Training / Workshops

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CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
UNESCO MASTERCLASS: TRAINING THE TRAINERS

CONSERVING OLD KUCHING: PRESERVING CULTURE, CONSERVING HERITAGE AND ENCOURAGING ARTS

Organised by ICOMOS CIF (cif.icomos.org)
Date: 18 October 2026 
Venue: Riverside Majestic Hotel (tentatively) & Old Kuching Town

Limited to 30 participants only
Profile of participant:  Teacher of architectural and urban conservation courses around the world, Conservation officials and officers from federal and local government and other relevant authorities. Limited places, pre-registration required by 20th July 2026

FEES:
Early bird until 31st July 2026:
Group of 5: RM 1000 (USD250)per person
Group of 2: RM 1100 (USD270)per person
Individual:   RM 1200 (USD295) per person
Fee on 1st Aug. 2026 & later:  RM 1200 (USD295) per person

DESCRIPTION:

ICOMOS-CIF will be delivering a UNESCO masterclass ‘TRAINING THE TRAINERS’ at Old Kuching Town. This is a very significant historic centre, with a remarkable diversity of cultures and architecture. Important developments are proposed in the area, integrating heritage preservation with smart technology and sustainable urban development. 

The masterclass is addressed to teachers, professionals in built environment, officers and officials from local authorities, state agencies and federal governments who are already working on built heritage, in order to advance their practices. After a series of keynotes and introduction to the local, national and international policies and principles, the participants will have the opportunity to work in small groups to produce an outline proposal for the area, which will be presented to local officials and the community.

Pre-register your seat by email the below information to enquiries@icomosga2026.org.my and cc. tanchinling18@gmail.com:
Title: UNESCO Masterclass: Training the Trainers pre-registration
a) Full name:
b) Affiliation/ Agency/ Organisation/ Institution:
c) Job title:
d) Qualifications/degrees/competences:
e) Email address:
f) Phone no.:
g) Address:  
h) Self-funded or organisation sponsored:
i) Dietary requirement:

Thank you.

Organised by ICOMOS ISCEAH
Coordinator: Dr. Mariana Correia (ISCEAH Charter Coordinator, Portugal), Dr. Amanda Rivera-Vidal (ISCEAH Vice-president, Chile), Dr. Jorge Tomasi (ISCEAH Chair of Landscape, Argentina)
Date: 22 October 2026
Venue: To be confirmed

Fees: To be confirmed

The aim of this Workshop is to create an open and plural space for designing a strategy that ensures the document has a real impact across the world.

1. Presentation of ISCEAH Charter: Core concepts, and Charter’s development.
2. Recently adopted Charter’s Roundtable: Representatives of Scientific Committees that have developed their own Charters in recent years, who will share the challenges that were faced, lessons learned and strategies addressed to apply their Charters.
3. Open discussion forum: An open exchange space among representatives from different countries and regions to understand the plurality of conditions and contexts, on how to implement the Earthen Charter to contribute for conservation efforts in the protection and preservation of earthen architectural heritage in the different World regions. National and regional representatives will be encouraged to participate, seeking to ensure geographical diversity and diverse conditions when facing the preservation of earthen heritage.

Organiser: ICOMOS Australia, ICOMOS China, ICOMOS Nepal in association with UNESCO and WHITR-AP Beijing

Coordinator(s): Kristal Buckley (Australia ICOMOS), Haiming Yan (ICOMOS China), Neel Kamal Chapagain (ICOMOS Nepal), in association with Duong Bich Hanh (UNESCO) and Kuanghan Li (WHITR-AP Beijing)
Fees: Accessible by all ICOMOS GA2026 attendees (Limited to 100 participants only)

Date: 22 Oct 2026
Venue: To be confirmed

The aim of this Workshop is to share and consider further the outcomes of a recent Asia-Pacific Capacity-Building Workshop Tangible-Intangible Synergies in World Heritage Management. The focus of the workshop is a ‘management divide’ in the frameworks for the conservation of World Heritage sites and the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, despite the now-common recognition of the many overlaps between them throughout the world. Organized by WHITR-AP (Beijing), UNESCO’s Regional Office for East Asia, ICOMOS China, Peking University, and the Fujian Provincial Bureau of Cultural Heritage and held in Anxi and Quanzhou, China in August 2026, the workshop has a focus on the development of tools and strategies for more integrated practices.

1. Presentation(s) will briefly outline the outcomes of the recent capacity-building workshop, particularly in relation to the needs of site managers
2. A Facilitated Discussion Forum will collect responses, including additional strategies, drawn from the global membership of ICOMOS

Organisers: ICOMOS Sustainable Development Goals Working Group (SDGWG)
Co-ordinator: Dr Naima Benkari 

Rationale

As the 2030 Agenda enters its final implementation phase, Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) and Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) have become one of the principal mechanisms through which governments demonstrate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although cultural heritage contributes significantly to sustainable development, its role remains unevenly represented in national reporting.

In response, the ICOMOS Sustainable Development Goals Working Group (SDGWG), as part of the #Culture2030Goal campaign, has developed a suite of practical guidance and reporting tools to facilitate the systematic integration of cultural heritage into SDG reporting. These include the implementation of the #Culture2030Goal framework, particularly Target 3: "Protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage and leverage it as a resource and enabler for sustainable development", together with its proposed indicators, as well as the Mapping Heritage Contributions to the SDGs template and the Structural Framework for a Cultural Heritage Subchapter in VNRs/VLRs. These resources have recently been introduced through a global programme of regional webinars for ICOMOS members and are now ready to be applied in practice.

This workshop represents the next step—from awareness raising to practical implementation—by enabling ICOMOS members to apply these tools using real heritage examples and to strengthen cooperation with national SDG coordination processes. Furthermore, this workshop addresses the critical "Policy Impact Narrative," establishing how integrating heritage into VNRs shifts the political perception of conservation from a cost centre to a core driver of sustainable development, thereby leveraging legislative and financial support in the post-2030 global framework.

Date: 22 Oct 2026
Venue: To be confirmed
Duration: 180 minutes

Objectives:

The workshop aims to:

1. Strengthen the capacity of ICOMOS National and Scientific Committees to contribute to VNRs and VLRs
2. Demonstrate practical methodologies for documenting heritage contributions to the SDGs
3. Present the SDGWG reporting tools and experiment their practical application in the preparation of VNRs and VLRs
4. Provide technical solutions for addressing data gaps and translating complex, qualitative cultural values into structured, quantitative metrics acceptable for national reporting
5. Facilitate peer learning and exchange of experiences among National Committees; local and national government’s employees
6. Encourage stronger engagement of heritage professionals with Ministries of Culture, national SDG coordination mechanisms and other relevant stakeholders
7. Leverage the host country's upcoming 2027 VNR preparation as an active operational laboratory to test reporting tools against real-world institutional challenges.