On the afternoon of March 21, 2023, the eve of World Water Day and the opening of the Mid Term Review of the United Nation’s (UN) Decade of Action, an inspirational ceremony will take place at the Angel of the Waters Fountain in Central Park. The ceremony will aim to celebrate the tangible and intangible value and enduring significance of  water related cultural heritage around the world to assist in meeting asset management and living heritage stewardship challenges of today and tomorrow. The ceremony will also recognize New York City’s 180+ year history of managing water and water related  heritage, stretching from 1842 when the Old Croton Aqueduct was inaugurated until today.

The ceremony is hosted by the Central Park Conservancy.  The venue is particularly significant since Central Park is one of three New York City sites on UNESCO’s Tentative List of the World Heritage Convention and is therefore eligible to be nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Angel of Waters Fountain at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park will be marked as a heritage site for water inspiration, and the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee Water & Heritage Shield will be installed to commemorate the event.

The ceremony is organized by the International Council on Monuments and Sites International Scientific Committee on Water and Heritage (ICOMOS ISC Water), the U.S. National Committee of ICOMOS – World Heritage USA , the International Centre on Water and Transdisciplinarity (CIRET), the UN Committee of Religious NGOs and with the cooperation of the indigenous Ramapough Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation.

Moderator:

• Jan C. K. Anderson, US/ICOMOS.

Speakers:

• Christopher Nolan, Former Chief Landscape Architect at Central Park Conservancy New York;
• Diederik Six, ICOMOS Netherlands, Honorary Vice President International Scientific; Committee on Water and Heritage – Special Water and Heritage Envoy;
• Mark Harbers, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands;
• Mona Polacca, Chair of the International Council of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers;
• Li An Phoa, Drinkable Rivers Foundation;
• Rev. James Kayanda, Executive Director of the Jesuit Hakimani Centre for Justice, Faith and Peace.
• Prof. Azza Karam, member of the United Nations Secretary General’s ‘High Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism’.