Press releases

The deliberate destruction of cultural heritage has become a core feature of modern conflicts and a tactic of war. In this scenario, safeguarding the world’s cultural heritage is becoming increasingly urgent and imperative.

On 9 and 10 May, a series of events will be held at the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro (ISCR) in Rome. The series, entitled “Wooden architecture: learning from ancestors, keeping for posterity, teaching our contemporaries,” has been organized by the Kizhi State Museum, an open-air venue devoted to history, architecture and ethnography.

On 30 March, Director-General Stefano De Caro addressed the G7 Culture meetings, held in the Sala Bianca of the Palazzo Pitti, in Florence, Italy. These were the first-ever such meetings, held on the initiative of Italy’s Culture Minister, Dario Franceschini.

Two damaged sculptural busts from Palmyra, dating to the 2nd or 3rd century AD, were sent home from Rome to Syria on Monday 27 February. After being treated in Italy, the busts were returned to the National Museum of Damascus, accompanied by two representatives of the Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM).

On 11 February 2017, the Director General of UNESCO, Mrs Irina Bokova, visited the ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Conservation Centre in Sharjah as part of launch for the #Unite4Heritage campaign in the United Arab Emirates.

The US Ambassador to Nigeria, W Stuart Symington, has awarded a grant of $116,000 to launch RE-ORG Nigeria in a partnership between ICCROM, the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments and Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria.

A special symposium on post-conflict reconstruction of historic cities, organized by ICCROM, the Louvre-Lens Museum and the Institut du monde arabe in Tourcoing, was held in Lens, France on 20 – 21 January 2017.

At a time when significant archaeological treasures in the Middle East are threatened by tragic current events, the Louvre-Lens Museum is hosting a special event from 19 – 21 January on the theme of endangered heritage. Jean-Luc Martinez, President-Director of the Louvre Museum, will give a lecture on protecting cultural heritage in areas affected by armed conflict. Marie Lavandier, Director of the Louvre-Lens Museum and President of the ICCROM Council, will lead an international symposium on post-conflict reconstruction of historic cities.

In conjunction with the exhibition “History begins in Mesopotamia” on view until 23 January 2017, and in response to current events in the Middle East, the Louvre-Lens Museum and ICCROM, through its ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Conservation Centre in the UAE, are organising a two-day round-table dedicated to the post-conflict reconstruction of historic cities.

The European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS) is a pan-European project aiming to support research on heritage interpretation, preservation, documentation and management. The project will provide state-of-the-art tools and services to interdisciplinary research communities that advance understanding and preservation of global heritage.