Keeping history alive is apparently more fun in the Philippines, with Vigan City bagging a United Nations award for world heritage site management.
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recently given the city in Ilocos Sur its first-ever "Best practice in World Heritage Site Management" award as the international body ended the 40th World Heritage Convention in Japan Thursday.
Related story: Traveling back in Time in Vigan
Vigan City bested 27 other cities from 23 countries considered for the
recognition, which UNESCO said is aimed at highlighting challenges to
world heritage conservation, lessons learned, priorities and
opportunities.
"Vigan's successful and sustainable management has
been achieved with relatively limited resources, which should make it
adaptable to sites in all countries..." UNESCO said.
"[T]he local
community is well integrated into many aspects of the sustainable
conservation and management of the property; and a multi-faceted
approach to the protection of the site has been developed," it added.
This
year’s convention theme "World Heritage and Sustainable Development:
the Role of Local Communities" highlighted the need to marry
conservation programs with local community growth.
Vigan City, famous for conserving early architecture and other features, was named a world heritage site in December 1999.
Related: People and stories behind popular PH streets
"Vigan
is an exceptionally intact and well-preserved example of a European
trading town in East and South-East Asia," UNESCO said in its website.
"The
architecture is truly reflective of its roots in both materials and
design, in its fusion of Asian building design and construction with
European colonial architecture and planning," it added.
The case
of Vigan City and other sites discussed in this year's World Heritage
Convention, UNESCO said, may "enrich current debates about the
implementation" of conservation projects the international boy is set to
name the 1000th world heritage site.
