On Friday, 23 January 2026, ICCROM and Brazil’s Fundação Biblioteca Nacional (FBN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in the conservation of bibliographic heritage and reinforce the role of libraries in sustainable development. The agreement was signed at ICCROM Headquarters in Rome by ICCROM Director-General Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral and Mr Marco Lucchesi, President of the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional, in the presence of Mr Renato Mosca, Ambassador of Brazil to Italy, and Mr Túlio Amaral Kafuri, Minister Counsellor of the Brazilian Embassy in Italy.
During the ceremony, both institutions reaffirmed the importance of multilateralism and international cooperation in responding to global challenges affecting cultural heritage – such as climate change, risk preparedness and social cohesion – while underscoring ICCROM’s mandate and its role in fostering dialogue, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building across regions.
The MoU establishes a framework for collaboration built around three key pillars of ICCROM’s work:
• strengthening cooperation on the conservation and care of library collections;
• promoting the role of libraries as spaces for education, dialogue and awareness on global challenges;
• reinforcing the recognition of libraries as essential institutions for communities and policy development.
Through the agreement, the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional will also contribute its bibliographic resources to the Bibliographic Database of the Conservation Information Network (BCIN) – a global platform coordinated by ICCROM that facilitates access to conservation literature and professional resources worldwide.
The signing of the MoU marks the beginning of a strengthened partnership between ICCROM and Brazil, with a shared commitment to expanding cooperation through joint initiatives, knowledge exchange and capacity development, and to advancing the role of libraries as vital centres of knowledge, learning and sustainable development.
