ICCROM harnesses the power of cultural heritage to make the world a better place to live. By empowering all Member States to preserve their cultural heritage, ICCROM contributes to the environmental, social and economic sustainability of communities. ICCROM is also strategically placed to foster best practices and to communicate international standards and shared responsibility consistent with United Nations policies and objectives. ICCROM focuses on methods for managing deterioration of heritage, whether through slow decay or rapid or unexpected changes. It is well positioned to take a leadership role while also collaborating with major decision-making organizations to protect cultural heritage in the face of global change.

ICCROM’s mission is to provide Member States with the best tools, knowledge, skills and enabling environment with which to preserve their cultural heritage in all of its forms, for the benefit of all people. It achieves this by:

  • Studying and promoting cultural heritage conservation;
  • Mobilizing and coordinating expertise to address critical issues of conservation;
  • Providing the training and research tools for implementation to strengthen the professional community.

ICCROM’s vision is for a world in which cultural heritage – its preservation, protection and celebration – is inextricably linked with notions of progress, inclusivity, well-being and stability.

ICCROM Strategic Directions and Objectives 2018-2023

1. FOCUSING ON WORLD CONCERNS FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE

Objective 1: Protect Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis: Promote effective Disaster Risk Management Strategies in situations of conflicts, disasters and complex emergencies.

Objective 2: Support Africa’s Cultural Heritage: Develop training, capacity building and partnerships in keeping with strengthening Africa’s conservation efforts.

Objective 3: Foster Emerging issues of Cultural Heritage and Conservation: Provide innovative and effective responses to emerging issues, such as the interlinkages of nature/culture, and sustainable development.

2. CREATING A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE GLOBAL NETWORK

Objective 1: Lead and Innovate Capacity Building at Local, Regional and International levels: Promote wider access, engage with new ways to deliver content and foster partnerships by addressing challenges and opportunities at all levels.

Objective 2: Enhance Community Engagement in Protecting Heritage: Facilitate social inclusivity by addressing concerns of communities connected with cultural heritage in all ICCROM programmes.

Objective 3: Strengthen Awareness of Cultural Heritage and Conservation: Raise the position of cultural heritage conservation within national and
international policy frameworks.

3. STRENGTHENING AND TRANSFORMING ICCROM FOR THE FUTURE

Objective 1: Strengthen the Foundations of ICCROM: Reinforce ICCROM’s position with other international organizations, expand partnerships and increase the number of Member States.

Objective 2: Increase the Impacts of Service Delivery and Visibility of ICCROM to Member States and Heritage Communities: Maintain credibility, responsiveness, and promotion of ICCROM’s achievements worldwide, highlight the role of ICCROM in activities, and increase the donor base for funding relevant and time-sensitive programmes.

Objective 3: Modernize and Invest to Assure an Effective and Efficient Organization: Ensure that the investment in human and financial resources gives added value, and that management and information systems provide for improved performance and accountability. Utilize the best means of electronic and media delivery to increase the effectiveness of training and outreach for the organization.