7 July.The ICCROM international seminar on Sharing Conservation Decisions (SCD) opened on Monday, 4 July in Rome. The SCD initiative, which began ten years ago, led to the organization of four international courses (one every two years). Over the years, more than 100 conservation professionals from 55 countries have been engaged, representing the diversity of heritage fields and areas of responsibility. This has created unimagined opportunities for lively debates and discussions. With time, the course evolved both in content and pedagogy, incorporating emerging trends in the field, in particular, in the areas of heritage value assessment, community participation, and the science and techniques of decision making.

This year, ICCROM decided to re-examine past experiences of the Sharing Conservation Decisions course and explore its impact in relation to the evolving context of conservation and cultural heritage. During the whole week, a selection of former course participants and teachers, as well as guest speakers and ICCROM staff members are reflecting on the progress made in the last ten years. The programme includes plenary sessions, panel sessions, and group work designed to stimulate debates and exchanges.

Our common goal is to formulate strategies that will contribute to improving future conservation decisions.

ICCROM thanks

• the Institut National du Patrimoine, France, and the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, the Centro di Conservazione e Restauro Venaria Reale, Italy, for their collaboration in the design and implementation of the four courses in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008;
• The Ecole Française de Rome which generously hosted the first day of the seminar; and
• Those from all over the world, who took the time to share their experiences and ideas through this website and our Facebook page.

Member States represented: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, France, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Spain, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States

updated on: 7 July, 2011