On 8 July 2025 (local time), the "World Heritage Education Towards the Future——Global Innovative Network and Capacity Building”side event of the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee was held in Room VII of UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Co-organized by WHITR-AP and the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations (WFUCA), the event brought together nearly 100 participants,representatives from:International heritage institutions such as the World Heritage Centre, ICCROM, and ICOMOS;UNESCO Category 2 Centres including the AWHF, WHIPC, and HIST;Relevant international partners, experts, and representatives of award-winning cases.

The conference venue of the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee

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Opening remarks  

Prof. SHAO Yong, Secretary-General of WHITR-AP，second from right

Moderator: SHAO Yong, Secretary-General of WHITR-AP

Deputy Director of WHC Jylotl HOSAGRAHAR  emphasized the contribution of WHITR-AP: What kind of education towards the future? I would like to extend my greetings to all of you and take this opportunity to sincerely thank WHITR-AP for organizing the discussion on this important topic.Since its launch in 2021 in the world heritage committee, the global awards (AWHEIC) for 100 education innovative cases have provided an active platform for showcasing how creativity and innovation can bring new life into learning. We are laying the foundation for a more inclusive, connected, and innovative future for one heritage, education. With this, I wish you all a fruitful and successful event at the work. 

 Deputy Director Jylotl Hosagrahar ，second from right

Mr. QIN Changwei, Secretary-General of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, emphasized that China pioneered the heritage education side event and established the Global Awards for World Heritage Education Innovative Cases (AWHEIC) at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2021. "With strong support from all stakeholders, AWHEIC has evolved into a vital international platform for knowledge exchange in world heritage education," he noted. "We expect WHITR-AP to further enhance its role in advancing global heritage education efforts.

 Mr. QIN Changwei, Secretary-General of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO，third to the left

Centres and Associations (WFUCA) (represented by Mr. David Grosso), expressed the organization's commitment to advancing the global World Heritage Education network, particularly through supporting the international development of the Global Awards for World Heritage Education Innovative Cases (AWHEIC).

Mr. Bolat Akchulakov, President and Secretary-General of WFUCA (represented by Mr. David Grosso), second from right

Ms. Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral, Director General of ICCROM stated: "The signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with WHITR-AP Shanghai establishes a foundation for more coordinated and agile responses in world heritage conservation between our institutions. We are pleased to witness WHITR-AP's advancements in expanding the heritage education network, which will facilitate the achievement of our shared goals in heritage protection."

Subsequently, in the presence of attending international delegates, Professor SHAO Yong and Ms. Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral, Director General of ICCROM, signed a MoU between ICCROM and WHITR-AP Shanghai. This landmark agreement elevated their enduring partnership—maintained since 2008—into a new phase of development. Professor SHAO further presented the Chinese edition of World Heritage Impact Assessment Guidelines and Workbook to Ms. Gujral as a gift, jointly advancing the global application of this critical tool.

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Announcement: Winners of  2025 AWHEIC

As Chief Planner of AWHEIC, Deputy Secretary-General of WHITR-AP, Dr. LI Xin delivered a keynote address titled "Unveil the Heritageverse: the Mission of  "Global Awards for WH Education Innovative Cases". He chronicled AWHEIC's evolution since its inception at the 44th World Heritage Committee Session (2021), highlighting its establishment of a preliminary global innovation ecosystem for heritage education. "Moving forward," he announced, "we will implement pioneering demonstration projects to strategically elevate AWHEIC from a trailblazing initiative into an incubator of transformative practices."

Chief Planner of AWHEIC, Deputy Secretary-General of WHITR-AP, Dr. LI Xin delivering a keynote

Introduction Video of AWHEIC

The 2025 AWHEIC witnessed intensifying global competition, with 30 winning cases selected from approximately 150 submissions worldwide. Dr. LI Xin invited three international jurors of AWHEIC: Ms.Nicole Franceschini, ICCROM PANORAMA Project Leader , Dr. Albino Jopela (Executive Director of African World Heritage Fund), and Mr.Carlos Augusto(General Director, Regional World Heritage Institute in Zacatecas ) to jointly announce the 2025 winners. This was followed by the screening of award-winning case documentaries and the official awards ceremony.

Video of the Winners of 2025 AWHEIC

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【Star of Outstanding】

The Cases Successfully set innovative model of global outstanding demonstrative significance

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1. The Art of Life: Multimedia Exhibition of Mawangdui Han Culture（China）
2. Culture Mapping of the Grand Canal（China）
3. A monastic landscape：Discover the monasteries of La Rioja（Spain）
4. Wuyi Mountain Path & Oriental Cultural Symbiosis Program: A Mobile Oriental Heritage Academy（China）
5. Community x Heritage: The WHV Ayutthaya 2024（Thailand）
6. The Azheke Plan（China）
7. From Ashes to Stories: Innovative Heritage Education and Post-Fire Conservation at the See Yup Temple（Australia）
8. Fax World of Autistic Pen - 10,000 Suns Art Charity Program（China）
9. European Heritage Volunteers Programme 2024: Non-Formal Heritage Education through Hands-On Conservation and Global Participation (Germany)
10. Migration without Borders, Protection without Limit—— China's Rule-of-Law Solution for Human-Bird Conflict at the World Natural Heritage Site

（In no particular order）

Dr. Albino Jopela, Executive Director of the  AWHF, presented the award to the European Heritage Volunteers Programme 2024.

【Star of Discovery】

The cases committed to deep value exploration, achieved innovative education model, which is of global demonstrative significance. 

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1. Digital Display and Education Enhancement Programme for Locality 1 at the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian (China)  
2. “Living Rivers of Jeli” — A Community-Centered Heritage Education Model for Water Quality and River Stewardship（Malaysia）  
3. The Night of Zheng Guanyin (Macau, China)  
4. WHV 2023: Sustainable Heritage for the Future in Historic İzmir (Turkey)  
5. Storytellers of the Beauty（Italy）  
6. Fellowship of the ACCE - Enhancing and Transcending World Heritage Pedagogy with the Academy of Conservation and Care for Environment（UK）  
7. From Our Eyes: Empowering Intangible Cultural Heritage Education through Participatory Video (China)  
8. Learning pathways: Youth and Heritage Education along Qhapaq Ñan (Argentina)  
9. “Revive Oriental Aesthetics - Zisu Tea Ware Tea Ceremony Restoration Project” (China)  
10. Research Project on Hangzhou Urban Studies for Advancing World Heritage Conservation (China)

（In no particular order）

Mr. Carlos Augusto Torres Pérez (Director, RWHIZ Mexico) presented the award for the Grand Canal Cultural Map Project (Beijing) to Dr. LI Guanghan (Executive Director, WHITR-AP Beijing), accepting as institutional proxy.

【Star of the Future】

New initiation contains infinite potential and possibility of heritage education model innovation, with representing the future.

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1. Longlasting Civilization Intelligent Society VR Experience Hall (China)  
2. Neuro-Sonic Resonance Initiative: Innovative Educational Convergence of Neuroscience, Chinese Classical Folk Music, and Digital Technologies (China)  
3. Viewing the City from a One-Meter Height :A Child-Friendly Heritage Community Planning Volunteer Service Project (China) 4. 'Teen Ambassador' Heritage Decoding Project (China)  
5. C.H.A.N.G.E. Sukur: Creating Heritage Awareness through New Generations and Education (Nigeria)  
6. “A Golden Age on the Walls” Education Case of Shaanxi History Museum (China)  
7. World Heritage Volunteer Action Camp, Heritage Ambassadors, Área de Conservación Guanacaste（Costa Rica）  
8. WHV Heritage education for the younger generation in Viscri (Romania)  
9. The Initiative on “Decoding Environmental Wisdom in Oracle Bone Scripts: Bridging Past and Present for Sustainability”(China)  
10. Lushannan Placemaking (China)

（In no particular order）

Dr. LI Xin, Deputy Secretary-General of WHITR-AP, presented the award to the Academy of Conservation and Care for Environment (ACCE) programme at the University of Oxford.

Heritage Education Collaborative Projects and Network Development

Chaired by Secretary-General SHAO Yong, this segment featured presentations and discussions with distinguished panelists:WHITR-AP “The International Network for Urban-rural Heritage Conservation in Higher Education Institutions (UHC-HEI)”: Cultural Heritage Discipline Construction and Cooperation for Sustainable Development,Marie-Noel Tournoux，Project Director of WHITR-AP Shanghai， ICOMOS University ForumMs. Adriana Careaga, ICOMOS Board member， ICCROM PANORAMA Nicole Franceschini, ICCROM PANORAMA Project Leader Experts Dialogue 

During the panel discussion, Ms. Ines Yousif, Heritage Education Programme Coordinator at the World Heritage Centre, commended WHITR-AP’s pioneering contributions to international cooperation in heritage education. This was followed by interventions from key stakeholders: Professor Mariana Correia (UHC-HEI representative, Portugal), Mr. Sim Choon Hock (Director, WHIPIC), and the AWHF delegation, who advanced actionable proposals and implementation pathways for strengthening the global heritage education network, focusing on youth engagement, knowledge-sharing mechanisms, and collaborative international initiatives.

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Sharing of Excellent WH Education Innovative Cases

Chaired by Dr. LI Xin, this session featured four globally representative award-winning initiatives sharing their cutting-edge methodologies:

1.European Heritage Volunteers Programme 2024:Non-Formal Heritage Education 2024 (Germany)  Dr. Bert Ludwig，European Heritage Volunteers
2. Grand Canal Cultural Map Crowd-drawing Project (China) Dr. Kuanghan LI, Executive Director of WHITR-AP Beijing
3.Fellowship of the ACCE - Enhancing and Transcending World Heritage Pedagogy with the Academy of Conservation and Care for Environment (UK) Ghofrane Barhoumi  Department of Continuing Education University of Oxford

4.Oriental Nishang: Sino-Europe one-stop intangible heritage innovation platform (China, Hungary, Britain, etc) CHEN Tingting  Beihai University of Art and Design, University of Pecs Hungary, Infinite Paris.

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Conclusion and Way Forward

In recent years, WHITR-AP has established multifaceted collaborations with global heritage institutions (e.g., ICCROM, WFUCA) and initiatives, forging an innovative heritage education and dissemination ecosystem serving diverse stakeholders: world heritage innovators, conservation students, heritage practitioners, and the public—particularly youth. Through consecutive heritage education side events at World Heritage Committee sessions, a global platform for international cooperation and exchange in heritage education is gradually taking shape.

The successful convening of this side event at UNESCO Headquarters has significantly elevated WHITR-AP's global cooperation network to new heights. Moving forward, we will continue leveraging our leadership in world heritage education to collaborate with partners worldwide, jointly endeavoring to establish this forum as an internationally influential platform for heritage education exchange. Through these efforts, WHITR-AP remains committed to delivering sustained contributions from China to global heritage education and capacity building.

Contributed by Li Xin
Picture contrubuted by WHITR-AP Working Group for the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee
Designed by Xu Zihao (Intern)
Edited by Liu Zhen 
Reviewed by Shao Yong