From 17 to 24 October 2026, the global heritage community met at the Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, for the 22nd ICOMOS General Assembly and Scientific Symposium (GA2026). The event was organised by ICOMOS Malaysia. It was the first time ICOMOS’s triennial flagship event has been held in Southeast Asia.
About 2,000 cultural heritage experts from over 130 countries came together for a week of exchange, debate and collaboration. The theme was “Living Heritage: Respect. Enhance. Accept. Partnership.” It placed living heritage at the centre of global discussions on conflict, disaster, development and conservation. The Scientific Symposium also connected to the ICOMOS Triennial Scientific Plan 2024–2027, whose 2026 focus is on how heritage can withstand and recover from disasters and conflicts.
The General Assembly is ICOMOS’s principal decision-making body. Members elect the organisation’s international leadership and vote on resolutions, policies and the strategic priorities that guide its work worldwide.
A year of work, shared with the world
The ICOMOS Sustainable Development Goals Working Group (SDGWG) was honoured to take part. We presented the results of a year of dedicated work by our members and task teams.
Our Focal Point, Dr Naima Benkari, opened our contribution with a presentation on the SDGWG’s activities during 2025–2026. She outlined the events, initiatives and partnerships through which the Working Group has advanced the role of cultural heritage in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Her presentation showed how heritage is not only something to protect but also a driver of sustainable, inclusive and resilient development.
Safeguarding Indigenous heritage
Alongside the presentations, the SDGWG led a workshop on protecting Indigenous heritage, titled “Indigenous Knowledge Transmission.” It was organised by Dr Naima Benkari, Karla Penna and Dr Elena Chai. The Assembly took place in Borneo, a region rich in Indigenous cultures, knowledge systems and living traditions, which made the setting especially meaningful for these discussions.
The workshop was co-organised with the Ministry of Tourism and facilitated by Karla Penna. It created a space for direct exchange between First Nations leaders from Australia and Indigenous leaders from Malaysia. Participants shared how traditional knowledge, practices and values are passed between generations, the challenges their communities face in keeping these traditions alive, and the role heritage professionals can play in supporting them. The workshop brought together Indigenous voices, experts and practitioners to consider how heritage practice can better respect, involve and support Indigenous communities as custodians of their own heritage.
SDGWG Scientific Session
The SDGWG organised Session 11 of the GA2026 Scientific Symposium, “Local First Responders: Community and Indigenous Leadership in Heritage Emergency Response for the SDGs,” chaired by Dr Andris Kairiss. The session put communities, Indigenous peoples and local actors at the centre of heritage emergency response. In many crises, these are the people who act first and make the key decisions on the ground. The session explored how their knowledge, priorities and leadership can make emergency response more effective, more ethical and better aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
The session contributed directly to the ICOMOS Triennial Scientific Plan theme “Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage – Preparedness, Response and Recovery,” with a particular focus on the response phase. It was also designed to generate newly documented case material for the SDGWG’s ongoing work. In this way, the experiences shared in Kuching will continue to inform heritage emergency practice beyond the Assembly.
Introducing the Mapping Heritage Tool
The SDGWG also joined the GA2026 exhibition to showcase one of its key outputs, the new Mapping Heritage Tool. It was introduced by our colleague Dr Andris Kairiss, Task 3 Leader. The tool is designed to help communities and heritage experts identify, document and map their heritage. It supports more participatory approaches to heritage management and links local heritage values to wider sustainable development goals. Dr Kairiss’s exhibition presentations drew strong interest from participants. We look forward to seeing the tool used in communities around the world.
Panel Discussion: Peacebuilding in Everyday Heritage Practice
SDGWG member Dr Linda Shetabi was a speaker on Panel Discussion 5, “Peacebuilding in Everyday Heritage Practice,” co-chaired by Tracy Ireland. The panel followed on from the ICOMOS Annual General Assembly 2025 in Lumbini, Nepal, where “Leveraging Heritage for Peace” was one of the three featured themes of the Scientific Symposium. That theme was explored across four panel sessions from many cultural, disciplinary, geopolitical and religious perspectives. In Kuching, the conversation moved from principles to practice, asking how heritage professionals can contribute to peace through their daily work.
Dr Shetabi spoke alongside Prof Steve Brown (Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities), Zuhura Mtenguzi (Emerging Professional for the Peace theme in Lumbini) and Prof Cornelius Holtorf (UNESCO Chair in Heritage Futures). Her contribution brought an SDG perspective to the discussion, linking peacebuilding through heritage to SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and to the wider 2030 Agenda.
A team effort, and a look ahead
GA2026 was also a time to reconnect as a team. Many SDGWG members were in Kuching, including Dr Linda Shetabi, Dr Claus-Peter Echter and Mr Gabriel Caballero, former Focal Point of the ICOMOS SDGWG. Together we celebrated what has been achieved and discussed the new horizons and strategy for the years ahead. Our shared aim is to keep strengthening ICOMOS’s contribution to heritage preservation and sustainable development in the coming triennium.
Thank you
We warmly thank ICOMOS Malaysia, the GA2026 organising team, the volunteers and the people of Kuching and Sarawak for their outstanding hospitality. We also thank everyone who attended our sessions, joined our workshops and visited our exhibition stand.
We leave Kuching with renewed energy and many new connections. We look forward to building on this momentum in the years to come.
To learn more about the 22nd ICOMOS General Assembly, visit icomosga2026.org.my. To find out more about the Mapping Heritage Tool or get involved with the ICOMOS SDGWG, [contact us / Mapping Heritage].
