Indonesia: World Heritage & Historic Trading Cities

Nominating and managing World Heritage Cities
Indonesia wants to develop its maritime assets, including the cultural heritage of its trading cities. Some of these cities share a colonial past with the Netherlands and are inscribed on Indonesia’s Tentative List of World Heritage. This is the case with Jakarta, Semarang, Banda (Neira) and Sawahlunto. A delegation of the Indonesian Ministries of Culture, of Public Works and of Land Use, accompanied by representatives from Semarang, participated in a workshop that focused on the nomination and management of World Heritage Cities. The workshop is part of a long-term collaboration between the Netherlands and Indonesia on integrating heritage conservation in urban management and planning policies.

Exchange of knowledge and experience
In cooperation with the municipalities of Amsterdam and Beemster, the Indonesian delegation visited World Heritage sites in the Netherlands to explore hands-on managerial experience in the field. The National Archives of the Netherlands and the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies organised sessions on research, while experts from UNESCO gave presentations on nomination strategies and the Historic Urban Landscape approach. The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies provided a workshop on good governance. During a visitors’ talk at DutchCulture, the members of the delegation also introduced themselves and gave Dutch organisations the opportunity to learn more about Indonesian practices. The workshop was organised and guided by the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and Carol Westrik, Dutch expert on World Heritage.