These records include conservation assessments and interventions on heritage sites and objects of universal value, as well as ICCROM’s involvement in establishing regional and national conservation centres worldwide.
Since its founding in 1959, ICCROM staff has carried out thousands of missions. These international activities are fundamental for acquiring first-hand information on the challenges and resources in different cultural contexts within our Member States, allowing us to provide a relevant response through capacity building, field projects, advice or other means.
ICCROM has been a key actor as a technical advisor in conservation projects of international and historical significance, such as the UNESCO Nubian Campaign for the safeguarding of the sites and monuments threatened with underwater submersion following the construction of the Aswan dam (1960s), the preservation of the Maya wall paintings of Bonampak (1959–1960) and the response to the destructive flood of Florence and Venice (1966). Fulfilling its mandate, ICCROM has been ‘on the ground’ following various catastrophic events affecting cultural heritage, such as the earthquakes in Friuli (1976), Montenegro (1979), Campania (1980), Iran (2003), Haiti (2010), the Philippines (2013), Nepal (2015) and Myanmar (2016). With its network of experts, ICCROM has assisted in post-disaster recovery operations while providing on-site training.
Furthermore, through its Technical Assistance Programme and the subsequent Technical Assistance Service, since 1979, ICCROM has been delivering publications, equipment, conservation materials, teaching tools and other supplies to institutions worldwide. This assistance, available to Member States, was particularly crucial in supporting developing countries.