Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0

This updated version of the Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit offers a self-assessment methodology to identify how well a World Heritage property or other heritage place is being managed. By using the Toolkit, heritage practitioners can assess how well the values of the World Heritage property or heritage place are being maintained and management objectives are being achieved. The Toolkit contains twelve tools that can be used separately or collectively to evaluate the effectiveness of the management system for the World Heritage property or heritage place. While there is a focus on World Heritage properties, the Toolkit can be applied to all heritage places, whether natural, cultural or combinations of both.

The idea of identifying and protecting the world’s most important natural and cultural heritage has captured the imagination and commitment of people and governments around the world. This was enshrined in the World Heritage Convention in 1972, and its subsequent ratification by 193 countries so far, all of which have committed themselves to ensuring the protection of their cultural and natural heritage considered to be of Outstanding Universal Value to humankind. As a result, over 1,000 properties have now been inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Chapter 2
This Toolkit and the accompanying Facilitator’s Manual offer a self-assessment methodology to identify how well a World Heritage property or other heritage place is being managed.
The Toolkit is based on a four-phase collaborative process for designing and carrying out a management effectiveness assessment for a World Heritage property or other heritage place. The purpose is to develop a participatory approach that enables multiple actors involved in the management of the heritage place to come together and explore ways to respond to challenges. Therefore, this is not simply a technical exercise; rather, it is an opportunity to gain a collective understanding of the World Heritage property or other heritage place and generate concrete responses to improve its management system.
The procedure for undertaking a management effectiveness assessment using the EoH 2.0 Toolkit can be divided into four main phases: preparing, gathering information, implementing, and reporting and acting (Figure 4.1).
This section will guide you through the twelve assessment tools that make up EoH 2.0. It describes the purpose of each tool, the type of information and analysis required and the specific tasks to be completed. Each tool includes one or more worksheets, with either a set of guiding questions or a structured template to help you summarize information and findings about a particular management element. The Facilitator’s Manual complements the guidance included here and provides a step-bystep guide to completing the worksheets and structuring your discussions.
Assessment findings should lead to improvements in the management system. The long-term goal is to repeat the assessment at regular intervals to allow managers to track progress over time.