World Heritage Experts Meeting 2072
How I changed my mind as an ICOMOS Expert
Imagine my surprise when in February 2072 my Digi-glasses showed a notification that I was accepted by the World Heritage Committee as an ICOMOS expert. Iāve actively been lampooning the World Heritage system and criticizing its many problems; on news stations, research articles, and every waking moment of my professional career I made it clear that the system has some serious issues.
No one told me I should accept this invitation to be an ICOMOS expert for this years Committee. After all the Decision 70 COM.7C makes it clear that ICOMOS can no longer select their own reviewers. Instead, States Parties propose a rotating list of their own experts to review the State of Conservation reports of their choosing. I concluded though that I canāt rely on my morals to criticize the system from the outside; we needed to have a discussion with the Committee and the best way to do that was from the inside. I didnāt think I would change their minds, but a discussion had to happen and I was ready to lead this discussion.
Two weeks later, I arrived at UNESCO HQ in Paris for the meeting between the SoC experts selected by the States Parties, the World Heritage Ecosystem staff (the name for the World Heritage Center as of 2030 for the 2050 Global Agenda), and the States Parties themselves. They led me to the moldy basement of UNESCO, which in an effort to inscribe UNESCO HQ (met with an incredibly rare deferral due to the States Parties hating the current Director General) UNESCO staff have left all water damage and original furniture untouched to give it an older vibe in the āspirit of the conventionā. All those present talk about the problems with massive number of inscriptions versus the minimum amount of work done for conservation. Our conversation stopped abruptly when the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee, Trevor walked into the room.
Wearing traditional clothes of his Indigenous Tribe, Trevor gave me a very enthusiastic greeting that caught me off guard. To be honest, I have 2 million followers on LinkedIn and have a massive fan for my research articles, so I know a lot of people, but Iāve never met a warmer and more honest person in the world. I was entirely taken aback at how charming and talkative the Chairperson was to me, especially since I called him out on his dictatorial style of leadership. In particular, the modification to the Rules of Procedure which has led to a consecutive 5 time renewal of his leadership of the Committee. I joked that I was glad to not see him in a suit, otherwise he would be too Western and would have betrayed his image as a post-colonial pioneer. That amused him so much that, for the first time I could remember, he laughed. And after all these years of watching him run the Committee the way he has, I finally felt like he was human. I was prepared to meet the Chairperson of the Committee, the one who in the publics eye has continued to drive the Convention to focus on inscriptions. Instead, I met the private Trevor, a completely different person. My head was spinning.
He said he was energized and ready for the meeting, and encouraged everyone to take some tea, coffee and biscuits. The Chairperson sat down next to me and pointed at the Assistant Director General for Culture as she was snoring in her seat across the table. āWatch. the moment I mention money; she will wake up.ā That had me rolling because as we continued the meeting, without a doubt ADG/CLT every time money was mentioned, she woke, took a sip of coffee and started yelling at everyone in the room that we were kids and didnāt know anything about managing an international organisation, then immediately went back to sleep, slouched back in her chair.
It was not a one-way street though; the Chairperson asked a lot of questions to me personally. He was legitimately curious about me and my career, especially since I was in his news feed constantly and I bashed his leadership, so he wanted to know why. I told him that I really adhered to the original values based in conservation of the World Heritage Convention and strongly advocate for peopled-centered approaches, an inherently Marxist but ultimately true approach to heritage. Trevor also agreed and said that he struggled balancing these values and the need for States Parties to have more site on the List. āAfter all, the Secretariat is there only to help the States Parties, the Advisory Bodies Advise, and the States Parties want more inscriptions.ā He made it a point to tell me how, in his position, appearances matter a lot but getting States Parties to work together was where his work is focused. I said it must be really hard to get everyone on the same page, to which he said āBut peace in the minds of men and women is the ultimate goal isnāt it?ā
Hmmā¦. Peace. I really resonate with UNESCOās mission, but here it made me really think hard. We were not that different after all, him and I. If only the world could see this side of him, they might have a completely different view of the Convention and the Committee.
A few hours later, the meeting was over, and the Chairperson led me personally to the door. āIām glad we sat down and had a fruitful discussion. I hope you donāt think of me, or the Committee, in the negative way you have talked about us for years.ā āI have to say Chairperson, Iām so happy I came here today. Even if we disagree on the core of the Convention, it does not mean I have to stand in your way, or you in mine.ā
And with that, I went home and wrote a SoC report in favor of removing the Great Barrier Reef off the World Heritage List in Danger as the development work was finally completed. For those who were unaware, the site recently has become the first undersea apartment complex built entirely out of the dead bleached coals and the development work was finally completed last week. Cheers to another 100 years of the convention!
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