Call for Participation: World Heritage Young Experts Forum 2015 | Germany

As part of the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee the German Commission for UNESCO – as cooperation partner of the Federal Foreign Office –and the State of Rhineland-Palatinate organize the Young Experts Forum 2015 – in cooperation with the NGO European Heritage Volunteers. The World Heritage Young Experts Forum will be held between 18 and 29 June 2015 in the World Heritage Cultural Landscape "Upper Middle Rhine Valley" and in Bonn. It is part of the World Heritage Education Programme of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and is financed by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. The Forum invites young heritage experts from all around the world aged between 20 and 30 to exchange ideas and provide input on how to manage World Heritage Sites sustainably. The objectives of the World Heritage Young Experts Forum 2015 are as follows:

• to develop a deeper understanding of the World Heritage Convention and of the workings of the World Heritage Committee by analyzing the implementation of the Convention at three different German World Heritage sites (Upper Middle Rhine Valley, the Frontiers of the Roman Empire and Aachen Cathedral) and by simulating the workings of the Committee in a Model;
• to face the challenges and potential impacts of a sustainable management of World Heritage sites during workshops and practical hands-on work at a World Heritage site;
• to empower the young experts to develop their own sustainable initiatives in their country in order to make World Heritage fit for the future by offering a follow-up on the activities and ideas initiated during the Forum;
• to improve the visibility and recognition of the Young Experts Forum within the World Heritage Committee. The participants will elaborate a declaration and address it to the Committee. Moreover, the young experts will be part of the delegations of their country during the first plenary day of the Committee Session.

The programme of the World Heritage Young Experts Forum 2015 includes the following elements:

• Inputs from and discussions with international heritage experts, field trips to World Heritage sites, workshops about various aspects of a sustainable management of World Heritage sites.
• Practical hands-on work in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in terms of conservation and maintenance of World Heritage Sites.
• Model of a plenary debate of the World Heritage Committee including the drafting of a declaration and its presentation during the official Opening Ceremony of the Committee Session by the young experts, as well as the participation in the delegations for at least one day

Participation is open to candidates fulfilling the following criteria:

• aged from 20 to 30;
• fluent in English (No interpretation will be provided);
• citizens of one of the 21 States Parties of the current World Heritage Committee (Algeria, Colombia, Croatia, Finland, Germany, India, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Senegal, Serbia, Turkey, Viet Nam) and of Brazil, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Tunisia and Ukraine;
• involved in heritage related fields such as World Heritage Studies, (Landscape) Architecture, Urban Planning, Archaeology, Art History, Museology, Cultural Studies, Anthropology, International Politics, Geography, Tourism: students; researchers; activists; young professionals in NGOs, associations, cultural and natural organizations, museums, at heritage sites, committed to bring in their own expertise;
• motivated to be engaged in a network of young experts of World Heritage and eager to implement the outcomes of the forum in their home countries.

Young experts fulfilling the criteria described above are invited to apply to participate in the World Heritage Young Experts Forum 2015. They should do so by filling in the relevant application form along with a motivation letter and a short CV by 23 March 2015. For further details about the event and access to the application form, please visit http://www.39whcbonn2015.de/youngexpertsforum/application-procedure.html