In a context of increasing climate change impacts, Peru is making progress in integrating disaster risk management into the conservation of its cultural and natural heritage. Within this framework, UNESCO Peru and the Embassy of Switzerland in Peru concluded the “Resilient World Heritage” project, a pioneering initiative that strengthens the country’s capacity to anticipate, reduce and manage risks across its 13 World Heritage Sites, contributing to the protection of their Outstanding Universal Value and to the strengthening of territorial resilience.
The closing event, held on 16 June under the title “World Heritage in the face of climate change: lessons learned, tools and challenges for risk management in Peru”, brought together site managers, authorities and strategic partners to share results and outline a medium- and long-term agenda aimed at strengthening resilience.
The project was promoted by the Swiss Environmental and Humanitarian Cooperation, integrated into the Embassy of Switzerland in Peru, and implemented by UNESCO Peru in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, SERNANP, as well as local governments and partner institutions.
Representatives of the Ministry of Culture, the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State — SERNANP, the Embassy of Switzerland in Peru, World Heritage Site managers, disaster risk management specialists and partner organizations took part in the event. They shared the project’s main results and reflected on the challenges and opportunities for strengthening the resilience of heritage sites in the face of the growing impacts of climate change.
In his remarks, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Peru, Paul Garnier, emphasized that “Peru faces increasing risks arising from climate change, and this requires decisive progress towards more proactive approaches to disaster risk management. This project demonstrates that it is possible to move from reaction to anticipation, integrating sectors such as heritage into a broader vision of territorial resilience. This initiative is a key tool for strengthening preparedness for different events that affect the country, such as the El Niño phenomenon..”
For her part, the UNESCO Representative in Peru, Guiomar Alonso Cano, highlighted that “this project has made it possible not only to strengthen technical capacities, but also to consolidate coordination spaces and tools that enable more informed and anticipatory decision-making. The challenge now is to translate these advances into actions that are sustainable over time.”
Finally, the Minister of Culture, Fátima Altabás Kajatt, noted that “heritage management in the context of climate change poses a challenge for the State: protecting our legacy means anticipating risks, strengthening governance and ensuring that these tools are sustainably integrated into public policies.”
Strengthening capacities for anticipatory risk management
Throughout its implementation, the project strengthened the capacities of more than 50 managers, specialists and officials linked to Peru’s 13 World Heritage Sites, achieving an unprecedented level of national participation and representation. Through a highly specialized programme developed between August and November 2025, participants strengthened their knowledge and tools to identify hazards, assess vulnerabilities and risks, develop disaster scenarios, and formulate adaptation and risk reduction measures in heritage contexts.
Beyond training, the process contributed to institutionalizing risk management approaches, promoting a transition from reactive responses towards evidence-based preventive practices, in line with the approaches promoted by Switzerland to strengthen resilience and risk governance.
One of the project’s main results was the development of a Methodological Guide for Disaster Risk Management in World Heritage Sites, designed to respond to Peru’s diverse territorial contexts. This tool integrates risk management and climate action criteria into heritage planning and management, facilitates more informed and preventive decision-making, and can be replicated in other sectors and territories. During the event, the Guide was officially handed over to the Ministry of Culture and SERNANP.
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-and-switzerland-strengthen-climate-change-risk-management-across-perus-13-world-heritage?hub=701
