ICCROM is pleased to announce the adhesion of Costa Rica as a Member State. The accession of Costa Rica brings the number of ICCROM Member States to 137. ICCROM welcomes Costa Rica into its community of Member States and looks forward to future collaboration.

ICCROM and the Fondazione Scuola dei beni e delle attività culturali sign a strategic partnership agreement to internationalize Italian expertise. With the aim of boosting the internationalization of the Italian cultural heritage system and of exporting Italian expertise in cultural heritage management, research and training, an agreement was signed today between Carla Di Francesco, former director of the Fondazione Scuola dei beni e delle attività culturali and special commissioner since 9 October 2019, and Webber Ndoro, Director-General of ICCROM.

Under the patronage and presence of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the ICCROM-Sharjah Regional Office for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage organized a symposium from 23-26 September on conserving Sudanese heritage titled, “Active Exhibitions for Active Museums”.

ICCROM new interactive Annual Report is designed to allow easy navigation and access to the content of the report. Visit our new interactive tool and read about 2018 ICCROM's activities with special features focusing on RE-ORG Nigeria, the Importance of Knowledge-Sharing Tools, Stewardship of Contemporary Art, Media Outreach in Times of Crisis. The Report also includes ...

A new Master’s Programme in Cultural Heritage Preservation and Management will be offered at the University of Sharjah following an agreement signed between ICCROM and the University. The programme will target heritage professionals from a diversity of backgrounds in the Arab region, and will consist of two tracks: Management of Museums (movable heritage) and Management of Cultural Heritage Sites (immovable heritage).

The 2nd international course on Wooden architecture conservation and restoration is currently taking place at the Open Air Museum on Kizhi Island, located in the Republic of Karelia, Russian Federation. Fifteen participants from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Finland, India, Japan, New Zealand, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Spain, Slovenia and Turkey are learning about traditional wood technology from Karelia and the northern Baltic region, and sharing their own experience and knowledge. The course includes a dense schedule combining lectures and practical exercises in this exceptional setting known for its rich wooden cultural heritage.

ICCROM has the pleasure to announce the winner of the 2019 ICCROM Award, Mr Grellan D. Rourke, Senior Conservation Architect, Heritage Services for Ireland. A graduate of from University College Dublin with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1977, Grellan completed a Diploma in Conservation 1978 at the Collège d’Europe, Brugge, before embarking on his career with the Office of Public Works in Ireland in 1979. Over the course of his career his major work has been on the consolidation, conservation and preservation of the early medieval monastic settlement on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Skelling Michael, co.Kerry. Other key projects include the conservation and consolidation of three medieval castle complexes in co. Limerick and co. Kerry, Ireland. During the course of his career Mr Rourke has published widely on his work.

When a major disaster strikes, urban search and rescue (USAR) teams, under the coordination of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), are deployed within several hours. In these first moments, especially when disaster debris is removed, the affected region stands to lose most of its significant cultural heritage. Due to the extensive loss of cultural heritage during these first stages of a crisis, ICCROM has been striving to promote the integration of cultural heritage first aid into existing international guidelines for humanitarian aid and search and rescue operations.

On 8 August, a delegation of Indonesian professionals visited ICCROM to discuss the planned World Heritage nomination of Bogor Botanic Gardens.

Around 500 professionals and students from the heritage sector and beyond came together at Brazil’s National History Museum to participate in the international seminar Heritage on fire: who’s next? - Fire risk management for cultural heritage (26-28 June, Rio de Janeiro), which addressed the pressing issue of how to effectively reduce cultural heritage losses to fire.