A total of 30 officials from the National Library, the National Archives, the National Museum, the Costa Rican Red Cross, the University of Costa Rica, the National University of Costa Rica, the Honorable Fire Department of Costa Rica, and the Organization of American Firefighters participated in the Workshop on Risk Management for the Protection of Documentary Heritage, held at the United Nations House (UN House) in San Pedro de Montes de Oca.
The workshop, led by disaster risk management expert Kattia Medina Arias, former risk management coordinator at the University of Costa Rica, was organized by the UNESCO Office for Central America, Mexico, and Colombia, together with the National Committee of Memory of the World. The training follows the guidelines of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which emphasizes the importance of incorporating culture and heritage into national risk management policies. It also continues the training processes set in motion during the conference Exploring the Role of Firefighters and First Responders in the Rescue and Protection of Documentary Heritage in Times of Crisis, previously held in 2024.
The workshop was significant because it addressed the growing need to prepare memory institutions—libraries, archives, and museums—against the rise of extreme natural phenomena such as storms, floods, fires, and hurricanes, whose frequency and intensity have been exacerbated by climate change and human activity. In this context, documentary heritage faces vulnerabilities that require coordinated and preventive actions involving both memory institutions and first-response organizations.
For this reason, during the sessions, participants delved into the identification and assessment of specific risks threatening documentary collections, as well as recommendations for developing risk management plans tailored to their institutions and the needs of documentary heritage. The workshop also served to promote the exchange of technical knowledge and strengthen collaboration between first responders—firefighters and the Red Cross—and memory institutions.
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-and-its-partners-are-building-capacity-protect-documentary-heritage-face-disasters?hub=701
