On November 19, 2021, ICOMOS issued a statement of support for the National Committee of ICOMOS Belarus in light of the unstable political situation in the country. 

 Read the full statement here.

Photo credit : Niasviž Castle, Belarus by Сяргей Кончар

The Board of ICOMOS has approved the formation of a new International Scientific Committee on Water and Heritage (ISCWater). ISCWater is now launching a call for interest to all ICOMOS Committees and members.

All through history, all over the world, water has been a decisive factor in human life and the development of society. Water has forever been central to people’s identity, traditions, beliefs and way of living – it is a vital concern for everyone. Water heritage is everywhere.

The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) is taking place in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November 2021 with an urgent mission to get the world back on track towards meeting the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. ICOMOS is contributing to heritage-related events organised in the framework of the COP26, which highlight the engagement of cultural heritage in climate action.

Great news comes with the International Day for Monuments and Sites this year as the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the Global Heritage Fund (GHF) celebrated with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 18 April 2021.

Recognising the similarities of heritage conservation and management between the north and south polar regions, the ICOMOS International Polar Heritage Committee (IPHC) was created on the recommendation of the XII General Assembly of ICOMOS in Mexico in October 1999 and subsequently confirmed by the Executive Committee in Paris in March 2000. It was formally established on 1 November 2000 with the intention of bringing together heritage professionals working in one or both areas.