Stakeholder Workshop on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR)

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) for Community & Environment through a Stakeholders Workshop with UNESCO in Jan 2002 for Capacity building of Heritage & Tourism for Sustainable Development & Management.

Capacity Building for Sustainable Management of                     

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway–A World Heritage Area 

                  towards the benefit of

Community & Environment           

Steam                      Spirals                Scenery

Invitation to Darjeeling & its Toy Train

The Chairman & Members of the Organising Committee of the Stakeholders workshop for capacity Building for sustainable
Development of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) from 11^th –18^th  January, 2002 (workshop sessions at Darjeeling from 14^th –18^th ) are pleased to announce registration. Please copy the back of this brochure and send it to confirm your registration.  

UNESCO inscribed DHR as a World Heritage Site on 2^nd December 1999 based on a proposal of National Rail Museum (NRM). The Hon’ble Minister for Railways performed the dedication ceremony at Darjeeling in November 2000. For the benefit of DHR and its supporters as well as for heritage considerations, a Stakeholders Workshop for Capacity building for sustainable Development of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) (accredited by UNESCO’s World Heritage center and it’s advisory bodies such as ICOMOS & ICCROM) is being organized by the National Rail Museum, Ministry of Railways through the North Frontier Railway with involvement of cultural heritage professionals. It is also supported by the Asia Pacific Organisation of the International Council of Museums (ASPAC-ICOM)

The Workshop will focus on skills development for the promotion of conservation values among stakeholder communities, capacity building for maximizing on the potential of heritage tourism and community mobilization for the sustainable management of World Heritage Areas in non-western contexts. After the larger plenary session participants will break up into smaller working groups focusing on specific areas of sustainable development.

Dr. Amareswar Galla, Chairperson, Asia Pacific Organisation of the International Council of Museums (ASPAC-ICOM) is the Principal Technical Advisor and international facilitator with experience of dealing with the respective issues in developing countries and with language competency will lead the workshop. UNESCO, Heritage bodies and Professional Agencies from India & Abroad will participate. The participants will be employees and stakeholder community leaders of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways and delegates from other World Heritage Areas of South Asian countries. A number of delegates from other parts of the world have also expressed an interest in this workshop.

The theme is “Bringig People and their Heritage and Environment Together”. - The venue is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR). The focus is on debating heritage conservation and sustainable development in non-western multicultural societies. The key anticipated outcome is capacity building among participants
on culture and heritage in sustainable development.

This will provide an excellent opportunity for interaction to benefit the DHR and the cause of World heritage Areas as open-air living Museums. It will be a unique workshop to deliberate on the perspectives of DHR for capacity building for sustainable development of a unique & outstanding example which is so dynamically linked with society & culture for over 100 years and what is appropriate to save for posterity.

Key-Resource areas of the DHR are tangible and intangible heritage as well as movable and immovable heritage. Heritage resources of significance include architectural elements, artefacts and material culture, surrounding landscapes and environment, multicultural community resources and substantial intangibles.

Keynote Address: “People and their Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR)” Dr. Robert Lee, (Univ of Western Sydney, McArthur & Specialist of Heritage Railways)

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