2010 World Forum on Hansen’s Disease/Promoting on Serial / Transnational World Heritage Nomination of Leprosy / Hansen's Disease. 賴澤君 Tse chun Lai , general secretary of IDEA Taiwan, Professional in Architecture and urban planning. /

2010 World Forum on Hansen’s Disease
Promoting on Serial / Transnational World Heritage Nomination of Leprosy / Hansen's Disease.  賴澤君 Tse chun Lai , general secretary of IDEA Taiwan, Professional in Architecture and urban planning. 

II. HOW IT COULD BE WORK

Now, I will give more descriptions and discussion let everyone to understand why “transnational World Heritage nomination of Leprosy / HD  ”could be work. 

1. History and Analyses.

2. Value of leprosy / HD properties.

3. What can we do now?

i. At first, let us looking at HISTORY AND ANAYSES about Hansen’s disease. I did a simple statistics and analyses for the database of “Global Project on the History of Leprosy",(GPOHL) iwhich set by ILA dating from 1847. I find that already had more than 505 Leprosaria which spanning more than 78 countries in the past centuries . which contained isolation islands, colonies, sanatoria, hospitals, villages, and some shelter etc many many different kinds.

ii. In another way I also asked Dr. GP, he said that there were 800 colonies now in India, and Dr, Michel Cheng told that there were 600 villages in China. It pointed it really a transnational collective issues. This historical sites were meaningful, like the UNESCO Quebec declaration in 2008 said “ the spirit of places” of Leprosy/ HD history.

iii. And we know, Many of this places enforced strict segregation policies, patients got inhumane treatmentiiiii, faraway their families, their homeland, and got abortion, forced labor, education interrupted etc, like living in concentrated camps, and also affected their families. The history were even more early than Nat’s campus in Germen.

iv. the History and evolution of social policies of HD is very special: I think it can be

separated into 4 periods. 

    1). Common social prejudice periods. (1550BC1850)  

2). Medical Progress periods. (1880 1980)  

3). Policy Bias periods. (1800 1980), madness of civization. 

4). Fighting for Human rights periods. (1950 2010) 

5). How to Sublimate the historical experience in future.  

Looking at the evolution of social policies in the past one or two centuries, should be 

v. "History always learn and grow from mistakes". But in this long process, a group always under various trials and suffering endless pain because the segregation , Isolation policy. “People get sick no wrong, they can not choose”, but the society has an obligation to take care of them, in the past years, we can see many individual affected by HD, and attracted the social revolutions and reflection to protect the human rights of the individual who affected by Leprosy/HD . I think it is an important contribution to the world.

III. THE CRITERIA FOR LEPROSY /HD PROPERTY

i. Look at the history and analasis we can more understand the value of the HD. Earlier in September 2008, the World Heritage Centre sent out a Circular Letter to consult States Parties to the Convention on serial national and transnational

nominations.(WHC-09/33.COM/10A ) . There was a famous cas that UNESCO, WHC had a Sub-regional Workshop on the Serial World Heritage Nomination of the Silk Roads from 2008 which spanning a quarter of the globe.

ii. The leprosy / Hansen’s disease history is similar to the Silk Roads, traced to almost 2000-4000 years of human civilization, spanning in different Area of the world, rich of historical and cultural diversity. Moreover, the evolution of policies in modern , the medical and scientifical contributions and  universal values of human rights all related to the transnational achievement. All of them shall meet UNESCO's criteria for register on the World Heritage list.

iii. Property : Expert Review. The important criteria for leprosy / HD

At Workshop in Taiwan, 2009, the Professor Yukio Nishimura, from the Tokyo University, the former vice president of ICOMOS, he pointed out that Lo-Sheng and other Hansen’s disease historical sites in the world  maybe ‘meets’ UNESCO’s criteriaiv (ii)(iv)and(vi) associative value.

He said that while the sanatorium is not a ‘masterpiece of creative genius’ nor a ‘testimony to a cultural tradition,’ it does have other valuable traits, such as universal values, and special medical items, also match with human rights and the development of civilization and multiple complex projects. He suggested that 

“International organizations can refer to these values from the depth exposition and promotion of transnational WH of Leprosy / HD , like other sites that were listed as World Heritage sites because of their associative value include, such as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial , the Auschwitz concentration camp and the historic center of Warsaw — 80 percent of which was reconstructed after World War II, etc. 

( Taipei Time; IDEA Taiwan, 2009).

iv. The important criteria for Leprosy / HD property really perhaps we could give depth exposition and promotion such as:

1) The history and culture value and significance are valuable:

2) The brilliant achievements of medical and scintifical research: which ending

superstition, ignorance and elimination of leprosy after almost 2000 years in the recent centuries. 

3) Highlight the universal values of human rights: looking the campaigns in past, contained UN, WHO, different states, non-government organizations, religious, NGOs and the individuals affect by the disease. This architment reflect the precious of human maturity. 

4) The value of Modern Hansen's disease sanatoriums: A tangible heritage which had been widely established throughout the world during the colonial and empiral ages. Albeit a negative history but some of them had outstanding example of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape , those Lepsariums form a special typology in the world. 

5) Associative value: "History like a mirror". We preserve it and transform it for educating next generation, ending the madness history of leprosy. Apparently, it also meet the UNESCO newly work for promoting cross-border and transnational World Heritage preservation between States, to pursuit world peace and universal value. 

IV. What can we do now？

1. International Linkage work:

• If we have 10 countries will start together is good beginning.

2. Preparing works:

Every countries should got the social supports and contacting with the Ministry of Culture of your government, let them determine whether participate in the transnational program.

3. Have Formal Conferences：

• Ms. Anwei Law had promise will preparing a formal conference in fast, and she want to invite UNESCO and everyone work together.

4. Sources gatherings：

• Hope the voice of the individuals affected by HD been heard, we could gather 10,000 sponsors working together.

V. Contribution

Promoting WH-HD which will also helpful with WHO, will keep on concerning health questions and medical histories in development countries, and it is a peace issue talking about enti-war and support of human rights. This transnational action will also feedback to elders, women, and children in development countries to gather global concern about MDGs program of UN, Culture of Peace with UNESCO, for education global society and our next generation, it contained rich meaning with transnational peace and global sustainable issue.

VI. Conclusion

There are more and more countries decided gradually enclose those Hansen’s disease historical sits. One has happened in japan last year, “Kumamoto”. Many lawyers, ex-patients come forward to save here. The Lawyer visited Lo-sheng in July this year and the behalf  (德田靖之) had promise will  promoting the global HD World Heritage with us together . 

 Now IDEA international is already creating a network of Leprosy Heritage Sites. Ms. Anwei, S, Law have promise will start the work to prepare a formal conference in fest and she also wish to invite everyone working together. This is a start, maybe this is our best chance, because everyone the goal is 3 years, the most up to 5 years. Most individuals who once affected by HD are old now, but their fighting in the past are so great and encourage the world to persuade peace and love world, now we will go on the work to honor the old generation for their spirit forward the world. are the spirit leader of the world. 

Last month I went to New York，attended the conference of UN, at that time trying to gather petition all over the world , Now we can look.