Climate Action Toolkit for World Heritage tested in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo

The Colonial City of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic is hosting the first pilot application of the Climate Action Toolkit at a cultural site, and the first in Latin America and the Caribbean. The pilot, taking place from September to November 2026, combines online sessions with an in-person workshop held from 5 to 9 October.

The Climate Action Toolkit is being jointly developed by UNESCO and the three Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee: ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. Building on the Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage, adopted by the General Assembly in November 2023, the Toolkit aims to help World Heritage site managers assess climate-related risks to the Outstanding Universal Value of their properties and integrate climate action into their management and planning processes.

The workshop was organised by UNESCO and the three Advisory Bodies, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic. The development and pilot testing of the Climate Action Toolkit for World Heritage are supported by the Governments of the Netherlands, Norway and Australia.

The lessons learned will contribute to the further development of the Toolkit and support its future application across World Heritage properties worldwide.

The Colonial City of Santo Domingo, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1990, is among the first World Heritage properties to participate in the pilot testing of the Toolkit, following an initial pilot at the West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord in 2025.

Putting the Toolkit into practice

The pilot brings together representatives of national and local institutions involved in heritage conservation, urban planning, disaster risk management and climate action.

During the five-day in-person workshop, participants explored the climate-related hazards affecting the Colonial City, including hurricanes, heavy rainfall and flooding, and assessed their potential impacts on the attributes that convey its Outstanding Universal Value.

Through technical discussions, practical exercises and field visits, participants examined how climate projections, scientific information and local knowledge can inform risk assessments and help identify appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures.

The pilot also provides an opportunity to test the Toolkit in the complex setting of a living historic city, where effective climate action requires coordination across different institutions and sectors. The participating institutions aim to use the results of the process to advance the development of a Climate Action Plan for the Colonial City.

“The historic centre has been affected in different ways by climate-related events in the past, to which responses have been largely reactive. From now on, in addition to strengthening technical knowledge, it will be possible to systematise information and anticipate these impacts, applying adaptation and mitigation measures in a rational and systematic manner to protect the property’s values and attributes.”

Diana Martínez, Director of Cultural Heritage and the Historic Centre National District City Council

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