9th Annual Coordination Meeting of Category 2 Centres, Under the Auspices of UNESCO, Related to World Heritage

Zacatecas, Mexico City, May 26-28, 2025

GENERAL BACKGROUND 

In May 2023, the Regional World Heritage Institute of Zacatecas (IRPMZ) participated in the 8th Annual Meeting of UNESCO Category 2 Centres, convened by the International Centre for the Interpretation and Presentation of World Heritage Sites under the auspices of UNESCO (WHIPIC), which took place in Sejong, Republic of Korea.

During this meeting, the IRPMZ expressed its interest and willingness to host the next edition of the International Coordination Meeting of Category 2 Centres, to be held in 2025. This meeting will include the participation of Category 2 Centres from Brazil, Spain, Bahrain, South Africa, India, China, and South Korea. This will undoubtedly contribute to further strengthening cooperation among the various Category 2 Centres related to World Heritage.

To reaffirm this commitment and begin organizing this important event, last July, during the 46th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in New Delhi, India, the IRPMZ held a parallel meeting with the Category 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

The main purpose of the meeting was to provide attendees with a formal invitation to this working session, which will be held in Mexico City during the first half of 2025, as well as an initial event folder, which included the background, meeting objectives, a preliminary work agenda, and a proposed central theme: Capacity Building: The Key to Better Implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.

At the meeting, a joint work agenda was established to define aspects related to the organization of the 9th Coordination Meeting through regular online meetings. The first meeting was held on November 29th, during which important aspects such as the meeting's central theme, the preliminary agenda, and the dates of the meeting were defined.

-Capacity Building. The key for a better implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention-

BACKGROUND OF THE MEETING

The Category 2 Institutes and Centres under the auspices of UNESCO are institutions that contribute to the implementation of UNESCO priorities and programmes, as well as global development agendas, through international and regional cooperation, knowledge production, policy advice and capacity-building (The 2019 Strategy for Category 2 Institutes and Centres under the auspices of UNESCO).

While Category 2 Centres can be general or be specialized in a particular topic, as well as have regional or international scope, all are involved to some extent with capacity-building. Capacity-building is linked to all activities related to World Heritage.

The UNESCO’s “World Heritage Capacity-Building Strategy” (2011) has noted that Category 2 Centres have a fundamental role in achieving better implementation of the 1972 Convention through capacity-building, which is key to driving the success of the others Strategic Objectives: credibility, conservation, communication and communities.

Furthermore, at the 8th Annual Coordination Meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage- Related Category 2 Centres, which was held in Korea in 2023, through the Declaration of Cooperation and Solidarity among the UNESCO World Heritage-related Category 2 Centres (Sejong Declaration), capacity building was considered a common objective among Category 2 Centres.

Therefore, considering the enormous challenges World Heritage faces today, especially in terms of management, conservation and sustainable development, and aiming to continue strengthening ties between Category 2 Centres related to World Heritage, the Regional World Heritage Institute in Zacatecas (RWHIZ) proposes to hold the 9th Annual Coordination Meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage-Related Category 2 Centres in 2025 in Zacatecas City, Mexico, with the theme: Capacity Building. The key for a better implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.

OBJECTIVES OF THE MEETING

The main objective of the meeting is to continue strengthening ties of cooperation and understanding between the Category 2 Centres related to World Heritage, through the exchange of experiences and perspectives.

The meeting will also aim to carry out a preliminary self-assessment exercise of the first results of the wishes expressed in the Sejong Declaration, both in the activities carried out by Category 2 Centres, from the second half of 2023 to the first quarter of 2025, as in their dynamics with the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

The meeting will also serve to reflect on the experiences, achievements and pending issues of the Category 2 Centres regarding the linking of their activities with the UNESCO’s World Heritage Capacity-Building Strategy, on the eve of its 14th anniversary and its probable update in the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2025.

The Expected Results

• Confirm the commitment to cooperation and solidarity between C2Cs related to World Heritage;

• Evaluate the first results of the Sejong Declaration and define the next actions to continue strengthening cooperation between C2Cs;

• Analyze the contributions of C2Cs to the UNESCO World Heritage Capacity-Building Strategy.