organization

1. International
Council on
Monuments and
Sites (ICOMOS)
Atmagya raj (181109038)

2. INTRODUCTION
ICOMOS is a non-governmental international organisation dedicated
to the conservation of the world's monuments and sites.
2
ICOMOS works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places.
It is the only global non-government organisation of this kind, which is
dedicated to promoting the application of theory, methodology, and scientific
techniques to the conservation of the architectural and archaeological
heritage.
ICOMOS is a network of experts that benefits from the interdisciplinary
exchange of its members, among which are architects, historians,
archaeologists, art historians, geographers, anthropologists, engineers and
town planners. The members of ICOMOS contribute to improving the
preservation of heritage, the standards and the techniques for each type of
cultural heritage property: buildings, historic cities, cultural landscapes and
archaeological sites
ICOMOS facts and figures (december 2018):
10 546 individual members in 151 countries
271 institutional members
107 national committees
28 international scientific committees

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ICOMOS' Mission
• Its mission is to promote the conservation, protection, use and enhancement of
monuments, building complexes and sites.
• It participates in the development of doctrine and the evolution and distribution of ideas,
and conducts advocacy.
• ICOMOS is an Advisory Body of the World Heritage Committee for the implementation of
the World Heritage Convention of UNESCO. As such, it reviews the nominations of
cultural world heritage and ensures the conservation status of properties.
• Its creation in 1965 is the logical outcome of initial conversations between architects,
historians and international experts that began in the early twentieth century and that
materialized in the adoption of the Venice Charter in 1964.
• In light of numerous studies, conferences, symposia and discussions led by its National
Committees and International Scientific Committees, ICOMOS has gradually built the
philosophical and doctrinal framework of heritage on an international level.

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Its values: to unite around
heritage
Cultural and social diversity, collegiality
Impartiality
Exchanges between countries, North-South
dialogue, solidarity
Transmission and youth involvement
Free Access to Information

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Until the end of the 19th century, architectural heritage had been
a matter of solely national concern, and most of the laws
regarding the protection of historic buildings in Europe date back
to that period. Countless associations existed in each country,
but their scope never went beyond national borders.
The Athens Conference (1931) on the restoration of historic
buildings, organised by the International Museums Office, and
the Athens Charter, drafted by Le Corbusier at the fourth
Assembly of the International Congresses on Modern
Architecture (1933) and published anonymously in Paris in 1941,
both represent a major step in the evolution of ideas because
they reflected a growing consciousness among specialists all
over the world and introduced the concept of international
heritage for the first time in history
The Second Congress of Architects
and Specialists of Historic Buildings,
in Venice in 1964, adopted 13
resolutions, the first one being the
International Restoration Charter, better
known as the Venice Charter, and the
second one, put forward by UNESCO,
provided for the creation of the
International Council on Monuments and
Sites (ICOMOS).
HISTORY

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Board 2020 - 2023
President: Ms Teresa Patricio (Belgium)
Secretary General: Mr Mario Santana (Canada)
Treasurer General: Ms Pamela Jerome (USA)
Vice Presidents:
• Ms Riin Alatalu (Estonia)
• Mr Leonardo Castriota (Brazil)
• Mr Alpha Diop (Mali)
• Mr Jiang Bo (China)
• Ms Zeynep Gül Ünal (Turkey)
President of the Advisory Committee: Mr Mikel Landa (Spain)
Vice President of the Advisory Committee: Mr Douglas Comer (USA)
Honorary Presidents: Mr Gustavo Araoz (USA) and Mr Toshiyuki Kono (Japan)
The Board is the managing body of
ICOMOS. It is constituted of 20 members
elected by the General Assembly: the
President, the Secretary General, the
Treasurer General, 5 Vice-Presidents,
making the Bureau, and 12 members -
plus the Chairman of the Advisory
Committee and possibly five co-opted
members.

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WORK DONE
World Heritage brings together exceptional cultural sites that belong to all humankind, such as the pyramids of Egypt,
the city of Venice, the Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu. The International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
takes part in the protection of this unique legacy
• WORLD HERITAGE
The Heritage@Risk program was endorsed by ICOMOS members at the General Assembly in Mexico in 1999. The
aim of these reports is to identify threatened heritage places, monuments and sites, present typical case studies and
trends, and share suggestions for solving individual or global threats to our cultural heritage.
• HERITAGE AT RISK
• SCIENTIFIC EXCHANGES
• INTERNATIONAL CONVETIONS

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New ICOMOS Focal Point for the UN Sustainable Development goals
Mr Gabriel Caballero, from ICOMOS Philippines, is the new ICOMOS Focal Point for the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking up the torch from Dr Ege
Yildrim of ICOMOS Turkey. ICOMOS wishes to thank Dr Ege Yildirim of ICOMOS Turkey for her
contributions as the ICOMOS Focal Point for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs).
Considering the urgencies the world’s societies are facing today affecting the cultural and natural
heritage, and the potential of heritage to help address these, the 2030 Agenda is an imperative to
transform the framework of cultural heritage protection. Cultural heritage is not just
monuments.
• It has a crucial role for the well-being of communities, which must be harnessed for
sustainable urban and socio-economic development, in particular for post-COVID recovery
strategies at international, national, and local levels.
• ICOMOS is a leading global voice in integrating cultural heritage within sustainable
development. The SDGs Working Group coordinates ICOMOS response to the 2030
Agenda, through advocacy, policy, localizing of the SDGs.

9. Contemporary Issues in Urban
Heritage Conservation
Urbanization
Urbanization in many emerging economies has been rapid, incessant, excessive, and often
uncontrolled. Rampant growth of cities has resulted in deteriorating urban environments,
inadequate water supply and sanitation, A Vast Increase In Poverty And Those Living In Slums
Without Access To Many Of The Social Amenities And Infrastructure Of The city.
Globalization and Loss of Identity:
The globalization processes have resulted in increasing homogenization and standardization
across the world. This in turn has led to a growing search for identity.
Tourism
Global tourism to Heritage sites and cities, at times excessive and
insensitive, has exacerbated the conflicts between global cultures and local
beliefs and practices around cultural heritage.

10. Disasters:
In the face of increasing risks of disasters, including climate change related disasters, planning for sustainable development has
become all the more urgent.
Heritage and Local Communities:
In some communities, histories of conflict and disasters have resulted in significant
demographic changes with migrant and refugee populations in and around iconic heritage
properties with no particular connection to them.
Inadequate Urban Planning:
Haphazard urban development and inadequate planning is a major challenge to such cultural
landscape regeneration
Ecological Perspectives on Urban Settlements:
There is immense benefit in recognizing an urban ecology that sees humans and
their bio-physical environments as co-evolved with a capacity to contribute to
global and local bio-cultural diversity.
Human Rights based Approaches to Cultural and
Natural Heritage Processes and Outcomes

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Cultural Heritage and Creativity as a Driver for Inclusive Economic
Development:
• Historic towns, districts, and the historic parts of cities are valuable for their uniqueness, identity, and sense of place:
 Commands higher real estate values for their uniqueness and
‘sense of place’
 Attracts tourism, employment, and local investment
 Results in further improvement to urban areas
• Creativity in historic areas has increasingly become part of culture--‐led redevelopment of urban areas
• Museums, art galleries, performance theaters, and a variety of cultural festivals make creative cities. From
the perspective of a cultural capital framework, such cultural assets are the cultural capital of the city
• Cities have revitalized their economies by promoting intangible heritage for generating livelihoods
• Sustainable tourism managed and regulated by local communities can provide jobs and employment to local commu
nities and imposes minimally on local culture.
• Places, as examples of commons, can be valorized and managed through social/cooperative economic forms,
thus improving the capacity for enhancing self-‐ organization as well as producing or redistributing wealth.

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Cultural Heritage as an Enabler for Social Cohesion, Inclusion and Equity
• Heritage has the power to strengthen communities where citizens associate the historic environment with a s
hared identity, attachment to place and everyday life, including people who are minorities, disadvantaged o
r socially excluded.
• Traditional settlements, with their lasting cultural identity and socio‐economic traditions, raise the awarene
ss and pride of citizens in local history and culture no matter where they originate or how they may be
adapted.
• The mix of public and private spaces found in traditional settlements engenders social cohesiveness and intera
ction by providing common spaces for diverse groups to interact.
• Historic cities are by nature functionally and socially mixed, supporting a wide range of complementary activitie
s, and embody multiple cultural values. Historic cities were vibrant, convivial, inspiring and have proved to
be supremely adaptable to incremental and harmonious change.
• People are at the heart of heritage conservation policies and projects. Emphasis that ownership of herita
ge strengthens the social fabric and enhances social well-‐being.

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• Public spaces that may be historic parks or plazas in historic parts of towns, or adjacent to historic monuments provid
e opportunities for continuity of use and significance while supporting new ones. These urban spaces offer something
meaningful and attractive to the citizens to get involved in the city culture and to participate in public activities
among diverse members of the community.
• Historic towns, districts, and the historic parts of the cities are valuable for their uniqueness and sense of pla
ce. They help to attract tourism, employment and local investment, fostering the sustainable development of th
e city. They also engender curiosity and in so doing, build an understanding and acceptance of others’ values,
history and traditions.
• In many cities, the dense, old neighborhoods with their barely adequate infrastructure provide affordable options for
housing where the community networks often helps to provide bridge the inadequacies. Rehabilitating older housing
stock can be a much more viable option than tearing them down and building anew, thus contributing to circular loc
al economy, that mimic economic processes of nature..
• Occupations related to cultural heritage, cultural practices, and creativity provide a valuable source of income, dig
nity, and livelihood.
• Culture based livelihoods have the potential for small and micro‐entrepreneurship that empowers local communities an
d can contribute substantially to poverty alleviation.

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Cultural Heritage and Historic quarters of cities can improve livability and
sustainability of urban areas:
• Walkability and compactness of urban areas are enhanced in dense historic cities.
• Adaptive re‐use of existing built fabric, including buildings, historic urban districts, and towns, can be resource eff
icient and ecological.
• Traditional building technologies and materials may still be available and relevant and offer low‐energy, regional
appropriate examples of human adaptability.
• Mixed use and multi-‐use structures and spaces are an integral aspect of historic towns and districts.
• Public spaces in and around historic monuments or historic parts of towns provide much needed opportunities to
engage and interact with the city and its inhabitants; build a sense of community; and provide a space for exc
hange.
• Indigenous science and local traditional knowledge and practices for ecosystem management including those
for disaster risk reduction and response have contributed to environmental sustainability and are important well s
prings of modern resilience.
• Local and traditional practices of providing basic infrastructural services can be a valuable resource for pro
moting urban sustainability including traditional movement and transport routes on land and water.

15. Misconceptions regarding Culture and Cultural Heritage in the Development
1) Economic development is an urgent necessity in emerging and developing economies but
heritage conservation is a luxury. Such a view assumes that economic development and h
eritage conservation are contradictory goals and integrated solutions are impossible
2) Heritage Conservation should narrowly focus on conservation and restoration as any
mention of development would open doors for rampant commercial development. The
focus in this discussion is on inclusive and sustainable development and not on
commercial development motivated by profit margins
3) The physical nature of a place shapes the behavior of
the people in that place, regardless if their understa
nding, linkage or longevity in a particular place.
4) Social cohesion creates a common identity of shared
cultural norms. This is not true and certainly not w
hy we need to conserve our tangible and intangibl
e cultural heritage. Societies made of diverse ages, et
hnicities, beliefs and ideologies can and are cohesive b
ecause of other elements of their identity including
culture, sense of place and intangible practices.

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5) Heritage is something from the past, even stale or obsolete that has nothing to do with contemporary l
ife. Heritage is completely contemporary by nature it exists in the present. It touches us daily and i
s the common antecedent for everything we are. Our buildings, streets, public and private spaces, provid
e the stage upon which we all live our lives. But when the layers of human endeavor and love of plac
e are passed from scene to scene and eon to eon, historic urban areas become the greatest creation and
works of humanity. This is the basis for ICOMOS and its members to strongly advocate in this topic of
social cohesion, where our goal rests, that heritage conservation and sense of place are essential to a
peaceful and just society.
6) Heritage conservation is financially not viable. However, this does not hold when we deal with the appro
priate toolbox, using state-‐of-‐the-‐art
quantitative and qualitative methods in assessing economic benefits in short, medium and long term, in ter
ms of different private and public stakeholders for heritage.
Cultural heritage of cities builds sense of belonging and of identity of
local communities, and it promotes social cohesion, inclusion and
equity. The conservation of cultural heritage and traditional settle
ment patterns is a key element for inclusive economic and social dev
elopment and poverty alleviation, for improving the livability and sus
tainability of urban areas, as well as for the new development of
surrounding areas.

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Cultural Heritage and the UN Sustainable
Development Goals
The key entry point for reinforcing the role of culture is Target 11.4
which calls for “making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilie
nt and sustainable by strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard the wor
ld’s cultural and natural heritage.”
• Integrating cultural heritage into sustainable urban development.
• Adopting policies that recognize that local institutions and traditional knowledge
systems play a key role as important resources essential for sustainable
development.
• Integrating protection of heritage properties and their attendant values into efforts
for inclusive social and economic development and poverty alleviation for the local
communities so as to mutually benefit both communities and heritage properties.
• Legal frameworks for planning and development management that are transparent, p
articipatory and incorporate the use of heritage and traditional settlement patterns a
nd materials as a key component of livability and sustainability.
• Developing tools, instruments, and detailed guidelines for actions would help cities
implement the goals and achieve their targets.

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ICOMOS work on Climate change
Cimate change has become one of the most significant and
fastest growing threats to people and their cultural heritage
worldwide. ICOMOS embraces a two-pronged approach to the
issue that emphasizes both responding to the risks that
climate change poses to cultural heritage and also championing
heritage as a source of resilience and an asset to climate
action, whose potential is unlocked through better conservation
and management of the world’s tangible and intangible cultural
resources
"Our Common Dignity Initiative" -
Rights-based Approach
The main objective of the initiative was building awareness of rights issues in World Heritage and heritage
management in general, to promote “good practice” approaches and to develop and promote relevant tools and
guidelines, in particular for World Heritage from tentative lists and nominations through conservation and
management of the sites.