Online Training Workshop on Disaster Risk Management for Cultural Heritage in Southeast Asia, 4 Feb – 3 Jun 2021

The Southeast Asian region is home to invaluable and significant forms of cultural heritage, ranging from the tangible, such as collections of antiques and objects, ancient monuments, archaeological sites, historic buildings, towns, cities and cultural landscapes, to the intangible, such as customs, relics, music, craftsmanship and traditional lifestyles. In recent years, unpredictable disasters caused by natural hazards, such as flooding, tsunamis, earthquakes, fires and tropical storms have affected the region’s cultural heritage. Human actions such as tourism, economic development and urban expansion are also making a dramatic impact on heritage. These hazards can affect heritage at various levels, both locally and regionally. Whether natural or human-induced, disasters affect the physical condition and intangible aspects of heritage. As a result, intervention and action are needed to help protect the region’s heritage. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to restore heritage to its original state, and sometimes the damage is irreversible. Therefore disaster risk management in regards to cultural heritage are urgently needed.

Following a consultative meeting on “Developing Capacity-Building Activities on Disaster Risk Management for Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage” held in Bangkok from 19 to 21 April 2016, SEAMEO SPAFA in collaboration with Institute of Disaster Risk Mitigation for Urban Cultural Heritage, Ritsumeikan University (R-DMUCH) and International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) have developed and conducted training workshops on disaster risk management of cultural heritage. At least three training workshops have been included in SEAMEO SPAFAS’s 7th Five-Year Development Plan, each of which are to be held at selected Southeast Asian historic sites/cities comprising various types of cultural heritage. The theme of each training workshop is proposed according to the circumstance at the time when the activities are being organized, while the comprehensive heritage typology will be considered as one of the criteria in the selection of the workshop venues.

The first training workshop was conducted at Bagan in 2018 under the theme: post-disaster recovery for the living urban archaeological complex. The issue of disaster risk management focusing on post-disaster measures was raised so that the experience from Myanmar could be shared and learnt. The training workshop also included capacity-building activities for Myanmar conservation practitioners in return for their hosting efforts. In addition, the workshop brought various globally discussed issues in heritage conservation identified in Bagan, such as living heritage, value-based management, archaeological heritage management, urban conservation and intangible aspects of cultural heritage.

In 2021 the second training workshop will be held to implement place-based approach in heritage management.   The theme: Understanding People, Nature and Culture: Heritage Management for Building Resilience of Living Settlements will bring the issues of increasing resilience for heritage settlements in Southeast Asia through disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.

In collaborating with ICCROM-IUCN World Heritage Leadership Programme, this training workshop will improve conservation practice for culture and nature through the work of the World Heritage Convention, establish the contribution of World Heritage properties to sustainable development, strengthen cooperation between diverse partners and formulate a network of collaboration for such integration as a crucial basis for the success of the entire programme. Disaster risk management will be established as key component parts of a new approach to integrated conservation, management and presentation of nature and culture within heritage Sites for building their resilience. For World Heritage sites to adopt disaster risk management as a crucial and indivisible component of policies and management strategies for heritage sites including their larger contexts, and to have in place effective Disaster Risk Management planning for World Heritage sites, which encompass effective strategies for mitigation, adaptation and preparedness to address disaster risks will be raised and discussed. In addition, recognizing the link between disasters and climate change, the course will also look at ways of integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies with disaster risk management of cultural heritage.

Please note that due to the pandemic the organizing partners have agreed to move this training workshop forward with an online platform. The organisers have developed this online course to ensure the highest benefits for participants under the circumstances.

1) Raising awareness on disaster risks and their impacts on cultural heritage in Southeast Asian countries
2) Promoting disaster risk management as part of cultural heritage conservation and management.
3) Providing fundamental principles on conservation and disaster risk management for cultural heritage
4) Harnessing traditional knowledge and local wisdom for the elaboration of risk mitigation measures
5) Establishing a Southeast Asian and international network of collaboration in disaster risk management

Experts and various lecturers from leading universities and institutes in heritage conservation and disaster risk management of cultural heritage.

Course coordinators

1. Hatthaya Siriphatthanakun – SEAMEO SPAFA
2. Rohit Jigyasu – ICCROM
3. Dowon Kim – R-DMUCH
4. Aminah Haji Majid – Department of Museum, Brunei Darussalam

• Participants will be able to understand the basics of the heritage management structure by adopting a place-based approach for understanding the natural setting, people involved and the cultural features.
• Participants will be able to critically analyze hazards and risk factors (including those from climate change) that need to be taken into account for disaster risk management planning.
• Participants will be able to integrate disaster risk management with the overall heritage management system by adopting appropriate adaptation, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery measures.

After the course implementation, participants will be asked to disseminate the acquired knowledge to their respective sites and institutions and contribute in planning for disaster risk management as part of the overall heritage management system of their sites.

Contact: drm-irs2020@seameo-spafa.org