The Regional World Heritage Institute in Zacatecas (RWHIZ), a Category 2 Center under the auspices of UNESCO, shared its regional experience in digital heritage documentation during the 5th Huangshan Dialogue on UNESCO-designated Sites and Sustainable Development, one of the leading international forums dedicated to exchanging experiences on technologies applied to the conservation and management of UNESCO-designated sites.

Organized by the International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST), a Category 2 Center under the auspices of UNESCO based in China, the meeting brought together more than 200 participants from various countries, including representatives from UNESCO, the World Heritage Centre, consultative bodies of the World Heritage Convention (ICCROM, ICOMOS, and IUCN), Category 2 Centers related to World Heritage, research institutions, government authorities, and international specialists.

 

On behalf of the Institute, its Director General, Carlos Augusto Torres Pérez, participated as a speaker in the session Digital Technologies and Risk Monitoring and Assessment for UNESCO-designated Sites, where he presented the lecture Building Capacities for the Digital Documentation of World Heritage in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean: An Experience from RWHIZ – C2C UNESCO.

During her presentation, she shared the experience developed by the Institute through the Subregional Program for Digital Photogrammetry Applied to Cultural Heritage, an initiative launched in 2023 with the support of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to strengthen technical capacities for the documentation, monitoring, and conservation of cultural heritage in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

 

 

The presentation allowed specialists from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas to learn about the program's main achievements, including the training of heritage professionals, the implementation of practical activities at heritage sites in the region, the generation of three-dimensional models for heritage documentation, and the consolidation of mechanisms for technical cooperation and the exchange of experiences among institutions and specialists.

The general theme of this fifth edition of the Huangshan Dialogue was dedicated to the role of digital technologies in the sustainable development of UNESCO-designated sites. The sessions addressed topics related to risk monitoring, digital documentation, satellite observation, artificial intelligence, information management, and technological tools applied to the conservation and management of cultural and natural heritage.

 

 

The Director General of RWHIZ also participated in the dialogue and technical exchange sessions held during the meeting, contributing to discussions on capacity building, international cooperation, and the responsible application of emerging technologies in heritage conservation.

RWHIZ's participation in this important international meeting strengthens the presence of Mexico and the subregion in global forums for reflection on the future of World Heritage, while reaffirming the Institute's commitment to capacity building, international cooperation, and the promotion of innovative approaches to the conservation, management, and protection of cultural and natural heritage.