On November 28 and 29, five experts, close collaborators of the OWHC, got together in Marrakech (Morocco) in the objective of learning more about the city’s management of the effects of the recent earthquake, and develop the next steps of the program.

On the first day, the experts met with State Department representatives and municipal experts to discuss the damages caused by the earthquake, their management of the crisis, the lessons learned and need for expertise, combined with a visit of the damaged sites of the Medina, World Heritage site.

The second day, the five experts met to define the practical aspects of the Program (feasibility conditions), explore potential issues and solutions, clarify the Action Plan for the Pilot Phase which will serve to test the assistance the OWHC could provide to the member cities in need, and develop a checklist of preventive actions to put in place in member cities.

While continuing to express solidarity with the city of Marrakech, the OWHC thanks our colleagues for the excellent organization of the meeting in a difficult post-disaster context, and the mobilization and valuable input of all the experts – local and OWHC collaborators – who joined forces to further develop the program.