The theme of the international conference 24-26 March in Bergen (Norway) focuses on the UNESCO Conventions on World Heritage (1972), Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) and Diversity of Cultural Expression (2005).
The overall goal of the conference is, to explore synergies between the three conventions, how they can be utilized to realize their related ambitions and how other UNESCO related instruments, regional and national mechanisms and practices can be fruitfully implement as a whole.

The conference will examine the following questions:

• How can synergies between the conventions and other mechanisms and practices be obtained on the ground – what works in practice?
• What is the role of tangible as well as intangible cultural heritage and cultural expressions in contributing to sustainable development?

Target participants include researchers in cultural and natural heritage and sustainable development, practitioners in management of heritage sites and related instruments on the local level and higher levels. The conference will serve as a platform for exchange of ideas. It will provide:

• researchers with feedback on their findings and ideas for their work,
• local heritage managers with inspiration for new solutions,
• UNESCO and national level heritage managers with ideas for strategic developments,