The ABC Method: a risk management approach to the preservation of cultural heritage

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Intended Audience

“Anyone responsible for heritage preservation.” (p.9)

S. Michalski and J. L. Pedersoli Jr., Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) and International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)

2016

“If you have ever wondered how to balance preservation with sustainability, shrinking resources, user demands, and public accountability, then this method can help. Finally, if you have ever wondered how to present all this succinctly to decision makers, with transparent priorities, then this method can help… In simple language, our goal is the best preservation of the value of the heritage asset with the available resources. In more technical terms, our goal is to assess the risks and deterioration processes affecting our heritage asset, and then to act to reduce them as effectively as possible, given the available resources… Risk-based decision making is the application of risk assessments to a decision. The distinction with risk management is only a matter of degree. Many useful preservation decisions can be made using very focused assessments of one or two risks. If, on the other hand, one wants to “manage” risks of a heritage asset, one needs assessments of most, if not all, of the risks.” (p.8)

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SDGs LINKAGES

The resource is most closely related to SDG 11.4 (strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage), and targets related to disaster risk reduction, including SDG 11.B (Implement policies for inclusion, resource efficiency and disaster risk reduction), 13.1 (Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate related disasters), 13.3 (Build knowledge and capacity to meet climate change) and 16.4 (Combat organized crime and illicit financial and arms flows). Implementing the resource supports SDG 16.6 (Effective, accountable and transparent institutions). Ensuring information maintains its connections to material culture supports SDG 16.10 (Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms). As the resource is about skills development, it relates to SDG 4.4 (skills for work).

Click on the SDG Target to discover Our Collections Matter indicators

SDG 4.4: Increase the Number of People with Relevant Skills for Financial Success
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number of young people and adults in skills-development activities and programmes drawing on collections, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
Increase in number of young people and adults in such programmes.
Number and proportion of staff who have received training in the last year, to better support their contribution to the SDGs.
Programs and processes in place to ensure the availability of a skilled workforce.
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SDG 11.4: Protect the Worlds Cultural and Natural Heritage
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Total expenditure (public and private) per capita spent on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by type of heritage.
Plans, policies and procedures in place for the safe use of collections for a variety of purposes, protecting and safeguarding both collections and those who use them.
Plans, policies and procedures in place for the identification, safeguarding and protection of cultural and natural heritage at risk.
Collecting programmes in place to protect, safeguard and make use of cultural and natural heritage, addressing the needs of communities and stakeholders, and ensuring that collections can be an effective resource for sustainable development.
Number and diversity of educational, awareness-raising, research programmes, and partnerships that aim to strengthen protection of cultural and natural heritage.
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SDG 11.B: Implement Policies for Inclusion, Resource Efficiency and Disaster Risk Reduction
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030a.
Disaster Risk Reduction strategies and plans in place, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, to ensure collecting institutions and collections are factored into planning, and contribute effectively to Disaster Risk Reduction.
Collections-based institutions included in local plans for social inclusion, resource use, and Disaster Risk Reduction.
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SDG 13.1: Strengthen Resilience and Adaptive Capacity to Climate Related Disasters
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Plans in place for near and longer term to withstand and actively adapt to climate-related hazards and natural disasters.
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SDG 13.3: Build Knowledge and Capacity to Meet Climate Change
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Plans in place to enhance positive contributions to addressing climate change through use of collections. Plans in place to ensure collections, collections institutions and broader society can adapt effectively to climate change.
Plans in place for effective education and awareness raising on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
Plans in place to reduce negative contributions of collections-related functions, e.g. measuring greenhouse emissions with plans and targets in place to reduce them.
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SDG 16.4: Combat Organized Crime and Illicit Financial and Arms Flows
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Identification of stolen assets, return of stolen assets.
Collections development, education, awareness-raising and partnership activities relating to organized crime, with a view to combatting organized crime everywhere.
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SDG 16.6: Develop Effective Accountable and Transparent Institutions
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Proportion of the population [audience/users/non-users] satisfied with their last experience of public services.
Access to information, and accountability policies and mechanisms, in place.
Effective institutional arrangements, both for own working and for working in partnership with other sectors, in place.
Plans and arrangements in place for extraordinary circumstances such as natural and human-caused disasters.
Effective arrangements in place to fulfil legal and social obligations and responsibilities.
Effective arrangements in place for transparent communication and reporting of institutional performance.
Effective arrangements in place for transparent decision-making and accountability.
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SDG 16.10: Ensure Public Access to Information and Protect Fundamental Freedoms
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information.
Plans in place, and plans implemented to enhance public access to information relating to collections.
Plans in place, and plans implemented to support fundamental freedoms, in line with human rights, national and international agreements and legislation.
Plans and procedures in place for public access to information relating to the operation and management of collections-based institutions.
Complaint mechanism in place for public to use where public access to information and fundamental freedoms not supported or fulfilled.
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