Representatives for ‘The Historic Town of St. George and Related Fortifications’ were in London this past week for ‘Setting the Scene for World Heritage’, the 2018 World Heritage UK Conference.
World Heritage Site Management Committee member Councilor Elizabeth Christopher and Acting Heritage Officer in the Government Department of Planning Dr. Charlotte Andrews attended two days of sessions, networking, and tours at the Tower of London and Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Sites (photo attached).
World Heritage UK is the only organization exclusively focused on World Heritage in the UK. Its mission is to raise the profile and secure the future of UK World Heritage Sites by advocating for support and resources, promoting the Sites’ values, and facilitating networking, training and sharing of good practice.
Bermuda’s ‘Historic Town of St. George and Related Fortifications’ joins Henderson Island, Gough and Inaccessible Island, and Gorham’s Cave Complex in Gibraltar as the four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in UK Overseas Territories.
Dr. Andrews is coordinating a UNESCO-required review of the Bermuda World Heritage Site Management Plan with the World Heritage Site Management Committee, for which she served as volunteer Chair for the past two years. Elizabeth Christopher is a longstanding member of the World Heritage Site Management Committee, a Councilor for the Corporation of St. George and a St. George’s resident.
“The timing and theme of the World Heritage UK conference aligned with our current work,” said Dr. Andrews. “The issues we explored in London are informing our management plan review, which is taking a holistic look at the needs of the World Heritage Site and will involve extensive public consultation. The conference was also a chance for us to introduce Bermuda's World Heritage Site to fellow delegates and to benefit from their expertise and experience, especially those who had recently reviewed their management plans.”
Dr. Andrews added, “Whilst in London, Councilor Christopher and I also took the opportunity to meet with advisors from the UK State Party to the World Heritage Convention. We also met with World Heritage UK President Chris Blandford. Mr. Blandford visited Bermuda in May as part of a survey he is conducting of all 31 UK World Heritage Sites."
Bermuda’s World Heritage UK annual membership and attendance at this year’s conference is supported by the Bermuda-based UNESCO World Heritage Fund, which is administered by the Corporation of St. George.