Today, ICCROM was pleased to welcome officials from the Ministries of Culture of several African Union Member States, currently participating in the 5th African Union Commission Course. The course is organized by the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, with support from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During their visit, the delegation was introduced to ICCROM’s flagdhip programme First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis (FAR), a progrmamm which aims to build local capacity to safeguard heritage during disasters and conflicts by offering training, tools, and advisory services that link cultural heritage with disaster risk reduction, humanitarian aid, and recovery efforts. Since 2020, it has developed a global network of over 2 000 trained cultural first aiders across more than 200 countries.
The visit was an important moment to reaffirm our shared commitment to this goal and the critical role of international collaboration and knowledge exchange in building resilient communities.
Following the presentation, the delegation toured ICCROM’s library and archives, gaining further insight into our work in knowledge-sharing and preservation.
ICCROM remains committed to supporting African countries through its various programmes and partnerships. Initiatives such as Youth.Heritage.Africa further reinforce this commitment by equipping the next generation of heritage professionals with the skills and tools they need to innovate and lead.