Projects

Project: Building climate adaptation capacities at natural World Heritage sites - especially in Africa - with a focus on communication, training and fundraising. Beneficiary: Unesco Amount: USD 99,951 Duration: 2020 - 2022 Studies show that more than half of all natural World Heritage sites are threatened by large-scale industrial projects, with adverse effects on the ecosystem.

Project: Building climate adaptation capacities at natural World Heritage sites - especially in Africa - with a focus on communication, training and fundraising. Beneficiary: Unesco Amount: USD 404,000 Duration: 2020 - 2022 This project supports the start-up of Unesco's climate programme for natural World Heritage, which is led by the Flemish Fanny Douvere. The ultimate goal of this project is to strengthen the resilience of natural World Heritage sites in developing countries - and in Africa in particular - by building capacities for climate adaptation and developing a sustainable financing

Project: Offering technical support to Marine World Heritage sites with special attention for capacity building and collaboration between African sites. Beneficiary: Unesco Amount: 149.330 USD Duration: 2019 – 2020 Dit project zorgt voor een verdere ondersteuning van Unesco’ programma voor de bescherming van marien Werelderfgoed, dat wordt geleid door de Vlaamse Fanny Douvere. Het specifieke doel van dit project is om de samenwerking tussen Afrikaanse mariene sites te bevorderen om zo ook hun capaciteiten te versterken, en om technische ondersteuning te bieden aan mariene sites.

Project: Organisation of a training in Mozambique for the capacity building in Africa on underwater cultural heritage Beneficiary: Unesco Amount: 92.650 USD Duration: 2019 – 2020 This project aims to improve the protection and management of maritime and underwater cultural heritage in the African countries, within the framework of the principles and standards of the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. A regional training course is planned on legal protection and practical management of underwater cultural heritage.

Project:  Contributions to the Special Account for support to countries in post-conflict and post-disaster situations: crisis response in Nepal Beneficiary: UNESCO Amount: 25.000 USD Duration: 2015 With this contribution Flanders supports UNESCO's emergency actions in the aftermath of the major earthquakes on 25 April and 12 May 2015 in Nepal. These earthquakes caused great damage in the Kathmandu Valley, a World Heritage site known for its unique temples, stupas and historic houses.

Project: International Scientific Conference: Culture in Armed Conflict Beneficiary: Unesco Amount: 170.000 USD Duration: 2016 The international conference 'Culture in Armed Conflict' focuses primarily on the role culture plays in armed conflicts and how it affects human rights and security.

Project: Bringing together the international community to protect Syria's cultural heritage Beneficiary: UNESCO Amount: 170.000 USD Duration: 2014 - 2016 This project includes a meeting of international experts for the conservation of cultural heritage in Syria and technical emergency assistance. The project highlights the activities set up by UNESCO around this and helps to take emergency measures. It also creates awareness of the destruction of heritage.

Project: Centenary of WWI and its Underwater Cultural Heritage: Exhibit on African and Asian involvement Beneficiary: UNESCO Amount: 49.990 USD Duration: 2014 - 2018 Throughout 2014-2018 the centenary of the First World War is commemorated. The naval battles and remaining underwater cultural heritage linked to those battles merit attention as well. This projects focuses on the African and Asian involvement in naval battles with an exhibition.

Project: Emergency Safeguarding of the Site of Palmyra: Implementation of the World Heritage Committee Decisions Beneficiary: UNESCO Amount: 100.000 USD Duration: 2016 – 2018 Due to the armed conflict in Syria, many World Heritage sites were damaged, including the well-known site of Palmyra. Since the site was accessible again in 2016, Unesco dispatched a rapid assessment mission to assess the damages and identify emergency measures.

Project: Protection of heritage of religious interest as a tool for reconciliation (Iraq) Beneficiary: UNESCO Amount: 250.000 USD Duration: 2018 – 2019 In the aftermath of the ISIS/Daesh occupation of Northern parts of Iraq, there is a need for mapping the damage they have done to religious heritage in a systematic manner. Unesco aims in this project to devise a methodology for this and to use it for a comprehensive assessment of the damage and needs. Following that assessment the results will be published and distributed through scientific community and the public at large.

Project: Establish a digital database and website for the Preah Vihear World Heritage Site Beneficiary: UNESCO Amount: 12.430 USD Duration: 2018 – 2019 With reference to the experience and necessity for the creation of a database for the International Coordination Committee for the Safeguarding and the Development of the Archaeological Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor), it is very important to have a similar system for the World Heritage Site of Preah Vihear.

Project: Cuba, Jardines de la Reina National Park: Technical support to strengthen management and world heritage nomination preparation Beneficiary: UNESCO Amount: 12.430 USD Duration: 2018 – 2019 The national park ‘Jardines de la Reina’ in Cuba has already been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List in 2003. This marine site is one of the most pristine marine areas in the world and home to numerous endangered species.

Project: Strengthening sub-regional cooperation and national capacities in seven Southern African countries for implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the intangible Cultural Heritage Beneficiary: UNESCO Amount: 117.467 USD Duration: 2018 – 2019 This project is designed within the framework of UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy to assist countries with effectively implementing the provisions of the 2003 Convention on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH).

Project: Improving the representation of African sites on the World Heritage List: upstream support for natural heritage Beneficiary: UNESCO Duration: 2019-2020 Budget: 250.000 USD Africa remains poorly represented on the World Heritage List. It is a longstanding aim for UNESCO to improve this situation. In order to achieve a more balanced representation on the World Heritage List, technical assistance should be provided to African countries in their efforts to nominate sites as World Heritage. This projects wants to contribute to that aim, specifically for key natural sites.

Project: Strengthening subregional cooperation and national capacities in seven southern African countries to implement the 2003 Convention for the preservation of intangible cultural heritage (PART I)  Beneficiary: Unesco Amount: 250 000 USD Duration: 2014 This project aims to establish a subregional cooperation platform to help seven southern African countries in their efforts to protect the heritage living within their borders. This platform consolidates the results of previous projects funded by Flanders.

Project: Strengthening subregional cooperation and national capacities in seven southern African countries to implement the 2003 Convention for the preservation of intangible cultural heritage (PART II)  Beneficiary: UNESCO Amount: 250.000 USD Duration: 2016-2017 This follow-up project pays special attention to ensure adequate institutional environment, the ability to develop legislative and policy frameworks or improve and the availability of national expertise. Part I

Project: Extension of the protection of marine sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List Beneficiary: UNESO Amount: 250.000 USD Duration: 2016 - 2017 The overall aim of this follow-up project is to further strengthen the impact of the World Heritage Marine Programme on the conservation of Unesco World Heritage Sites with an expected catalyst effect on other marine protected areas worldwide. The project objectives are aimed at optimising local decision-making through a strong application of the mechanisms of the World Heritage Convention.

Project: World Marine Heritage Sites and the application of 'ecosystem-based Marine Spatial Planning' (MRP) Beneficiary: UNESCO Amount: 351.630 USD Duration: 2013 - 2015 This project focuses on the conservation of an often underexposed form of World Heritage, namely the Marine World Heritage Sites, through the application of 'ecosystem-based Marine Spatial Planning' (MRP). MRP is a conceptual method developed by the IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) on the basis of research by UGent.

Project: Engaging local communities in the conservation and management of the World Heritage sites in Africa Beneficiary: UNESCO Amount: 149.814 USD Duration: 2017 – 2019 Flanders has funded already several projects to the benefit of natural World Heritage sites in Africa; this project builds on those achievements and aims to implement the ‘Community Management of Protected Areas Conservation’ (COMPACT) in one World Heritage site in Southern Africa.