News
Development of Great Zimbabwe WHS Management Plan kicks off
The development of the Great Zimbabwe World Heritage Site Management Plan has reached an advanced stage after members of the National Technical Committee met on June 15 in Harare for a debrief and appraisal on the ‘Rehabilitation and Development of the Great Zimbabwe World Heritage site’ project supported by the French Development Cooperation (AFD), managed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and co-implemented by UNESCO and the National Monuments and Museums of Zimbabwe.
The development of the Management Plan is a core activity of the “Rehabilitation and Development of the Great Zimbabwe World Heritage site” project. This management plan will serve as a guiding document in safeguarding the outstanding universal value as well as the authenticity and integrity of the Great Zimbabwe World Heritage site for present and future generations. The conservation will conform to the World Heritage Convention and the World Heritage Guidelines developed for its implementation as a tool to those guidelines and recommendations developed by advisory organizations of the UNESCO.
The National Technical Committee (NTC) comprises staff from the National Monuments and Museums of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) and the Great Zimbabwe University. The NTC is responsible for leading the drafting of the management plan and all the stakeholder consultations.
“The development of a management plan for the Great Zimbabwe World Heritage Site will be in done in consultation with a wide range of private, public, and local community stakeholders to ensure their active participation in decision-making processes on conservation and management issues”
During the meeting, the technical team finalised the detailed work plan to guide its course of action over the next 4 months and assigned roles as a way of establishing parallel work streams. The assigning process was based on the team's skills, credentials, and expertise.
The plan is set for submission to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre at the end of September 2023.
The Rehabilitation and Development of the Great Zimbabwe World Heritage site” project aims to improve the quality of life of the communities living around Great Zimbabwe National Monument World Heritage site through the diversification of the local economy; the promotion of income generating and employment opportunities; and fostering social cohesion and a sense of belonging among vulnerable groups.
Looking forward, the technical team will be trained to utilise the “Enhancing our Heritage (EoH) Toolkit” a tool developed to guide the improvement of management effectiveness in World Heritage properties and the process of developing a Management Plan for the Great Zimbabwe WHS. The team will proceed with a desktop analysis comparing several documents that include the expired management plan and other relevant documents and undertake a site assessment.
