ASCE President at the CWGC Conference in Paris

On 1 October 2026, ASCE President Mrs Lidija Pliberšek attended the CWGC International Conference in Paris, France, dedicated to the future of UNESCO World Heritage sites of memory.

About the Conference

On 1 October 2026, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) organised an international conference in Paris, France, titled “Beyond Inscription: The Future of Sites of Memory”, which focused on the future of UNESCO World Heritage sites connected with funerary heritage and the memory of the First World War on the Western Front. The Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE), represented by ASCE President Mrs Lidija Pliberšek, was among the participating organisations.

The conference addressed several key themes central to ASCE’s core mission, including the preservation of cemeteries and memorial sites as places of memory and cultural heritage, sustainable landscape management, visitor experience, education, interpretation, and the role of such sites in promoting remembrance, dialogue, and peace.

You can read the full official event announcement and topic outline HERE.

Opportunities for Cooperation

During the event, ASCE President Lidija Pliberšek met with representatives of the CWGC to discuss opportunities for closer cooperation. Both organizations share a strong interest in the long-term preservation, management, and interpretation of cemetery and memorial heritage, as well as in education, sustainability, and the exchange of professional knowledge and best practices.

For ASCE, closer cooperation with the CWGC is particularly valuable due to the Commission’s extensive international experience in the conservation and management of memorial sites. In turn, ASCE contributes to a broad European network of significant cemeteries, cities, and professionals.

Such a connection could strengthen the exchange of expertise, support joint educational and heritage initiatives and create a basis for a more structured form of cooperation in the future.

Event Photos

Group photo, from left to right:

• Barry Murphy, Chief Operating Officer, Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC);
• Lidija Pliberšek, President of the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE);
• Charles Garrett, Director of Global Strategy & International Relations, Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC);
• Xavier Puppinck, Area Director – Central and Southern Europe Area, Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).

UNESCO initiative from Germany

The "Kuratorium Immaterielles Erbe Friedhofskultur" invites you to join the initiative "Intangible cultural heritage: Cemetery culture in Europe".

About the initiative

Cemetery culture is part of the "Nationwide Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage" in Germany. It refers to the architecture of cemeteries, burial practices and mourning and commemoration rituals. Associated craft techniques and customs preserve this cultural form and ensure the maintenance of the cemeteries.

The official partner of the German UNESCO Commission for the care, preservation and further development of this intangible cultural heritage is the "Kuratorium Immaterielles Erbe Friedhofskultur". This non-profit association is now reaching for a UNESCO nomination of "Intangible cultural heritage:  Cemetery culture in Europe" as a common initiative of several European countries. To achieve this aim, it is necessary that other European countries obtain the Intangible Cultural Heritage status for their national cemetery culture.

Call for cooperation

The Kuratorium is now looking for European partners. If you are interested in collaboration, please contact Tobias Pehle (director of the Kuratorium Immaterielles Erbe Friedhofskultur) at info@kulturerbe-friedhof.de or +49 163 171 70 39 925.

The official call for cooperation can be found HERE.

*Photo by Tobias Pehle, source https://www.unesco.de/en/culture-and-nature/intangible-cultural-heritage/cemetery-culture

Plečnik's Žale on the UNESCO list

Plečnik's Žale were recognized as a site of exceptional universal value and were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which began on 16 July 2021, confirmed the entry of selected Plečnik's works in Ljubljana on this prestigious world list. In addition to the complex of the Plečnik's Žale - Garden of All Saints, located at Žale Cemetery, six of Plečnik's other works in the City of Ljubljana (known today as Plečnik's Ljubljana) have been added to the list of world cultural and natural heritage.

About Plečnik's Žale

Plečnik's Žale - The Garden of All Saints is a part of Žale Cemetery in Ljubljana and was built according to the plans of the famous Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik in the years 1937 to 1940. The entrance to the Garden of All Saints is designed monumentally, like the mighty Propylaea. The central building of the mourning complex is the Chapel, around which are arranged mortuary chapels or chapels dedicated to various saints and patrons of Ljubljana parishes. These are surrounded by an exceptional park arrangement of various trees, bush fences, a fountain, pillars and lamps. At the end of the Garden of All Saints, Plečnik placed a building of carpentry workshops, which is decorated with frescoes.

Sites of exceptional universal value

The selected buildings, complexes and spatial arrangements meet the criterion “to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history.” At the same time, they meet the requirements for authenticity and integrity and have a regulated legal protection and management system. All three represent the essence of the concept of so-called exceptional universal value, which is justified on a global scale.

The Plečnik's Žal area has so far been a registered area of cultural heritage and enlisted in the Register of Immovable Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia. In addition, Plečnik's Žale is a cultural monument of national importance, and also bears the European Heritage Label from the intergovernmental initiative.

*Source: https://www.zale.si