Alhambra Palace - Granada
Alhambra Palace - Granada

The Second World War claimed more lives than any other war in history and obliterated a great deal of cultural property that defined the communities in which they were erected. This included many historic cities of Europe.

In its aftermath, the world needed a technical institution dedicated to preserving, protecting and restoring what humanity had destroyed. In response, UNESCO created ICCROM and chose Rome as its headquarters. As home to ICCROM and as a beneficiary of its earliest efforts, Europe is a region with which the organization has always had close ties, and which has also had an important role to play in the conservation sector.

Sixty years later, humanity is faced yet again with large-scale and catastrophic developments – mass displacement of people, entrenched conflict, harshening climate. All are challenging cultural heritage preservation. Europe is again in a positon to both benefit from and serve ICCROM’s efforts. This is not only because these demographic, political and climatic forces are playing out within or near its borders, but also because Europe is able – and therefore responsible – to play a more universal role in enacting change.

ICCROM is eager to engage with a Europe that leverages everything from its resources, to experience and diplomatic know-how to model inclusive and engaged societies. Europe can take the lead in truly integrating refugees who come in search of safety, embracing the cultures they bring and incorporating them into Europe’s own. Europe can show how caring for culture is caring for people as heritage congregates and generates cohesion, understanding and even economic opportunity. And when Europe extends this work beyond its borders, it can demonstrate how the returns on cultural diplomacy are more stable, inclusive and just nations – indeed, a better world.

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ICCROM and Ireland's National Mo

ICCROM and Ireland's National Monuments Service Establish Scholarship Fund for Heritage Professionals from Africa and SIDS

ICCROM and Ireland's National Monuments Service (NMS) have signed a landmark cooperation agreement to establish the Ireland National Monuments Service Scholarship Fund. This initiative will span from 2024 to 2026, aimed at enhancing the participation of heritage professionals from Africa and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in ICCROM's capacity-building activities with a particular focus on...

20240524_Students from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne visit ICCROM

Students from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne visit ICCROM

On 24 May, students from the Master's degree in Restoration of Cultural Property and Preventive Conservation of Heritage from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne visited ICCROM with their professors, Claire Betelu and Florence Laruelle.

 Visit from the Government of Spain 

Visit from the Government of Spain

On 17 May, the Director-General of ICCROM, Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral, and ICCROM staff had the pleasure of meeting with Guillermo Escribano Manzano, Director General of Spanish in the World, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation; Pablo Rupérez Pascualena, Advisor to the Directorate General for Spanish in the World; and Moisés Morera Martín, Alternate Permanent Representative of Spain...

2024 Annual World Heritage Leadership Donor Group meets to strengthen collaboration on capacity building - towards improving heritage management globally

2024 Annual World Heritage Leadership Donor Group meets to strengthen collaboration on capacity building - towards improving heritage management globally

On the 18-19 April 2024, ICCROM headquarters hosted the Annual World Heritage Leadership Donor Group Meeting. The meeting was convened to deliberate on the progress, administration, and collaboration among key stakeholders, namely Norway, ICCROM, and IUCN, under the framework of the World Heritage Leadership (WHL) programme.

WHL WHC Ireland workshop

Strengthening the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in Ireland

The workshop is part of Ireland’s renewed ambition for World Heritage and highlights its commitment to strengthening the implementation of the Convention nationally through capacity building and multi-sectoral dialogue.

From 12 to 13 March the Director-General was in Paris for institutional meetings with Member States, partners and UNESCO representatives.

ICCROM Director-General's mission to Paris for engagements with key partners

From 12 to 13 March the Director-General was in Paris for institutional meetings with Member States, partners and UNESCO representatives.

EC call for apps Ukraine

Enhancing Capacities in Ukraine for Cultural Heritage First Aid and Recovery Planning

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS. The European Commission’s Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture is supporting ICCROM and its flagship Programme, First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis, to establish Ukraine’s first national, ready-to-deploy team of 20-25 cultural first aiders.

Building capacity for entrepreneurs in the cultural heritage sector

Building capacity for entrepreneurs in the cultural heritage sector

On 18 December 2023, we celebrated the successful completion of the first phase of our Undertaking Business in Culture (UBIC) project's entrepreneurship workshop. This pivotal three-month phase brought together 20 talented and dedicated cultural entrepreneurs from Africa and Europe who have demonstrated not only their passion for innovation but also their commitment to personal and professional...

World Heritage Resource Manual Now available in Korean and Polish!

Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in the Context of World Heritage now available in Korean and Polish

The 2022 Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in the Context of World Heritage is continuing to spread around the world, becoming a fundamental resource for those managing and working with World Heritage. As its dissemination continues, the need for the Guidebook and Toolkit in various languages increases.

Valuing Cultural Capital event at the British Embassy

Event at British Embassy in Rome brings together heritage experts and economists from UK and Italy to discuss the value of culture

The "Valuing Cultural Capital" event series, organized by ICCROM and the University of Glasgow and held at the official residence of the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Italy and the Ministry of Culture of Italy on 5 and 6 December, respectively, brought together heritage experts and economists to brainstorm how we can measure the value of our heritage and amplify it. These events explored the...