Maltese World Heritage property, the in-person segment provided hands-on experience with the entire impact assessment process, enhancing practical understanding and application of HIAs.

The workshop aims to raise awareness about the importance of using appropriate methods and tools to assess impacts on the attributes that convey the OUV of World Heritage properties. It supports greater cooperation and coordination among stakeholders, fostering synergies in planning interventions, development projects, and other actions that could impact the OUV of cultural and mixed World Heritage properties.

Organised by ICOMOS, the workshop series draws on resources from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the ICCROM-IUCN World Heritage Leadership programme. It is based on the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context, published in 2022 by UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS, and IUCN.