World Heritage and Local Communities, a Creative Journey

After participating in the first meeting of the G20 Education Working Group in Yogyakarta, the UNESCO delegation headed towards Borobudur World Heritage Temple Compounds, located in the Kedu Valley, in the southern part of Central Java.

On Friday, 18 March 2022, the delegation was welcomed by senior managers of the Agency for Borobudur Conservation (ABC) and guided across Borobudur’s temple, and the Borobudur’s Conservation Archives, UNESCO Memory of the World.  Dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, the temple, built to resemble a three-dimensional mandala, a diagram of the universe and symbol of the path to the enlightened mind, was restored with UNESCO’s help in the 1970s.

ABC introduced Upanat, a specific eco-friendly sandal, the result of a research made by the agency as part of their conservation effort. The sandals, currently produced by the local communities of Borobudur, with the hope to  enhance their livelihood, are now being introduced to Borobudur’s visitors. These are required to use it when visiting the temple, one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world, an outstanding example of Indonesia’s architecture and cultural identity.

After the temple visit, the team visited a youth workshop in Karangrejo Village – Borobudur, owned by Ms. Cemplon Sebastian, one of the assisted youth under the UNESCO – Citi Foundation Program who is currently developing  two brands for traditional herbs and local tourism. The Creative Youth at heritage Sites program aims at promoting youth entrepreneurship.  On this occasion, Mr. Djelid and Mr. Chakroun met with ten assisted communities from Borobudur, Klaten and Yogyakarta working in the creative industries and cultural product development. There was a warm discussion  between the team and the local communities to exchange information.

UNESCO Delegation:

• Mr. Borhene Chakroun – Director, Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems, UNESCO Education Sector
• Mr.  Zakki Gunawan – National Officer – Education, UNESCO Jakarta
• Mr.  Mohamed Djelid – Director of UNESCO Jakarta
• Accompanied by the team of the  Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO (KNIU) including Ms. Itje Chodidjah  (Executive Chairperson)  and Mr. Ananto Kusuma Seta.