Lance Syme, IIPWHF
ISCCL Expert Member (Australia)
At the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, I participated alongside the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on World Heritage (IIPFWH), contributing to ongoing discussions around the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples in the World Heritage Convention.
A significant outcome of the session was the Committee’s adoption of the Roadmap for the Development of a ‘Proposal to Enhance Indigenous Peoples’ Engagement in the World Heritage Convention’. The adoption of this roadmap represents an important step towards strengthening the participation and engagement of Indigenous Peoples in the implementation of the Convention, and towards ensuring that their perspectives, knowledge and priorities are more meaningfully reflected within World Heritage processes.
The Forum also made important progress in strengthening its own organisational and institutional structures. Plans are underway to establish a dedicated Technical Council for Indigenous Peoples as well as an Indigenous Peoples Organisation Assembly. These developments will further strengthen the capacity of the IIPFWH to support Indigenous Peoples’ participation in World Heritage and create new opportunities for knowledge exchange, representation and capacity building.
Together, these developments mark an important moment in the continuing effort to build a World Heritage system that is more inclusive, participatory and responsive to Indigenous Peoples and their enduring relationships with heritage places and cultural landscapes.