Interview
Joseph King
World Heritage Convention
Joseph King holds a degree in Architecture from the University of Maryland and a Master's degree in Urban Planning and Heritage Conservation from the University of Pennsylvania. He also attended ICCROM's course in architectural conservation.
From 1987 to 1990, he worked on a UNESCO project to develop an urban conservation plan for the Old Town of Mombasa, Kenya. He has also been involved in several urban conservation projects in the United States and Italy. He served as Secretary-General of the ICOMOS International Committee for Training from 1999 to 2002.
In 1997 he became a project manager at ICCROM and led the Africa 2009 program, a 12-year regional program devoted to the preservation of the cultural heritage in sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2004, he has been Director of the ICCROM Sites Unit. In this capacity, he coordinates capacity-building activities related to the immovable heritage (archaeological sites, cultural and urban landscapes, monuments and architecture), as well as overseeing the work of ICCROM as a World Heritage advisory body. He is also in charge of the ICCROM courses on the conservation of the stone and on the technology of the conservation of the wood. In 2009, he co-edited the book Conserving the Authenticity: Essays in honor of Jukka Jokilehto, published by ICCROM.
Interview with
Joseph King
19 June 2014, Doha, Qatar
The audio excerpts come from an interview with Joseph King by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler the 19 June 2014 in Doha, Qatar. They offer an interesting perspective on the activities of ICCROM, a consultative organization with a traditionally discrete role, but nevertheless increasingly involved in the World Heritage Convention. Joseph King's experience with sub-Saharan African countries also contributes to enriching his interview.
- 1. The World Heritage Convention
- 1a. Involvement and participation of Joseph King in the world heritage
- 1b. Key objectives of the World Heritage Convention
- 1c. World Heritage List
- 1d. Decisions that influenced the implementation of the Convention
- 1e. World Heritage and other UNESCO conventions
- 1f. Successes and failures of the Convention
- 2. World Heritage Committee
- 3. Advisory Bodies
- 3a. The performance of IUCN and ICOMOS
- 3b. The role of ICCROM in World Heritage
- 4. The secretariat of UNESCO
- 5. Conservation efforts of States Parties
Oral Archives of the
World Heritage Convention
Under the leadership of the Canada Research Chair on Built Heritage at the University of Montreal, an international team of researchers conducts interviews with pioneers of World Heritage to capture memories of important moments in the history of UNESCO Convention.
Launched in 2006, this initiative is part of the UNESCO History project that celebrated the 60th anniversary of the creation of UNESCO. The Oral Archives project records the precious witness of people closely associated with the creation and implementation of the Convention. Their recollections and views have greatly enriched the book by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler, Many Voices, One Vision: The Early Years of the World Heritage Convention (Ashgate/Routledge, 2013).
