The Mongolian Heritage Programme (MHP) brought heritage management learning into practice through a Field School in the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape (OVCL), a UNESCO World Heritage property, held from 2 to 7 September 2026. Bringing together 16 participants and two international heritage management experts, the Field School marked an important milestone in the programme’s efforts to strengthen practical heritage management capacities in Mongolia.
Jointly implemented by the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia and the Mongolian National University of Arts and Culture, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth and the Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO, the MHP aims to strengthen the capacities of local heritage professionals while cultivating a new generation of skilled practitioners. Its first cohort is undertaking a comprehensive capacity-building programme during 2025–2026, with a longer-term vision of developing the initiative into a dedicated degree programme in cultural heritage management.
As the third of four components of the MHP, the Field School provided an opportunity for participants to apply the knowledge and tools developed through the programme in a real World Heritage context. A particular focus was placed on creating stronger synergies between tangible and intangible heritage, and on understanding how these dimensions can be considered together in the management of a living cultural landscape.
The Orkhon Valley provided a rich setting for this practical learning. Through fieldwork and engagement with heritage practitioners and local communities, participants explored the relationship between the landscape’s heritage and the people and traditions that continue to give it meaning. Field visits across the property, including to Khushuu Tsaidam, Khar Balgas, Erdene Zuu Monastery, the Open-Air Museum and Ulaan Tsutgalan Waterfall, allowed participants to consider heritage in its diverse historical, cultural and environmental contexts.
Participants subsequently applied their observations to assess and map tangible and intangible heritage attributes and examine factors affecting the property. They then developed practical management responses through four thematic working groups, focusing on areas including community engagement, heritage interpretation and education, tourism and visitor management, and disaster risk and climate action.
