TO enhance its heritage conservation efforts, George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) is currently hosting the ‘Training of Trainers Workshop on World Heritage Management: People Nature Culture’ at Royale Chulan, Penang until this weekend.
The programme is a collaboration between GTWHI, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The workshop has brought together 35 world heritage professionals from 20 countries, including Algeria, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, France, Guatemala, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, North Macedonia, Norway, Palestine, Peru, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe and Malaysia.
According to GTWHI general manager Dr Ang Ming Chee, GTWHI as the site manager for George Town City, has benefitted tremendously from the programme since its establishment in 2017.
“We praise the efforts of this programme, for acknowledging the commitments and roles of site managers, as the front liners on world heritage site management.
“The programmes, tools, and support extended to the site managers, have efficiently empowered our professional capacity,” Ang said during her opening speech at the workshop today.
Ang also added that the GTWHI includes the youths in its conservation efforts, and its interest in integrating technology into heritage conservation.
Meanwhile, state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai hoped for a collective effort to promote, conserve, and protect World Heritage properties for the betterment of humanity and future generations.
“We also have with us community resource persons, who will be here throughout this week, to support you in this training.
“We will share our experiences through the bottom-up, inclusive, and meaningful participation of the multicultural community.
“It is hoped that these insights will be beneficial for you,” Wong added.
Apart from that, IUCN heritage and culture team head Tim Badman said workshops such as this will be instrumental in understanding how the local site managers handle the heritage sites and related matters.
Badman also praised the state government for providing a conducive support system for heritage conservation initiatives.
Also present were Penang Hill Corporation general manager Datuk Cheok Lay Leng and World Heritage Leadership programme manager Eugene Jo.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by M. Vekenesvaran