International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property

Why the tide of ‘cultural cleansing’ must be rolled back

The Irish TImes, 11 November 2016
Unesco was created in 1945 to foster a spirit of collaboration between nations. The preamble to its Constitution reads: “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed." When the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) was created in 1956, it was in a similar spirit, to assist nations restoring and preserving the tangible symbols of their culture after war.

We should all get behind the #Unite4Heritage campaign

Apollo, 12 May 2016
Over recent years, the scale of heritage destruction worldwide has escalated, with the loss of important historic monuments at the hands of extremists in Syria and Iraq frequently making headlines. Less often reported has been the damage and looting inflicted on Libyan monuments, and the destruction of Yemeni heritage resulting from the country’s ongoing, bloody civil war.

Global collaboration fights cultural destruction

BBC News, 1 May 2015
A global team of experts is being trained to save world heritage in times of crisis.
The threat to monuments, ancient sites and museums is growing, according to the Rome-based International Center for the Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM).
But intangible heritage such as language and tradition is also at risk as communities become displaced by poverty and conflict. "The problems are large and interconnected," says ICCROM's Aparna Tandon.
That's why ICCROM has joined forces with the Smithsonian Institution, the Netherlands National Commission of Unesco and 11 other organisations to create an elite team of professionals who can quickly assess damage and work with communities to protect their heritage.