Enhancement local laboratory diagnostic: Research – sophisticated Technology – wastewater-based monitoring (epidemiology)
Training
Community-Based Fire Preparedness and Response Strategy
Fire extinguisher and smoke detectors are distributed to the local community to promote sufficient and effective disaster risk reduction tools.
GTWHI
Training conducted by the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia on fire safety .
GTWHI
Local community participated in the training conducted by the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia at GTWHI office.
GTWHI
Practical session on the proper way to use a fire extinguisher in fire fighting.
GTWHI
With more than 5,300 buildings in the George Town Heritage City, it is important to proactively prepare the site in reducing the risk of fire incidents. GTWHI is working proactively to provide at least one smoke detector and a fire extinguisher for every building within the World Heritage Site. A fire safety training session was also held under this programme, in collaboration with the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia. Participating communities were trained on practical measures to prevent and mitigate a fire emergency (installing a smoke detector, using a fire extinguisher and others).
Since July 2020, fire extinguisher maintenance has been conducted for the first phase Community-Based Fire Responders. The GTWHI team went on house visits to all 50 participants to check their fire extinguishers condition, renew the Fire and Rescue Department’s certificate which is displayed on the fire extinguisher, and understand the issues and challenges faced by them during the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The partnership and close collaboration between the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia and GTWHI has allowed the community-friendly design and implementation of this training activity.
The aim of the Community-Based Fire Preparedness and Response Strategy is to create awareness for the public on the pragmatic steps in enhancing the safety of cultural heritage from fire. GTWHI has collaborated with the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia to organise these capacity trainings for the local communities on effective intervention during fire emergencies, avoidance to fire incidents, and correct approach in using fire extinguishers, among others. Besides learning about information related to fire emergencies, local communities also had the chance to build trust and understanding with the local Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia and GTWHI.
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Informative Posters
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Informative Posters
GTWHI
Handling out of George Town World Heritage Disaster Risk Management for Cultural Heritage Posters to the local communities.
GTWHI
Posters are displayed on the heritage building
GTWHI
Informative posters is one of the disaster risk reduction toolkit developed by GTWHI to raise awareness on disaster mitigation measures and emergency response preparedness. The posters introduce fire and floods as key hazards, with information on risks, vulnerabilities, prevention and reduction strategies. These posters have been produced in four local languages – English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil – to address the multicultural communities in Malaysia.
To further expand the awareness campaign within and beyond the World Heritage Site, GTWHI printed posters in four languages, which received a great reception from the public. The design and content were based on the feedback received from the community during the community training workshop. Raising awareness through posters is a more practical approach for local communities as these materials are visually clear and easier to understand.
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Informative Posters increase disaster risk awareness and preparedness among the people, in particular the residents, building owners and daily users of the town. The dissemination of an easy-to-use and visually accessible infographic toolkit is a practical approach to address issues on site. It is also essential and necessary to involve the local community in content development (in particular during the developing stage) as it provides a user-friendly and place-based strength to these posters.
Community-based Disaster Risk Reduction Capacity Training at GTWHI.
GTWHI
Representatives from Toh Aka Lane discussing the hazards, vulnerability to their living environment.
GTWHI
Representatives from Boon San Tong Khoo Kongsi presented the risk analysis of their building to other workshop participants.
GTWHI
Community-based workshops and awareness campaigns on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management have been organized by GTWHI for local communities. Representatives from local communities (caretakers of heritage buildings or residents alike) attended the trainings to identify risks, discuss preventive measures, and develop emergency actions. These sessions enhanced local communities understanding of disaster preparedness, enabling them to identify hazards, assess vulnerabilities and possible factors, as well as reducing the potential impacts of disasters on the site.
The workshops were structured as follows:
Introduction of key concepts with examples, site mapping and imagination games.
Participants shared disaster scenarios and proposed mitigation measures for people and heritage, drafting emergency response strategies.
Participants detailed the risk analysis and identified possible actors and their roles before, during and after a disaster
Participants presented their case studies with Standard Operation Plan for the before, during and after a disaster.
Participants presented their cases at the Experience Sharing Workshop on DRR Strategy for Heritage Cities in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Africa.
GTWHI organised several 2-hour workshops over 7 months, with gradual and progressive capacity building to introduce the DRR concepts to the local communities.
Capacity building and awareness raising are key for the execution of sustainable community-based capacity training. In particular, continuous and meaningful involvement of local communities in disaster risk prevention, planning, and management are critical to the project outcomes.
Thus, all capacity building activities are conducted using a language the local community most comfortable with, and sessions are conducted at the time that they are available (avoiding busy work periods and or timeframes during the day).
GTWHI moved away from jargon-oriented academic-compact workshop training styles and executed multiple-day workshops that use relatable and receptive terms and examples. GTWHI provided technical assistance to participants before, during and after their presentations, and offered participants chances and platforms in sharing their strategies with UNESCO as well as international and national agencies (for example the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia).
The former trading in stockfish and commodities has been replaced by shops.
Guri Dahl, Norges Verdensarv
Former warehouses in the back are now turned into small arts and crafts businesses.
Guri Dahl, Norges Verdensarv
Norway does not fully include specific World Heritage provisions in its national legislation, but all WH sites are protected under the existing legal framework. However, a key challenge is to ensure that the management plan for World Heritage is recognized and implemented in all public management and urban development plans affecting or touching upon a WH site.
Following the approval by the WH Board, the Management Plan of Bryggen was approved by the Municipality of Bergen and Vestland County Council. This recognition states that the Management plan should be implemented by all public municipal and county authorities in their actions of maintenance of public infrastructure, new urban developments, use of public spaces, and in management or planning of cultural events. This recognition strengthens cultural heritage management in the municipality and the county and their commitment to uphold a strong focus on the protection of the WH property of Bryggen.
Bryggen WH site only covers a small geographical area within the city centre of Bergen. There are several large ongoing urban planning projects just outside the WH property. The political recognition of the management plan has become a tool for urban planning beyond the WH property.
The local WH management structure and its management plan have been accepted by both the Bergen Municipality and the County Council. This also gives the opportunity to the World Heritage Board to give its advice and recommendations to the Municipality and the County Council on the matter of protecting Bryggen’s OUV.
Having a WH property located inside a wider historic city centre means that urban planning decisions have the potential to affect the WH property and its OUV. Political recognition has made it easier to address the protection of the OUV and other heritage values as an integrated part of the wider urban planning process. It has increased the knowledge of WH as well as the importance to involve all concerned stakeholders.
This action aims to provide a framework for an improved and wider inclusion of all different departments involved in urban planning and public management in the next revision of the management plan of Bryggen.
Bryggen has been damaged by a number of fires through the centuries. Here traces from a large fire in 1955.
Guri Dahl, Norges Verdensarv
Traces of decorated walls, here from the galleries
Guri Dahl, Norges Verdensarv
Restoration is done with a focus on maintaining original methods and building materials.
Guri Dahl, Norges Verdensarv
The Management Plan is key for the successful management of Bryggen as a WH site. It provides a good understanding of the OUV and other heritage values and it identifies the attributes and provides an overview of potential challenges for the protection of the site.
With the establishment of the new WH management structure, the revision of the management plan by the Advisory Board started in 2018. The WH Coordinator with 4 members of the Advisory Board worked closely in the development of the revised management plan.
Whenever needed, additional contributions from different officers and specialists were included, however the focus was put on keeping the process internal to ensure ownership of the plan by all concerned actors, ensuring that they will contribute to its implementation once adopted. The management plan was adopted by the WH Board in 2020 and the action plan was approved in 2021.
Clear definition of how the revision should proceed and which involvement is needed by the Advisory and World Heritage boards was vital,
WH coordinator played a key role in coordinating all efforts and acts as focal point for all actors involved.
Preparing and revising a management plan for a WH site is a good opportunity for the local actors tasked with WH management to agree on a shared understanding of the OUV and other heritage values of Bryggen and identify attributes conveying these values
The revision was key in establishing some common management goals and to begin the discussion around potential need for capacity building during this process.
The revision of a management plan is a rather time-consuming process; one therefore needs to be prepared to commit to it with sufficient time and resources. There are often different views on the purpose and aim of the management plan. The preparation of the new plan should involve different stakeholders and the process of management planning offers a space to discuss their different challenges and agendas with an understanding that it may be difficult to embrace all differences.
A management plan is an ongoing process and constantly needs improvement, both on content and on the process itself.
These historic buildings demonstrate how the German merchants lived and worked at Bryggen.
Guri Dahl, Norges Verdensarv
Long narrow rows of buildings, separated by narrow wooden passages.
Guri Dahl, Norges Verdensarv
In 2012 Norway adopted a new national World Heritage policy to push for a more effective implementation of the World Heritage Convention at a national, regional and local level. This includes recommendations for the establishment of local management structures able to enhance local capacities for management.
In 2018, a new structure was approved by all stakeholders and recognized at all levels. It consists of:
a WH Board responsible for the protection of Bryggen in accordance with WH requirements and the management plan. It consists of 4 political members (2 from Vestland County Council,2 from the Municipality of Bergen) appointed for 4 years.
an Advisory Board strengthens cooperation between stakeholders in Bryggen with the aim of protecting its OUV and other heritage values. It consists of 10 members representing building owners, museums, university, tourism operators, cultural heritage agencies at local, regional and national level, and friends’ association.
a full time World Heritage Coordinator funded by the national government and employed at the Agency of Cultural Heritage Management, City of Bergen. It is the contact person for the WH site and responsible for stakeholder involvement and site management.
There are two main factors that have enabled such a local WH heritage management structure:
The national policy for World Heritage which establishes local structures and the appointment of a WH coordinator;
A long, ongoing and thorough process for stakeholder involvement was at the base of creating a structure that was accepted and formally recognized by all actors involved.
Developing a new structure for a local WH management requires acceptance by all stakeholders, and this needs to evolve and further develop over time. It is very much a learning-by-doing process.
There is not one way of doing things, but it is a process that develops towards identifying the best way of organising management locally. Through the process one also might identify new stakeholders who should be included.
The aim is to coordinate activities, identify how each stakeholder is important for the overall management of World Heritage. However, there is no mandate to instruct either private stakeholders or public management. Hence, it is a continuous process to define the role and mandate of the local World Heritage management structure.
