The 2022/2023 edition was developed through a new format aimed at giving participants numerous opportunities for exchange and discussion and it was structured in a blended format.
The first phase, held online from January to March 2023, was kick-off through a warm-up meeting, followed by five preparatory talks that introduced the main topics and issues. The second phase foresaw ae three-day workshop held in Ivrea in March 2023.
The talks served as a moment of familiarisation with the themes of the 2030 Agenda through experiences from UNESCO programmes. During the talks, an attempt was made to answer questions related to 5 selected themes – attractiveness, branding, engagement, innovation and education – and to stimulate reflection, exchange and cross-fertilisation of ideas. The themes were transversal to the five main UNESCO designations (World Heritage List, Intangible Cultural Heritage, Creative Cities Network, Biosphere Reserves included in the Man and Biosphere programme, Global Geoparks Network) to encourage the exchange of proposals and projects, regardless of the typology of UNESCO designations, lists and programmes.
During the three-day on-site workshop, participants had the opportunity to work on this year’s case study: The UNESCO World Heritage Site of ‘Ivrea, industrial city of the 20th century’.
CONCEPT
The programme aims to share experiences, define good practices and discuss creative solutions in order to ensure an appropriate and equitable balance between conservation, sustainability and development by implementing a holistic approach to UNESCO programmes and designations and the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
Basing on these principles, the first three workshops of the Academy took place in October 2015, December 2016, October 2017, October 2018 and October 2019, in Turin, the Piedmont Region, and in the Lombardy Region. Since its foundation, the Academy has gathered over 172 professionals from 57 different UNESCO designated areas, who are now connected by a Community of good practices and knowledge exchange.
In response to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, an in-depth survey was launched to assess the impact of previous years’ activities. The research findings were analysed and presented in a technical report, which offers evidence of the Academy’s positive impact especially in terms of knowledge development, networking and international cooperation.
ONLINE TALKS
The first phase involved five online talks in preparation for the on-site workshops to be held in March in Ivrea (Piedmont).
Talk 1 #SUSTAINABILITY (10 January 2023)
Moderated by Fondazione Santagata and UNESCO
> How can UNESCO designated sites and communities foster sustainable development?
Talk 2 #ATTRACTIVENESS (24 January 2023)
Moderated by Fondazione Santagata and UNESCO
> How can UNESCO designated sites generate attractiveness and positive impacts?
Talk 3 #ENGAGEMENT (7 February 2023)
Moderated by Fondazione Santagata and UNESCO
> How can local and non-local communities be involved in the management and valorisation of UNESCO designations?
Talk 4 #INNOVATION (21 February 2023)
Moderated by Fondazione Santagata and UNESCO
> What innovative solutions towards sustainability can be adopted in the context of UNESCO designations?
Talk 5 #EDUCATION AND INTERPRETATION (7 March 2023)
Moderated by Fondazione Santagata and UNESCO
> How can UNESCO designations foster learning and education activities?
ON-SITE WORKSHOP
21, 22, 23, 24 March 2023
The on-site workshop took place in the city of Ivrea, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as ‘Ivrea, industrial city of the 20th century’.
The city, which is located in an area with high environmental features, embarked in recent years on a significant journey towards local development based on its history, tradition and cultural heritage and last year was nominated Italian Book Capital of 2022.
ORGANISATION
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