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UNESCO regional workshop explores synergies among designated sites for local development
The Regional Workshop for Europe on 鈥淒eveloping Local Synergies among UNESCO designated sites鈥 held in Florence, Italy, on 18-19 April 2024 concluded successfully. The event, co-organised by the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe and the City of Florence, brought together delegates from 9 multi-designated areas across 7 countries over two days.
Despite varying operational frameworks, UNESCO designated sites such as World Heritage properties, Biosphere Reserves, UNESCO Global Geoparks, and UNESCO Creative Cities, share the common goal of pursuing UNESCO鈥檚 mission towards peace, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue by cherishing and fostering the local cultural and natural values.
In this context, establishing cooperation among these designated sites presents unique opportunities for the sustainable development of a territory. In particular, it can increase the resilience of cultural and natural areas against external pressures, support advocacy and resource mobilisation, expand competitiveness of a territory and the sustainability of local tourism, and allow economies of scale. Such cooperation could, thus, create opportunities for participatory, integrated, intersectoral and complementary approaches to local development.
The exploitation of this collective potential is often limited by the lack of a common vision and shared objectives. Challenges to greater synergies include: the lack of effective coordination mechanisms; the diversity of normative, administrative and management frameworks; insufficient capacities; competition for securing resources for site management; and the difficulty in combining the intensive demands of managing UNESCO designations with the exploration of coordinated and systemic approaches.
Promoting Sustainable Development: Insights from the UNESCO Designations Workshop
Against this background, the workshop aimed to explore the potential benefits of cooperation amongst UNESCO designated sites. Specifically, it served as a platform for regional reflection on the advantages of collaborative efforts at the territorial level, by raising awareness of the subject, advancing knowledge and possibly inspiring future action. Special attention was given to regions with multiple designations, discussing how to harness their complementarity to better align with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Participants included representatives from site managing authorities, central and local government agencies, National Commissions for UNESCO, individual experts, and other practitioners. The engaging programme featured case studies, practical exercises, and group discussions.
Dedicated to sharing experiences, Day 1 highlighted successful regional collaborations in Europe through a series of presentations on:
- 鈥淯NESCO 5鈥 project: supporting sustainable transformation in Lusatia with cultural and natural heritage (Germany);
- UNESCO sites in Crete (Greece);
- Inclusive practices for experiencing UNESCO designated sites in the Dolomites (Italy);
- Azores archipelago: natural and cultural UNESCO designated sites working towards sustainable development (Portugal);
- Building and managing UNESCO designations in the Hunedoara County (Romania);
- Management of UNESCO designations in Idrija (Slovenia);
- Realising a UNESCO network in the UK.
Day 2 delved into potential synergies between and the . The exercise, which was facilitated by Bert Smit, principal lecturer and researcher at the Breda University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands), had multiple purposes: to inspire how to reinforce coordination among the two properties; to stimulate participants to reflect on their cases; and, to present methodologies supporting co-creation and co-decision for sustainable tourism strategies, taking stock of the project鈥檚 experience.
The workshop underscored the importance of developing a common vision and objectives for UNESCO designated sites at territorial level, unlocking the collective potential of these sites, to be supported by effective and efficient coordination mechanisms and innovative working modalities. Integration of site management with regional development strategies and related funding programmes, including the ones in the EU context, was also emphasised.
In her opening video message, Magdalena Landry, Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau, expressed optimism: 鈥By fostering cooperation, we can create a stronger foundation to leverage UNESCO sites as laboratories for sustainable development. This workshop aims to inspire solutions for realising that vision.鈥
The workshop was made possible by the annual contribution of Italy to the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, and the generous hospitality of the City of Florence.
