Highlights

Catherine attended a workshop on SDG 11 with UN-Habitat’s Executive Director, Maimunah Mohd Sharif

Oliver and Anita have worked with the INTO membership on a report highlighting the role of heritage as a pillar of sustainable development

The Secretariat team welcomed senior leaders from Kiritappu National Trust 

Bill Turner took the opportunity of a visit to the UK to take in a lot of NTEWNI properties and connect with INTO friends, like Trevor Johnson, who was awarded a long service medal

INTO members swung into action to assist the National Trust of Zimbabwe with its wetlands acquisition

Catherine joined Irena Edwards and Ben Cowell of Historic Houses at a Czech National Trust Abroad event exploring different models for heritage management

Family

Supporting our members in the achievement of their goals by providing opportunities to collaborate and share ideas, resources, skills and knowledge; and developing a global heritage offer that celebrates what is unique and special about the National Trust approach.

The International Conference of National Trusts is one of our main actions under the family strand.  The ICNT Bermuda Panel has met on a monthly basis over the period and is making real progress on the programme. Likewise the INTO Africa Group that is working on plans for a conference in Zimbabwe. Oliver has therefore been researching suitable funders for both and the Secretariat has made applications accordingly.

Julie Thompson has been planning the 2019 Working Holidays programme.  Following the success of the mentoring pilot, she has also been approaching potential participants in a new CEO mentoring scheme.

Catherine and Julie both met a group from Japan.  The Kiritappu National Trust were particularly interested in wetlands management and volunteering.  We’re hopeful they will consider joining INTO in the future.

Our Encourage African Youth crowdfunder is still live and we therefore submitted a Project Report earlier this month highlighting ongoing activity in Uganda and Sierra Leone. It was especially gratifying to see the responses to the National Trust of Zimbabwe‘s request for assistance on wetlands acquisition.  This is exactly the sort of thing the INTO family is so good at!

Growth 

Building global capacity for heritage conservation by nurturing National Trusts – new and existing – and growing the movement.

In our latest Small Grants Programme tranche, we awarded a grant to support the INTO Africa Group conference in Zimbabwe.

We are making progress on bringing TAP-INTO, our new Technical Assistance Programme, to life.  This will build on the success of the mentoring pilot, and previous ad-hoc exchanges and secondments.

Catherine attended a presentation about the new National Trust for Georgia in Bristol (which is twinned with Tbilisi).  She consequently successfully arranged for two expert volunteers to help the Trust develop a conservation plan for its new Headquarters.

We have been working with the Hungarian Embassy on the idea of establishing a National Trust.  The Secreatariat also assisted the Director of the Nordic Museum, Sweden’s largest museum of cultural history, with meetings at Wimpole.  We have also begun a dialogue with a group in North Rhine-Westphalia wanting to set up a National Trust.

Membership development is part of this strategy too.  The Secretariat team have been firstly reviewing our list of benefits, while secondly updating our recruitment plan.  One important benefit is reciprocal visiting which the Trustees will discuss in New York.

Voice

Speaking out with authority and purpose on global conservation issues critical to INTO’s membership; celebrating what is unique and special about the NT approach; and supporting our members with their influencing.

The application by the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) for an exhibit at the UN High Level Political Forum in New York in July has been successful. GEN has invited INTO to partner them at the exhibit where we will present a version of the paper on INTO and the Sustainable Development Goals on which Oliver and Anita Canovas Forjette have been working. Jim Lindberg of the National Trust of Historic Preservation has kindly agreed to represent INTO on this occasion.

In addition Oliver and Anita have prepared a further version of the paper, entitled ‘Heritage Conservation and the Sustainable Development Goals’ for the ICOMOS Conference in Fiji. The deadline for submission is 2 July. Elizabeth Erasito of the National Trust of Fiji will present the paper.

Catherine was invited to a fascinating round table workshop on SDG 11 with UN-Habitat’s Executive Director, Maimunah Mohd Sharif.   She also wrote a short think piece for World Day for Cultural Diversity, using great examples from the INTO membership.

Furthermore Catherine and the NTEWNI Government Affairs Director, Rick Hebditch, met Tom Cassidy, the NTHP’s Vice President of Government Relations and Policy in London. It was a enlightening discussion and hopefully the start of greater connections.

Strength

Building financial stability and demonstrating best practice in our governance and organisational culture.

Our 2017 Annual Report has been published on line and we are just about to send hard copies to our contacts.

Catherine has been much involved in the opening of the new bank account for the new INTO entity.  We hope to finalise this next week.  The next step will be to complete the asset transfer.

Bob Gordon, Jacqui Sealy, Julie and Catherine continue to work on the INTO Business Plan.   The Trustees will discuss proposals further next week.  We are grateful to all our Secretariat volunteers, including Jackie Hunt who kindly manages our membership renewals.

Catherine’s executive coaching is also part of the Strength strategy and is recorded in blogs on values and beauty.