Programme of Work and Budget 2026-2027
The Programme of Work and Budget 2026-2027 (PWB) operationalizes ICCROM's Strategic Plan 2026-2031, outlining the planned corporate outputs for the biennium and their contributions to achieve the envisaged outcomes to better serve our Member States in the long term. The PWB is derived from the new Strategic Framework, which comprises three Strategic Directions, each with three Priority Areas.
As the world confronts increasingly complex challenges, ICCROM stands ready to empower Member States to conserve and safeguard heritage as a means of equipping societies for the future. Nearly 70 years since our founding, our core mandate remains unchanged – _and yet the demand for our expertise, innovation, and collaboration continues to grow.
To meet the evolving needs of our Member States and their heritage, the Programme of Work and Budget 2026–2027 marks a pivotal new chapter for ICCROM. It is the first biennium fully aligned with our new Strategic Plan 2026–2031 and reflects a significant evolution in how we define success and deliver impact.
Over the next two years, I envision an ICCROM that is not only responsive to immediate needs, but also proactive in shaping the future of heritage conservation. We are entering this biennium with an outcomes-based, programmatic approach – _moving beyond activity-based implementation towards an integrated, results-driven planning framework centred on our Strategic Directions and Priority Areas. These are grounded in our Vision of CARE: to Conserve, Activate, and Recognize the full potential of heritage to improve lives and livelihoods, strengthen communities and protect our planet through transformative capacity building initiatives at the individual, societal and policymaking levels.
These Strategic Directions are being advanced through a "One ICCROM" approach, fostering cross-functional collaboration, shared ownership of results, and a unified, purpose-driven culture across the Secretariat.
This evolution is part of a broader institutional transformation. We are deepening our internal reforms to strengthen governance, implement more cost-effective and efficient management, increase compliance, and ensure full transparency and accountability in all we do. These efforts are underpinned by five key organizational enablers – _investment in our workforce; enhanced governance and management; strengthened strategic planning and evaluation; expanded visibility, partnerships and resource mobilization; and advanced technology and infrastructure – which together provide the foundation for our long-term sustainability and success.
Our ability to deliver on this ambitious Programme of Work is only possible through the enduring commitment of our Member States. Our core budget, funded through assessed contributions, remains the bedrock of our operations, and we are deeply grateful to those governments who continue to uphold this essential support. We also extend our sincere appreciation to our partners and donors, whose voluntary contributions allow us to sustain and replicate ongoing initiatives and launch transformative new ones. Their support is critical to scaling our work and responding to new and emerging priorities.
The 2026–2027 budget is based on a zero nominal growth assumption, and ICCROM remains firmly committed to the highest standards of efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness. This commitment has already begun with a comprehensive review of internal policies and procedures to ensure we meet the highest standards – _including strengthened internal financial control mechanisms and checks, and more transparent, merit-based recruitment practices. We continue to
rationalize expenditures, pursue further savings, and refine our cost recovery policy to ensure a funding base that supports our programmatic delivery.
This biennium is a defining moment – a time to consolidate gains, act with vision, and lead with purpose. I invite our Member States, Partners and Donors to engage with ICCROM through this Programme of Work not only as a roadmap for action, but as a shared commitment to protect, activate, and elevate heritage as a force for good. Let us move forward with unity, confidence, and resolve – for heritage, for the future it helps us build.
Let us walk this journey together to strengthen and position ICCROM as a relevant, visible, and key player in the sector, and as a solid International Organization that is both fit-for-purpose and fit for the future – grounded in its unique technical mandate and bold vision. This vision seeks to leverage the catalytic and knock-on effects of transformative capacity building as a propeller of responsible, long-term development and lasting solutions at all levels of society, in service of all its Member States. Together, let us strive to fulfil an existential aspiration and a shared responsibility: to conserve, preserve, and celebrate our legacy so that we may pass it on to future generations – our heritage is our future.
Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral
Director-General