Conclusions and recommendations of the
international Seminar
Harmonization of Tentative Lists in Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania
Kuldiga (Latvia), 2-4 June 2003
The meeting, held
in Kuldiga, Latvia, was attended by 18 natural and cultural heritage
experts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, representatives from
ICOMOS, IUCN and the World Heritage Centre as well as the Directors of
the Nordic and the German World Heritage Foundations. It was organized
jointly by the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO and the UNESCO
World Heritage Centre with the financial support of the German World
Heritage Foundation.
After detailed presentations by the national and international experts and lively discussions, the meeting came to the following conclusions and recommendations:
1. The participants encouraged the national authorities of the Baltic region to take into account the recommendations of this meeting and to revise their national tentative lists considering the outstanding universal value of the heritage. These lists should be submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre by the end of 2004;
2. The participants noted potential heritage sites with neigbouring countries and encouraged these countries to collaborate towards elaborating joint nominations;
3. The participants encouraged the advisory bodies IUCN and ICOMOS to undertake a number of thematic and regional/global studies, including Fortresses in the Baltic Sea Region, Coastal Culture of the Baltic Sea (e.g. in relation with the Cultural Heritage Cooperation in the BSR, initiated by the Ministers for Culture in BSR in 1997), as well as the completion of studies on landforms and processes including the geomorphological series after the last ice age;
4. The participants underlined the necessity of completing a comprehensive comparative study before any nomination; a brief comparative analysis (comparison with other similar properties, whether on the World Heritage List or not) has to be presented already with the tentative list;
5. The participants recognized that sites from the boreonemoral biogeographical province are already represented on the World Heritage List; A potential of the region lies in the interaction between people and nature, that is cultural landscapes or natural monuments related to beliefs, traditions and other intangible values;
6. The participants welcomed innovative approaches for World Heritage nominations, including serial and transboundary sites and discussed the potential for the Struve Geodetic Arc, a potential nomination of triangulation survey points starting in Hammerfest, Norway, crossing the Baltic region into the Black Sea.
7. The participants noted the obligation to prepare comprehensive management plans, in particular for living cities and cultural landscapes;
8. Considering the rapid economic and social changes and challenges, the seminar addressed authenticity and integrity as critical issues in heritage conservation;
9. The participants considered that the involvement of all stakeholders in the nomination process is important and that this would include also public information and participation;
10. The participants noted the resolution by the European Parliament concerning World Heritage (January 2001) and highlighted the need for channeling funding into heritage conservation;
11. The participants welcomed the funding for the meeting by the German World Heritage Foundation and encouraged other funding agencies, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic World Heritage Foundation and others to contribute to any follow-up activities (regional meetings, exchange and capacity building programmes). In particular the participants stressed the importance of a follow-up meeting in one years time.
12. With reference to Periodic Reporting the representatives from the Baltic Region expressed their wish to collaborate with the Nordic World Heritage Foundation in the subregional meetings and reporting of the Nordic Region;
In conclusion the participants presented the above recommendations to
the World Heritage Committee emphasising the joint regional approach of
the Baltic countries in the implementation of the Global Strategy for a
balanced and representative World Heritage List.
The participants also encouraged the local, regional and national authorities to take the recommendations into account and cooperate with advisory bodies (including national ICOMOS and IUCN headquarters), scientific institutions and NGOs.