The grant beneficiary Friends of Cultural Heritage (KUMID/FOCUH) and the Project Partner, World Association for the Protection of Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage in Times of Armed Conflicts (WATCH) promoted the Experience for Change within the Cultural Heritage Sector (exCHange) project in Georgia. Exchange is being implemented under Civil Society Dialogue II Programme.
The participating organizations are working together in War Free World Heritage Listed Cities Project carried out within the scope of EC-Cooperation in Urban Development Program and Dialogue (CUIDAD). While FOCUH contributes to the said project as an Associate Member, WATCH undertakes the role of Project Partner. The first concept study of the Project was organized in Tbilisi, Georgia from the 20th to 27th September 2011. The coordinator of exCHange project, Saadet Güner (President of FOCUH) participated in the concept study during which she and the coordinator of WHL Cities project Claudio Cimino (Secretary General of WATCH) promoted exCHange through handing out brochures and briefing the participants.
The concept study took place with the participation of approximately 30 people among which one can list Associate members of WHL Cities Project, officers from the applicant Lebanon Byblos Municipality, Lebanese academicians and military specialists, officers from Project Partner Georgia Mtskheta Municipality, representatives of various ministries, a military officer from Austria, supreme leaders and representatives of international institutions to Georgia such as EC, UNESCO, ICOM, ICOMOS, IRC etc .
The Project exCHange will make use of the conclusions generated at the thematic session “Risk Management of Tangible Cultural Assets”. Likewise the WHL Cities Project will benefit from the outputs of exCHange as well.