International Council on Monuments and Sites#International committees

{{Infobox organization

| name = International Council on Monuments and Sites

| logo = Icomos-logo-en.svg

| logo_size = 250px

| type = Professional Body

| founded = {{Start date and age|1965}}

| location = Paris, France

| key_people = Teresa Patricio (President); Jurn Buisman (Secretary General); Cyrill von Planta (Treasurer General)

| services = Conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the world

| homepage = {{URL|http://www.icomos.org/}}

}}

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS; {{langx|fr|links=no|Conseil international des monuments et des sites}}) is a professional association that works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the world. Now headquartered in Charenton-le-Pont, France, ICOMOS was founded in 1965 in Warsaw as a result of the Venice Charter of 1964 and offers advice to UNESCO on World Heritage Sites.

The idea behind ICOMOS dates to the Athens Conference on the restoration of historic buildings in 1931, organized by the International Museums Office. The Athens Charter of 1931 introduced the concept of international heritage. In 1964, the Second Congress of Architects and Specialists of Historic Buildings, meeting in Venice, adopted 13 resolutions. The first created the International Charter on the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites, better known as Venice Charter; the second, put forward by UNESCO, created ICOMOS to carry out this charter.

ICOMOS currently has over 10,100 individual members in 153 countries, 110 national committees, and 28 international scientific committees.{{Cite web|title = Introducing ICOMOS – International Council on Monuments and Sites|url = https://www.icomos.org/en/about-icomos/mission-and-vision/mission-and-vision |website = www.icomos.org|access-date = 2019-01-06}} With rare exceptions, each member must be qualified in the field of conservation and a practicing landscape architect, architect, archaeologist, anthropologist, town planner, engineer, administrator of heritage, historian, art historian, palaeontologist or archivist.

ICOMOS is a partner and founding member of the Blue Shield, which works to protect the world's cultural heritage threatened by war and natural disasters.

ICOMOS structure

ICOMOS is composed of its national committees (NCs), to which individuals and institutions apply for membership. In addition to the national committees, ICOMOS has a series of international scientific committees (ISCs), in which experts in a certain field of activity within the context of heritage conservation exchange views and debate.{{cite web|url=http://www.international.icomos.org/publications/EN_Statuts_1978_20110301.pdf |title=ICOMOS Statutes, adopted by the Vth General Assembly on 22 May 1978 in Moscow |access-date=2013-12-22}}

The organization is headed by a president, five vice-presidents, a secretary-general and a treasurer all directly elected by the general assembly of the organization. 12 additional members are also elected by the General Assembly into the Executive Committee and five further members are co-opted into the executive board in order to represent regions of the world or areas of expertise that were not part of the executive committee following the elections. Ex officio members of the executive committee are the president of the advisory committee and the previous presidents of ICOMOS, who attend in advisory capacity. The executive committee is the executive body of ICOMOS.

The advisory committee is composed of the chairpersons of the national committees, the chairpersons of the international scientific committees and the president of ICOMOS as an ex officio member.Article 12, ICOMOS Statutes, adopted by the Vth General Assembly on 22 May 1978 in Moscow The advisory committee was given the task to advise and make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Executive Committee on matters which concern policy and programme priorities.

=National committees=

National committees are subsidiary organizations created in the countries which are members of UNESCO. They bring together individual and institutional members and offer them a framework for discussion and an exchange of information. Each national committee adopts its own rules of procedure and elaborates its own program according to the goals and aims of ICOMOS. In 2021, ICOMOS has 107 national committees. ICOMOS website includes a list regularly updated.

=International scientific committees=

International scientific committees (ISCs) are entities focus on specialised areas of heritage conservation and are made up of members of the organisation drawn from those specialist areas. The scientific programmes of the organisation are coordinated by the "scientific council" made up of the presidents of the ISCs. Nowadays, ICOMOS has 28 ISCs. A list regularly updated is available on ICOMOS website.

= Working groups =

ICOMOS conducts a process of reflection on doctrine and good practice on current issues involving the conservation of cultural heritage. To this end, it sets up working groups made up of ICOMOS members who are heritage professionals: architects, archaeologists, professors and researchers, curators and scientists. The aim of these groups can be the drafting of a charter, the implementation of concrete activities (working sessions, workshops). There are currently 6 working groups, the list of which can be found on the ICOMOS website, in which experts reflect on a wide variety of subjects related to heritage conservation: indigenous heritage, sustainable development, Syria/Iraq, climate change and emerging professionals.

Documentation

ICOMOS' documentation center is located at the association's headquarters in Paris. It collects, analyses and disseminates information on all methods of heritage conservation, especially through its bibliographic database (+80,000 references) and its graphic documents database (+40,000 references).{{Cite web |title=ICOMOS’ Documentary Resources |url=https://www.icomos.org/icomos-documentary-resources/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=www.icomos.org |language=en}}

Publications

ICOMOS International publishes on a regular basis ICOMOS News (newsletter for members, quarterly in French, English, Spanish) and the ICOMOS Scientific Journal (published twice a year). ICOMOS France regularly publishes Le Bulletin d’information d’Icomos France, Les Cahiers de la Section Française de l’ICOMOS, Les Dossiers techniques, Les Mémentos techniques, les Bulletins, and Les Enquêtes de la section française.

Charters and doctrines

ICOMOS has developed and adopted a number of other charters and doctrinal texts which provide guidance to heritage conservation professionals. Those documents are created by the international committees of the organisation and then adopted by the triennial General Assembly. Each text addresses a specific area of professional practice of heritage conservation. Those charters include:[https://www.icomos.org/en/what-we-do/involvement-in-international-conventions/standards ICOMOS Charters and Other Doctrinal Texts]. Retrieved 4 March 2018.

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Name

!Description

!Sources

1964

|Venice Charter

|International charter for the conservation and restoration of monuments and sites

1981

|Florence Charter

|Conservation of historic gardens

1987

|Washington Charter

|Charter for the conservation of historic towns and urban areas. Superseded by the 2011 Valletta principles below.

1990

|Charter for the Protection and Management of Archaeological Heritage

1994

|Nara Document on Authenticity

|Broader understanding of cultural diversity and cultural heritage in conservation efforts

|{{cite web |title=Cultural Heritage Policy Documents: The Nara Document on Authenticity (1994) |url=http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/research_resources/charters/charter55.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424202131/http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/research_resources/charters/charter55.html |archive-date=24 April 2021 |access-date=13 June 2012 |publisher=The Getty Conservation Institute}}

{{cite web |title=Nara Document on Authenticity, Experts meeting |url=https://whc.unesco.org/archive/nara94.htm |access-date=13 June 2012 |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}

1996

|Charter on the Protection and Management of Underwater Cultural Heritage

rowspan="3" |1999

|International Cultural Tourism Charter

|Managing tourism at places of heritage significance

Principles for the Preservation of Timber Structures

Charter on the Built Vernacular Heritage

rowspan="2" |2003

|Principles for the Analysis, Conservation and Structural Restoration of Architectural Heritage

Principles for the Preservation and Conservation -Restoration of Wall Paintings

rowspan="2" |2008

|Charter on Cultural Routes

|{{cite web |title=Charter on Cultural Routes |url=https://www.icomos.org/images/DOCUMENTS/Charters/culturalroutes_e.pdf |access-date=6 January 2019}}

Ename Charter

|Charter for the interpretation and presentation of cultural heritage sites

rowspan="2" |2011

|Principles for the Conservation of Industrial Heritage Sites, Structures, Areas and Landscapes

|Joint ICOMOS-TICCIH principles

The Valletta Principles for the Safeguarding and Management of Historic Cities, Towns and Urban Areas

|Supersedes the 1987 Washington Charter above

rowspan="4" |2017

|Principles Concerning Rural Landscapes as Heritage

|Joint ICOMOS-IFLA principles

Document on Historic Urban Public Parks

Salalah Guidelines for the Management of Public Archaeological Sites

Principles for the Conservation of Wooden-Built Heritage

Many of the national committees of ICOMOS have adopted their own charters which set standards for heritage conservation practice at national level.{{cite web|title=CHARTERS ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF ICOMOS|url=https://www.icomos.org/en/resources/charters-and-texts|access-date=21 December 2013|publisher=ICOMOS}}

ICOMOS and the World Heritage Convention

In 1972, ICOMOS was named by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention as one of the three formal advisory bodies to the World Heritage Committee, along with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). As the professional and scientific adviser to the committee on all aspects of the cultural heritage, ICOMOS is responsible for the evaluation of all nominations of cultural properties made to the World Heritage List with the criteria laid down by the World Heritage Committee. In addition to the basic criterion of “outstanding universal value,” ICOMOS evaluates nominations for aspects related to authenticity, management, and conservation as specified in the World Heritage Convention.

The evaluation of nominations involves consultation between the wide-ranging expertise represented by the organization’s membership and its national and scientific committees. Members are also sent on expert missions to carry out on-site evaluations of nominated properties. This extensive consultation results in the preparation of detailed recommendations that are submitted to the World Heritage Committee at its annual meetings.

ICOMOS is also involved, through its International Secretariat and its national and scientific committees, in the preparation of reports on the state of conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. It advises the UNESCO World Heritage Centre on requests for technical assistance received from states that are party to (i.e. have ratified) the World Heritage Convention. ICOMOS maintains a full archive of nominations and reports at the documentation centre at its Paris headquarters.

Piero Gazzola award

The Gazzola Prize was established in 1979 in memory of Piero Gazzola, one of the greatest defenders of the conservation and restoration of historic monuments and sites, and a founder of ICOMOS. The prize is awarded every three years at the General Assembly of ICOMOS to an individual or a group of people who have worked together and contributed with distinction to the aims and objectives of ICOMOS. The beneficiary must be a member of ICOMOS and is chosen by the Selection Committee itself elected by the ICOMOS Board. The Prize is a commemorative medal and diploma.{{cite book|title=Awards, honors & prizes: International and foreign|page=312|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EbiKlgGo4NEC|volume=2|year=2001|publisher=Gale Group|isbn=978-0-7876-3405-6}}

=List of awardees=

1981 – Jean Trouvelot
1984 – Stanislaw Lorentz
1987 – Masuru Sekino{{cite book|editor1-first=Dirk|editor1-last= Sacré|editor2-first=Gilbert|editor2-last=Tournoy|title=Myricae: Essays on Neo-Latin Literature in Memory of Josef IJsewijn|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7KzoxpR8XjEC&pg=PA98|year=2000|publisher=Leuven University|isbn=978-90-5867-054-0|page=98}}
1990 – Gertrud Tripp
1993 – Bernard Feilden{{cite book|last1=Rössler|first1=Mechtild |last2=Cameron|first2=Christina |title=Many Voices, One Vision: The Early Years of the World Heritage Convention|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uAuiAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT263|year=2013|publisher=Ashgate |isbn=978-1-4094-8477-6}}
1996 – Ernest Allan Connally{{cite journal|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/crmjournal/CRM/v19n9.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701062109/http://www.nps.gov/history/CRMJournal/CRM/v19n9.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 1, 2015|volume=19|number=9|journal=Cultural Resource Management|title=Dr E.A. Connally honored by the International Preservation Community|page=44|access-date=August 3, 2015}}
1999 – Roland Silva
2002 – Cevat Erder{{cite journal|url=http://www.worldarchaeologicalcongress.org/site/enews/enews_7.pdf|journal=World Archaeological Congress E-Newsletter|publisher=World Archaeological Council|editor1-first=Regan|editor1-last=Madeleine|page=47|title=US/ICOMOS advises World's Top Heritage Preservation Prize Awarded In China|volume=7|date=2005|access-date=August 3, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130113859/http://www.worldarchaeologicalcongress.org/site/enews/enews_7.pdf|archive-date=November 30, 2011}}
2005 – Ann Webster Smith{{cite news|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/27/AR2006042702279.html|title=Ann W. Smith, 81; World-Renowned Preservationist|date=April 28, 2006}}
2008 – Carmen Añón Feliu
2011 – Nobuo Ito
2014 – Henry Cleere{{cite press release|url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/calendar/articles/2014-15-news/20150127|title=Henry Cleere awarded prestigious Gazzola Prize|date=January 27, 2015|publisher=UCL Institute of Architecture|access-date=August 3, 2015|archive-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306170951/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/calendar/articles/2014-15-news/20150127|url-status=dead}}
2017 – Saleh Lamei Mostafa[https://www.icomos.org/en/about-icomos/2016-11-17-13-14-08/honors-and-awards ICOMOS Honors and Awards]. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
2020 – Amund Sinding-Larsen{{Cite web|date=21 April 2021|title=ICOMOS Honors and awards|url=https://www.icomos.org/en/about-icomos/2016-11-17-13-14-08/honors-and-awards}}

List of ICOMOS General Assemblies, Presidents and Secretaries General

class="wikitable" \|+ ICOMOS General Assemblies, Presidents & Secretaries General[http://www.icomos.org/en/about-icomos/governance/general-information-about-the-executive-committee/past-presidents ICOMOS Past Presidents]. Retrieved 12 December 2015.[http://www.icomos.org/en/about-icomos/governance/general-information-about-the-general-assembly/list-of-general-assemblies ICOMOS General Assemblies]. Retrieved 12 December 2015.[https://www.icomos.org/en/about-icomos/governance/general-information-about-the-executive-committee ICOMOS Board]. Retrieved 4 March 2018. ! Nr. !! Time !! colspan="2"\| General Assembly !! Term !! colspan="2"\| President !! colspan="2"\| Secretary General
21.	2023	Sydney	{{flagcountry\|Australia}} \| 2023–2026	Teresa Patricio	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}}	Jurn Buisman	{{flagcountry\|Netherlands}}
20.	2020	Online (due to the COVID-19 pandemic)	\| 2020–2023	Teresa Patricio	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}}	Mario Santana	{{flagcountry\|Canada}}
19.	2017	Delhi	{{flagcountry\|India}} \| 2017–2020	Toshiyuki Kono	{{flagcountry\|Japan}}	Peter Phillips	{{flagcountry\|Australia}}
18.	2014	Florence	{{flagcountry\|Italy}} \| 2014–2017	Gustavo Araoz	{{flagcountry\|USA}}	Kirsti Kovanen	{{flagcountry\|Finland}}
17.	2011	Paris	{{flagcountry\|France}} \| 2011–2014	Gustavo Araoz	{{flagcountry\|USA}}	Kirsti Kovanen	{{flagcountry\|Finland}}
16.	2008	Québec	{{flagcountry\|Canada}} \| 2008–2011	Gustavo Araoz	{{flagcountry\|USA}}	Bénédicte Selfslagh	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}}
15.	2005	Xi'an	{{flagcountry\|China}} \| 2005–2008	Michael Petzet	{{flagcountry\|Germany}}	Dinu Bumbaru	{{flagcountry\|Canada}}
14.	2003	Victoria Falls	{{flagcountry\|Zimbabwe}} \|
13.	2002	Madrid	{{flagcountry\|Spain}} \| 2002–2005	Michael Petzet	{{flagcountry\|Germany}}	Dinu Bumbaru	{{flagcountry\|Canada}}
12.	1999	Mexico City	{{flagcountry\|Mexico}} \| 1999–2002	Michael Petzet	{{flagcountry\|Germany}}	Jean-Louis Luxen	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}}
11.	1996	Sofia	{{flagcountry\|Bulgaria}} \| 1996–1999	Roland Silva	{{flagcountry\|Sri Lanka}}	Jean-Louis Luxen	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}}
10.	1993	Colombo	{{flagcountry\|Sri Lanka}} \| 1993–1996	Roland Silva	{{flagcountry\|Sri Lanka}}	Jean-Louis Luxen	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}}
9.	1990	Lausanne	{{flagcountry\|Switzerland}} \| 1990–1993	Roland Silva	{{flagcountry\|Sri Lanka}}	Herb Stovel	{{flagcountry\|Canada}}
8.	1987	Washington, D.C.	{{flagcountry\|USA}} \| 1987–1990	Roberto di Stefano	{{flagcountry\|Italy}}	Helmut Stelzer	{{flagcountry\|German Democratic Republic}}
7.	1984	Rostock	{{flagcountry\|German Democratic Republic}} \| 1984–1987	Michel Parent	{{flagcountry\|France}}	Abdelaziz Daoulatli	{{flagcountry\|Tunisia}}
6.	1981	Rome	{{flagcountry\|Italy}} \| 1981–1984	Michel Parent	{{flagcountry\|France}}	Abdelaziz Daoulatli	{{flagcountry\|Tunisia}}
5.	1978	Moscow	{{flagcountry\|USSR}} \| 1978–1981	Raymond M. Lemaire	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}}	Ernest Allen Connaly	{{flagcountry\|USA}}
4.	1975	Rothenburg ob der Tauber	{{flagcountry\|Germany}} \| 1975–1978	Raymond M. Lemaire	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}}	Ernest Allen Connaly	{{flagcountry\|USA}}
3.	1972	Budapest	{{flagcountry\|Hungary}} \| 1972–1975	Piero Gazzola	{{flagcountry\|Italy}}	Raymond M. Lemaire	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}}
2.	1969	Oxford	{{flagcountry\|United Kingdom}} \| 1969–1972	Piero Gazzola	{{flagcountry\|Italy}}	Raymond M. Lemaire	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}}
1.	1965	Kraków	{{flagcountry\|Poland}} \| 1965–1969	Piero Gazzola	{{flagcountry\|Italy}}	Raymond M. Lemaire	{{flagcountry\|Belgium}}

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.icomos.org/en/}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150507084122/http://www.icomos.org/en/network/national-committees/list-of-national-committees List of National Committees]
[http://databases.unesco.org/icomos/ ICOMOS Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603180413/http://databases.unesco.org/icomos/ |date=2011-06-03 }}, unesco.org
[http://www.friendsofworldheritage.org/ Friends of World Heritage] Non-profit organization that identifies projects that support local tourism enterprises that can help alleviate poverty and conserve World Heritage sites.
[http://www.icomos.org/charters/nara-e.pdf The Nara Document on Authenticity (1994)]
[https://theblueshield.org/ The Blue Shield]

Category:Archaeological organizations

Category:Organizations established in 1965

Category:Heritage registers

Category:Heritage organizations

Category:International cultural organizations

Category:Conservation and restoration organizations

Category:1965 establishments in France

Category:Organizations based in Paris

Category:International organizations based in France

Category:History organizations based in France