European Commission - 7th Framework Programme European Museums and Libraries in/of the age of migrations last updated: February 2015


UNESCO World Heritage and The Role of Civil Society

26-27 June 2015

Bonn, Germany | Gustav Stresemann Institute


The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will convene its 2015 meeting in Bonn. This international annual gathering offers a great opportunity to establish a stronger and more regular dialogue between public bodies and civil society concerned with the safeguarding of the world heritage.
Recognising that the world heritage cannot be preserved in the long term without the active participation of local communities, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has taken in recent years a number of decisions aiming to strengthen their adequate involvement in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.
“World Heritage Watch” is a global network established right after the Annual Meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2012 in St. Petersburg, with the purpose of giving civil society actors a voice in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Furthermore, from now on it shall aim to regularly organise an NGO Forum in conjunction with the meetings of the World Heritage Committee.

Under the aegis and with the coordination of the German NGO, “World Heritage Watch e.V.”, an international NGO conference “World Heritage and Civil Society” will be held on 26-27 June 2015 in Bonn, Germany. The venue at Gustav Stresemann Institute is prepared for up to 200 participants. Three sessions, each with several working groups, will discuss the following issues:

  • An assessment of the situation at selected World Heritage sites;
  • Civil Society, Member States and UNESCO;
  • Meetings for the creation of civil society networks.

Objectives of the conference will be:

  • To assess the situation;
  • To point out ways of participation of civil society in the protection of world heritage sites;
  • To develop a strategy to improve the involvement of civil society in the implementation World Heritage Convention;
  • To formulate modalities of participation of civil society organizations in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention;
  • To take steps towards the formation of national and international civil society networks World Heritage;
  • To inform the German and international public about the implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention from a civil society perspective.

The results of the conference will be submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and its Advisory Bodies.

On the day following the conference, several tours will be offered to visit German World Heritage sites.
The date chosen for the conference offers participants an opportunity to subsequently attend the official Annual Meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee which will convene from 28 June - 8 July in Bonn.


» link to the Conference website

» Conference programme

» Excursions programme