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The custodian of culture
Neon Kelly meets the man who believes co-operation is key to preserving the world’s rich heritage for future generations
In 1972 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) created the World Heritage Convention – a set of proposals to help preserve the planet’s natural and man-made wonders. Today, the World Heritage Centre guards over 830 sites, in 138 separate countries.
Among the devastated ruins of Afghanistan’s Museum of Kabul, there survives the inscription “A nation is alive when its culture is alive” – and for Francesco Bandarin, director of the centre, this message is a powerful reminder of humanity’s duty to protect the wonders of the Earth.
The work of the World Heritage Centre is concentrated around two major roles. Firstly, it acts as the secretariat of the convention itself – encouraging new countries to sign up, organising conferences and facilitating the tasks of the World Heritage Committee, which deals with the implementation of the treaty. Secondly, the centre provides financial support and technical assistance to the nation states in which heritage sites are based. It would clearly be impossible for one agency to govern all of these sites at once, so, instead, the centre acts as a guiding force for the separate conservation projects. This still equates to a Herculean job and Bandarin is well aware of what is at stake.
“These are the fundamental elements of our personal identity, of our civilisation, our future,” he says. “All the cultures of the world are built on their heritage and, by creating a global society, we are sharing this responsibility – we are doing a favour to ourselves and to future generations. The main challenge is to preserve what we have inscribed and, of course, it’s a growing challenge because every year we add more sites to the World Heritage List. Preserving these sites has become a big problem.”
Under the microscope
Given these difficulties, it’s no surprise to find that all potential sites are subject to rigorous scrutiny. National governments are first required to draw up an inventory of their country’s natural and cultural properties. Entries on this list can then be added to the country’s Nomination File, which is passed on to two adjudicating bodies – the International Council on Monuments and Sites, and the World Conservation Union. These organisations pass on their recommendations to the World Heritage Committee, which meets annually to pass judgement over the nominated sites. On average, 45 are put forward for consideration, of which 20 will be added to the updated Heritage List.
As Bandarin explains, the committee assesses each nomination in relation to three distinct qualities: “Firstly, there is the test of authenticity – we’re not going to put in Disneyland! In some cases, the site is enormously important, but it’s lost its authenticity. For example, we can’t put Babylon on the World Heritage List, although it’s a fundamental site, because it’s been totally rebuilt. Secondly, we have the test of integrity: the place has to be valuable – it can’t be just a fragment or we won’t consider it. Finally, there has to be a proper management system. If the place is not managed properly, the committee won’t consider it because it makes it very hard to preserve the site.”
Flexible friend
In addition to these trials, a new site must fulfil one of 10 criteria – ranging from “representing a masterpiece of human creative genius” to “containing superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty” – to prove its qualitative worth. Until 2005, these criteria were divided into two categories – cultural and natural – but they have since been merged because of a lack of distinction between the groups.
Such flexibility is a common requirement among those who work for the World Heritage Centre. With the fate of unique landmarks hanging in the balance, it’s vital to keep an open mind. Bandarin cites, as one of his proudest moments, a case when it was vital to prevent action, rather than to take it.
“There was a very interesting project at the site of Lalibela in Ethiopia,” he recalls. “This is a very famous rock-hewn church – it looks fantastic, but it has many problems: the roof is leaking and it’s made of these monolithic rocks. There were plans to build a shelter, but the project was so intrusive that I felt it was going to destroy the site. I joined the project seven years down the line, so they said, ‘It’s too late, you can’t do anything now’. But I insisted and we found a solution that was acceptable. I’m sure I saved the site from total destruction.”
Joint venture
Funding for the World Heritage Centre provides it with a portfolio worth about €30m, while Bandarin estimates biennial expenditure to be somewhere in the region of €15m. Given the extremely broad nature of the centre’s remit, these numbers could be expected to run far higher; it is, therefore, vital that heritage projects are run with a sharp business awareness and private investors now play a key role, contributing about a third of the centre’s incoming cash flow.
“We cannot do it alone, it’s impossible,” Bandarin admits. “We need to rally people, so I have a very positive attitude towards the private sector.”
While UNESCO’s world heritage work will always deal with individual sites, Bandarin believes that it’s equally important to keep track of the big picture. The Partnerships for Conservation Initiative (PACT), started in 2002, aims to create a network of companies and institutions who will co-operate to find solutions to international cultural and environmental problems. Next year’s PACT conference will deal with heritage issues connected to global tourism.
“We have to call attention to these global issues,”
Bandarin concludes.
“Otherwise, we risk becoming fragmented. There’s nothing worse than looking at the tree and not the forest.”
Handful of heritage
Five World Heritage sites to visit
THE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF PADUA
Italy
Boasting a collection that includes over 6,000 species of plant, this is the world’s oldest botanical garden. In the words of the World Heritage Committee, this historic site “represents the birth of science, of scientific exchanges and of understanding of the relationship between nature and culture”.
CATHEDRAL, ALCÁZAR AND ARCHIVO DE INDIAS
Seville, Spain
Seville’s cathedral, the largest Gothic building in Europe, is the resting place of Christopher Columbus. Next to it is the building that houses the Archivo de Indias, one of the most important archives of colonial documents in Spain. The Giralda minaret of the Moorish Alcázar, or castle, is a masterpiece of Almohad architecture.
CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION
Kolomenskoye, Russia
This unusual-looking stone church was the first to be built in the kokoshnik, or tent, architectural style. It was commissioned in 1532 by Vassily III to celebrate the birth of his son, Ivan – later to be known as Ivan the Terrible. The formidable Grand Prince lived here in his youth, returning later in life with his first wife, Anastasia.
BELÉM TOWER
Lisbon, Portugal
Since 1521, this breathtaking fortress has guarded the entrance to the Tagus river. Over the centuries, the 35-metre high building has been used as a military stronghold and as a fearsome prison, but, today, it stands as one of Lisbon’s most popular attractions.
AGGTELEK KARST
Hungary
Aggtelek National Park is home to some of the world’s most impressive caves, including the 26-km deep Baradla – once thought to be the longest cave system on the planet. It is home to some jaw-dropping crystal stalactites, although claustrophobics are recommended to stay at home.
Les gardiens de la Culture
En 1972, l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’éducation, la science et la culture (UNESCO) créait la Convention du Patrimoine Mondial, une série de propositions destinées à soutenir la préservation des merveilles naturelles et culturelles de la planète.
“Toutes les cultures dans le monde sont bâties sur un héritage, et dans la société globale que nous connaissons aujourd’hui, nous partageons tous la responsabilité de le maintenir. Cette démarche, nous la faisons pour nous mais aussi pour les générations futures,” explique Francesco Bandarin, Directeur du Centre du Patrimoine Mondial de l’UNESCO.
En moyenne chaque année, 45 nouveaux sites sont proposés pour être classés au répertoire du Patrimoine Mondial, et parmi ceux-ci 20 viendront s’ajouter à la Liste existante. Pour être sélectionné, un nouveau site doit répondre à l’un des 10 critères susceptibles de prouver sa valeur universelle. Ceux-ci varient entre “représenter un chef-d’œuvre du génie créateur humain” et “représenter des phénomènes naturels ou des aires d’une beauté naturelle et d’une importance esthétique exceptionnelles.”
Le Fonds du Centre du Patrimoine Mondial représente un portefeuille en gestion d’environ €30 millions, alors que selon les estimations de Bandarin, les dépenses engagées tous les deux ans tournent aux alentours des €15 millions.
De plus, étant donné la nature extrêmement large des payements auxquels le Centre doit faire face, on pourrait s’attendre à ce que ces montants augmentent rapidement; il est donc vital que les projets du Patrimoine soient managés avec la plus grande compétence financière possible, même si le Centre s’apparente plus à une industrie de service public. Ces dernières années, des investisseurs privés ont commencé à jouer un rôle clé, en contribuant à hauteur d’un tiers des liquidités du Centre et en collaborant avec l’UNESCO pour la fourniture de produits. “Nous avons un bon groupe de partenaires, et ils augmentent régulièrement. Pour nous, c’est une réelle garantie pour le futur” conclut Bandarin.
Cultuurbewaarder
In 1972 stelde de UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) het Werelderfgoedverdrag voor, een reeks voorstellen om onze natuurlijke en culturele rijkdommen te beschermen.
“Erfgoed ligt aan de basis van alle culturen ter wereld. Nu de wereld een dorp is geworden, delen we de verantwoordelijkheid en bewijzen we onszelf en de volgende generaties een dienst,” aldus Francesco Bandarin, Directeur van het UNESCO Werelderfgoedcentrum.
Gemiddeld 45 nieuwe locaties dingen elk jaar mee naar de titel van Werelderfgoed. Twintig daarvan vullen effectief de Werelderfgoedlijst aan. Een nieuwe kandidaat moet voldoen aan één van 10 criteria om zijn uitzonderlijke kwaliteit te bewijzen. Dat gaat van ‘meesterwerk van menselijk vernuft’ tot ‘verbluffend natuurfenomeen of gebied met uitzonderlijke natuurlijke schoonheid’, aldus Bandarin.
Het Werelderfgoedcentrum beschikt over een budget van zowat 30 miljoen euro, terwijl Bandarin de kosten over twee jaar op zo’n 15 miljoen raamt. Niet overdreven, gezien de immense opdracht van het Centrum. Daarom is het cruciaal dat erfgoedprojecten met een scherp zakelijk inzicht worden geleid, ook al lijkt het eerder een overheidsdienst. Recent gingen privé-investeerders een sleutelrol spelen bij de ondersteuning van het Centrum. Zij zorgen voor een derde van de binnenkomende geldstroom en werken samen met UNESCO voor het leveren van producten. “We beschikken over steeds meer interessante en uiteenlopende partners, wat onze toekomst veiligstelt,” besluit Bandarin.
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