Global initiative launched to promote sustainable development of Asian heritage

"Shared Vision", a global initiative to promote outstanding cases of sustainable development of Asian heritage, is officially launched, with the support of the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China.

The initiative is co-organized by the Asian Fund for Cultural Heritage Conservation under the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia, in partnership with the Chinese Museums Association and ICOMOS China.

The "Shared Vision" initiative aims to discover outstanding experiences in heritage conservation across Asia, select and promote best practices in heritage conservation and innovation, and support their development and improvement through the Asian Fund for Cultural Heritage Conservation, so as to put into action the concept of sustainable development for the conservation of cultural heritage across Asia.

According to the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Foundation, the program aims to develop a "Shared Vision" for our shared future by building a bridge to connect Asian civilizations, by putting into action the concept of sustainable development for the conservation of cultural heritage across Asia and enabling World Heritage to play a greater role in people's livelihood and social development, and by protecting the valuable heritage of peoples and cultures and showcasing the harmonized prosperity, close solidarity, and shared destiny of Asian civilizations.

Submitted cases should focus on, but not limited to, cultural heritage or mixed heritage properties in Asian countries already inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List or the Tentative Lists. Submission of outstanding cases integrating World Natural Heritage properties with cultural elements is also encouraged. Submitted cases should demonstrate clear implementation effects at the time of application and should be completed or have achieved major results within five years after completion.

In accordance with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and "The Next 50 Years" of the World Heritage Convention announced by UNESCO in 2022, submitted cases should center around sustainable development of World Heritage and specifically focus on one of the following five themes: Contributions through Collaborations, Enhancing Resilience, Scientific and Technological Innovation, Communication and Education, or Prosperity and Development.

Areas of submitted cases include collaborative archaeological research, collaborative World Heritage nomination, heritage conservation, heritage presentation, or international assistance, disaster prevention and mitigation, post-disaster restoration, heritage digitization, display, public education, public communication, youth education, community development, and so on.

According to the future work plan and corresponding budget submitted at the time of application, the selected cases can obtain project funding from the Asia Fund for Cultural Heritage Conservation, which will be used to support the sustainable development of outstanding cases. The amount of funding ranges 300,000 yuan ($41,779), 500,000 yuan or 1 million yuan, pursuant to the levels of the selected cases.

Applicants can check the official website China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Foundation (www.ccrpf.org.cn) for detailed requirements of application.