UNITAR Hiroshima Office’s World Heritage Nomination Training Series builds upon more than 13 years’ experience training on the unique needs of World Heritage Sites. Launched in 2003, the series transitioned from a focus on management and conservation best practice, to examine the skills and knowledge required for developing more effective World Heritage nomination dossiers. Understanding the complex requirements of nomination dossiers can be difficult and costly. The upskilling of those responsible for the development of such documents is a very worthwhile investment, saving both time and money in the long term. 

In partnership with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, the programme is uniquely well-placed in Hiroshima, which possesses two world heritage sites. The annual workshop, held over 5 days in Hiroshima, Japan, comprises a detailed examination of the World Heritage nomination process and requirements, utilising expert insight and experience, as well as exchanging know-how on best practices and case studies.

Developing a comprehensive and effective nomination dossier is critical to the successful inscription of any site. Crucial to this is a deeper understanding of the World Heritage Convention and the UNESCO Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, which, together with the Preparing World Heritage Nominations resource manual, are used as key references for the training. 

The UNITAR World Heritage Nomination Training Series achieves this understanding through interactive presentations and practical exercises examining a number of core topics, such as:

• Principles and Objectives of the World Heritage Convention;
• The Operational Guidelines;
• The Concept of Outstanding Universal Value;
• Comparative Analysis;
• Justification for Inscription;
• World Heritage Nomination and Evaluation Processes;
• Tips on Writing and Preparing the Nomination Dossier; and
• World Heritage Nominations: Format.