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A Good Start: The first meeting of the International Scientific Committee for the Kathmandu Valley Setting a Positive Tone for renewed partnership and bringing synergies in action
The Department of Archaeology successfully organised the first meeting of the International Scientific Committee for the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property (ISC-KV) on 23 and 24 March 2023 with the support of UNESCO Nepal, Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance, Paris and the concerned municipal authorities.
ISC-KV has been established for the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property to provide support to the Government of Nepal to ensure the protection of the Property, taking stock of the post-disaster recovery. It aims to make sure the proactive engagement of the Nepali authorities, local government municipalities and site managers so that the recovery process not only maintains and protects the Property but also works in partnership with the community that lives in, uses, values, and maintains the sites.
The first meeting was divided into three parts - site visits, opening session and committee meeting.
Before the opening session in the evening on 23 March 2023, the committee members visited Swayambhu and Hanumandhoka Durbar Square, two of the seven Protected Monument Zones of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property and shared thoughts on heritage conservation and community engagement.
During the opening ceremony in Hanumandhoka, Prof Roland Lin from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre expressed his expectations towards Committee regarding the transition from post-disaster recovery to the standard site management procedures. 鈥淗owever, it is not simple, we must plan it carefully considering the remaining work to be done, that might still be considered 鈥榩ost-disaster recovery鈥, while also taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic鈥. He added, 鈥淯NESCO is ready to extend its technical assistance to Nepal through this challenging journey鈥.
Mr Suresh Adhikari, Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation graced the opening session as Chief Guest. In his welcome remarks, Mr Michael Croft, UNESCO Representative to Nepal expressed his gratitude towards all members. 鈥淒espite your busy schedules, you are here with us today to share your insights and expertise, your thoughts, and your love for this great city鈥, he stated.
Similarly, honourable Mr Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, Member of Parliament for Bagmati Province stated, "Our intangible heritage is the soul of our culture, which is dying every day. Hence a monument will soon become a dead body without soul - the intangible heritage. Let us work like bees to safeguard and preserve our heritage, not like flies".
Sunita Dandol, Deputy mayor, Kathmandu Metropolitan City
"We believe that this is a good approach to ensure quality in heritage rebuilding. It helped the promotion and preservation of our indigenous knowledge, skill and technology as well."
Likewise, Mr Sunil Prajapati, Mayor of Bhaktapur Municipality shared how the Municipality utilized indigenous technologies, knowledge and skills and community participation in rebuilding.
Similarly, honourable Mr Shailendra Bajracharya, a member of the Bagmati Province Assembly appealed, 鈥淲e must act together to save our heritage before they are lost forever鈥.
On 24 March, the meeting chaired by Mr Damodar Gautam, Director General of the Department of Archaeology, continued with the presentations by UNESCO, Department of Archaeology, and an overview guidance by an international expert, focusing on recommendations of the Reactive Monitoring Missions to the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property. Reflecting on what has been done in the recovery of each monument zones, local authorities and site managers updated their status on site-specific issues and shared best practices.
From the presentations, it is obvious that all seven monument zones faced similar challenges during the rebuilding process, such as a lack of traditional construction materials - timbers, tiles, quality mud etc., as well as skilled craftspeople and the ineffectiveness of the procurement process through tendering. However, most of them have successfully been completed by now.
The Bhaktapur Municipality's community-driven approach for the restoration and rebuilding of heritage through user committee, involving local craftspeople is a good practice and lesson to learn for everyone. They received contributions from local people and guthis. This has held enhanced the community ownership of the heritage. Not only this has helped transmit generations-old occupations to younger people but also has kept our intangible heritage alive. Likewise, the metropolitan cities of Kathmandu and Lalitpur are investing in sensitization, documentation and supporting communities for the continuation of living practices along with tangible heritage conservation.
In some monument zones, the proper management of street vendors, stray animals and non-registered tourist guides are posing problems, while unmanaged electrical lines, hoarding boards, parking, and security in others because of the pressure of urbanization and modern facilities. The lack of emergency exit during a disaster has been pointed out in the Bauddhanath area and unprecedented pressure on ghat services in Pashupati during emergencies such as earthquakes and pandemics, both showing that a contingency plan for risk management at the site level is a vital consideration.
Overall, the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage site has experienced an increase in tourism activities. And it is essential to manage change at site levels 鈥 visitor facilities, adaptive reuse etc. to avoid the impact on heritage and ensure that intangible heritage is maintained alongside the tangible and adequate protection is in place in relation to the new development in and around the property.
As a result of the insightful exchanges among the national and international experts, site managers and authorities concerned, the meeting successfully concluded with the adoption of recommendations with six clear orientation axes and an action plan for the protection of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property: finalizing the post-disaster recovery phase; reviewing and revising the Integrated Management Plan; reviewing and revising the effectiveness of essential management procedures and tools; establishing a comprehensive information management system; providing capacity strengthening and training; and establishing regular ISC-KV and re-convening of the Coordinative Working Committee (CWC) meetings. These suggestions are all aimed at transiting the post-disaster recovery of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property to standard management procedures.
For the first time, the Department of Archaeology, local authorities, and the site managers recognized the need for initiating appropriate national and local reflection on the application of the UNESCO 2011 Recommendation on 鈥楬istoric Urban Landscape鈥- HUL approach. The meeting concluded with a note on organising the ISC-KV virtual meetings quarterly to ensure the progress in carrying out the agreed activities, as well as resuming the regular site managers鈥 CWC meetings bimonthly and on an ad hoc basis as required. A new journey has just begun with renewed partnership, and commitment to bring synergies in actions and to ensure that the site managers are part of the planning process, allowing awareness and capacity building.
The Department of Archaeology is the national focal agency of the 1972 World Heritage Convention for the implementation of Cultural World Heritage issues in Nepal. The metropolitan cities of Kathmandu and Lalitpur, the municipalities of Bhaktapur and Changunarayan, the Bauddhanath Area Development Committee, Pashupati Area Development Trust, and the Federation of Swayambhu Management and Conservation are the site managers of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property.
