Despite the tough global economic contingency, an impressive number of initiatives implemented by ICCROM were reported at the General Asssembly for the period 2011 through 2013 (ongoing) showing how lively it is this organisation.

We wish success to our colleagues at  ICCROM for their coming endeavours in support to the many institutions and professionals in the field who share the task to preserve our cultural and natural heritage in respect for our diversity.

• Local authorities experiences in a variety of hot issues such a solid waste management, energy, heritage and tourism development water etc. in the agendas of most Municipal and Regional authorities  all dealing with Governance in their day to day practice are the focus of this programme and results achieved by the project promise to be embedded within ordinary practice in the beneficiary countries.

An event that is celebrated with the patronage of the Italian Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and the Camera dei Deputati this conference represents an important moment of reflection in Italy on the state of implementation of the Hague Convention of 1954 and especially its 1999 Second Protocol (1999HP) of which the country is party. Institutional, academic and civil society organisations representing the major stakeholders and target groups in Italy were invited to participate and contribute to the event.

WATCH member Dr. Max Carcione will participate to the conference with a review of the role played by the International Committee of the Blue Shield and Cultural NGOs in the concrete implementation of protective measures for cultural heritage and in the dissemination of the 1954 Hague Convention, its two Protocols and Guidelines.

Dr. Benjamin Goes, the President of the 1999HP Intergovernmental Committee,  Ms Aparna Tandon (ICCROM) and Dr. Alessandra Liquori O’Neil (UNICRI) will also contribute testifying the experience made within their international organisations in the prevention and contrast of any form of illicit to the detriment of cultural heritage.

Cultural heritage for which kind of tourism?

This is the theme chosen for the VII International Meeting of Archaeological and Tourist Reviews, a now regular feature at the Borsa Mediterranea del Turismo Archeologico. The session has been jointly organized by ICCROM and Archeo magazine. It aims to propose a framework for discussion between representatives from the fields of cultural heritage and tourism. The Director-General of ICCROM, Stefano De Caro, will participate along with UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai, newly-elected Director of the Heritage Centre world Arab countries, Mounir Bouchenaki, and heads of the major specialized international specialist magazines.

Borsa Mediterranea del Turismo Archeologico, Paestum, Basilica Paleocristiana, Friday, 15 November 2013 (15:00 – 18:00). This event will be open to the public.

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Summary

Thanks to advances in technology and the steady growth of the tourism phenomenon, the planet’s inhabitants have traveled and interacted with other cultures like never before. What becomes more evident is the paradox that cultural heritage, while subject to an ever- expanding demand for tourism, has never been so threatened. If the protection of cultural heritage is primarily the responsibility of national institutions, what relationship can be developed with connected fields such as tourism?

Tourism as a vehicle for dialogues between cultures. Cultural knowledge cannot be conceived without dialogue and exchanges. Can tourism, with the help of new media, help us rise to the challenge of increasing these dialogues? Can a more fruitful cooperation between tourist operators and cultural institutions respond to the needs for better communication on culture in the context of tourist circuits?

Journalists wishing to cover the event are invited to contact ICCROM via telephone (+39) 348 524 0248, or by email: mtj@iccrom.org

www.iccrom.org

Twitter: @ICCROM

Delegations present at the three-day General Assembly will include diplomats and representatives from top-level institutions and ministries, both Italian and from abroad. “The ICCROM General Assembly is much more than the formal, ritual gathering of an intergovernmental organization. It is the place where decision-makers and professionals can share informed opinions on how to deal with the most relevant worldwide issues concerning heritage in our time”, stated Stefano De Caro, ICCROM Director-General and former Director-General of Antiquities with the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (MiBAC). The General Assembly will serve in fact as a platform for Member States to voice their concerns regarding conservation issues and meet with representatives and peers from all areas of the globe. These countries will vote on the future programmes of the organization, and therefore help determine the trajectory of ICCROM as a source of information and capacity for promoting best practice in conservation.

As cultural heritage becomes increasingly vulnerable to global pressures, examples of the destruction of sites and museums by natural or human forces have become all too familiar. Much more attention must be given to the potential this resource has in healing communities and contributing to global development and empowerment. ICCROM, a small Rome-based organization that answers to 133 Member States, has positioned itself as a centre of excellence for the training of professionals in heritage conservation. The overall goal is to contribute to social stability, and environmental and socioeconomic development through culture.

In the 2012-2013 biennium, over 100 countries benefited from ICCROM’s services through training and think tank activities alone. These included workshops for the protection of heritage in conflict areas in the Arab region, a ground-breaking course in Kenya that merged the preservation of sound and images with smart phone technologies, and a conference that brought together the field’s most prestigious scientists to discuss how to connect conservation to wider social priorities.

Established in 1956 by UNESCO, ICCROM is the only institution of its kind dedicated to the protection and preservation of cultural heritage worldwide, including monuments and sites, as well as museum, library and archive collections. ICCROM fulfils its mission through collecting and disseminating information; coordinating research; offering consultancy and advice; providing advanced training; and promoting awareness of the value of preserving cultural heritage.

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Journalists wishing to cover the General Assembly should contact ICCROM for accreditation by telephone (+39) 348 524 0248, or by email.

Maria Teresa Jaquinta: mtj@iccrom.org

Jennifer Copithorne: jc@iccrom.org

www.iccrom.org

Twitter: @ICCROM

This initiative was organized by the Municipality of Mtskheta in partnership with the ICOMOS Committee of Georgia and it targeted students aged 13 to 17.

Cultural heritage experts and art historians delivered lectures covering the following topics:  Needs of preservation of heritage for future generations; Queries about what to protect; Values and principles in heritage preservation; How to safeguard cultural heritage in times of armed conflicts; Furthermore principles and requirements of the UNESCO conventions on World Heritage, Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Hague Convention were discussed.

As a case study the values and the state of conservation of the World Heritage Sites of Mtskheta were reviewed and discussed with the students.

Students were asked to prepare essays on the topics reviewed at the seminars; selected ones will be published on the websites of the War Free World Heritage Listed Cities project and ICOMOS Georgia. In two weeks final event will take place in Mtskheta, and certificates and educational materials will be delivered to students.

Click here to see the gallery

The project will produce a 3D game-based exhibition in an augmented reality environment of two assemblages of objects, one stored at the Petrie Museum (London, UK) and one stored at the Coptic Museum (Cairo, Egypt). The exhibition will contain 3D reconstructions of the objects made of varied materials, and the workshops in which they were produced. In addition, it will showcase the production technology and the procurement routes of the raw materials in a game-based environment

May you be interested in co-financing this project and/or sharing within it, please contact:

Dr. Lorna Anguilano   -   l.anguilano@gmail.com

Detailed information:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/993423113/the-forgotten-box