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.

Featured

Ambassador of Armenia, H.E. S.E. Victoria Bagdassarian

Visit: Ambassador of Armenia

On 31 January, the Ambassador of Armenia, H.E. S.E. Victoria Bagdassarian, visited ICCROM.

Mrs Silvia Costa, Italian Member of the European Parliament

Visit: Italian Member of the European Parliament

On 29 January, Mrs Silvia Costa, Italian Member of the European Parliament, visited ICCROM.

Risk manuals

Guide to Risk Management in Spanish and Portuguese

ICCROM and the Ibermuseos Program are launching the Spanish and Portuguese adaptation of A Guide to Risk Management of Cultural Heritage, originally published in English and Arabic by ICCROM and the Canadian Conservation Institute. Adapted specifically for museums, this new guidebook is the first step in a fruitful collaboration between the two organizations which will provide a series of tools...

Delegation from Moldova

Visit: Delegation from Moldova

On 24 January, a delegation from Moldova headed by Dr Andrei Chistol, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, visited ICCROM.

Davos 2018 Conference of European Ministries of Culture

Davos 2018 Conference of European Ministries of Culture

ICCROM’s Director-General, Dr Webber Ndoro, led an ICCROM team at a Conference of European Ministers of Culture from 20 – 22 January in Davos, Switzerland. The conference took place just before the annual World Economic Forum in Davos.

European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018

Launch of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018

On Thursday 7 December, the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage was launched at the European Culture Forum in Milan, Italy. The European Year of Cultural Heritage will put the spotlight on Europe's wealth of cultural heritage, showcasing its role in fostering a shared sense of identity and building the future of Europe.

Re-Org Croatia

RE-ORG Croatia

On 6 November the Director of the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb, Dr Goranka Horjan, welcomed 26 museum professionals for a two-week RE-ORG workshop in the National Museum’s storage areas.

PCA course

Putting people at the heart of conserving nature and culture

Travelling the length of Italy – from Naples via Rome to Trento – 22 participants have explored the challenge of putting people back into the centre of conservation. The aim of the People-Centred Approaches (PCA) course has been to strengthen practitioners’ understanding of communities as a core component of heritage management and so ensuring that natural and cultural heritage has a dynamic and...

SEAHA

Designing for Research Impact

Research is a communicative process. Its value is enhanced through knowledge exchange and incorporation into practice. Though impact has always been the primary motivation for research, designing research that generates impact beyond academia is not straightforward. It takes time, commitment, and a supportive working environment.

Summer school

Summer School on Communication and Teaching Skills

ICCROM’s third instalment of the International Summer School on Communication and Teaching Skills in Conservation and Science, 10 – 21 July 2017 in Rome, has recently been concluded. This two-week course brought together conservation professionals from 25 different countries and a range of professional backgrounds to investigate and explore alternative approaches to teaching and learning about...