For three days the ICCROM Forum discussed the very topical issue of the role of cultural heritage in the recovery from situations of armed conflict. The Forum was organized in the belief that, in general, cultural heritage has an important role to play and must be more widely incorporated into responses and recovery strategies in post-conflict situations.

Increasing attention is being paid nowadays to risk management in the event of armed conflict (and of natural disasters). Less prominent in the conservation field have been studies of the long-term effects of these disasters on a people’s identity and sense of belonging to a place, and of people’s responses in ensuring the survival, or revival, of their cultural heritage.

The aim of the 2005 Forum was to attempt to rectify this relative lack of attention. From 4-6 October 2005, invited speakers presented case studies and discussed the role of cultural heritage in post-war recovery. ICCROM aims to publish papers presented to the Forum in support of the argument for building in cultural heritage as an integral part of the planning of post-conflict recovery strategies.

updated on: 23 November, 2007