Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage: A Recap of IDMS 2025
On 18 April 2025, we celebrated the International Day for Monuments and Sites under the theme: “Heritage under Threat from Disasters and Conflicts: Preparedness and Learning from 60 years of ICOMOS Actions”.
The International Day for Monuments and Sites is an annual event, established by ICOMOS in 1982, to celebrate the importance of cultural heritage worldwide.
18 April 2025 on social media
ICOMOS shared highlights of world-wide IDMS 2025 celebrations using the hashtags #IDMS2025 #18April #icomosIDMS2025. These included events, activities and publications organised by the ICOMOS network, partner organisations and members. This year’s edition of the International Day for Monuments and Sites served as a valuable opportunity to raise awareness for the diverse heritage sites, resources and practices increasingly at risk from accelerating disasters and conflicts.
To demonstrate how ICOMOS has addressed heritage preparedness and resilience in the face of disasters and conflicts, five key publications by the organization and its members from the past twenty years were featured:
Event Highlights
On the occasion of IDMS 2025, a wide range of events and activities were organised by ICOMOS’ National Committees, International Scientific Committees, partners, as well as other organisations and individuals worldwide. This year’s theme inspired a rich programme of webinars, symposia, lectures and discussions on safeguarding cultural heritage in the context of natural disasters and armed conflicts. With many heritage sites under significant threats from both natural or human-induced hazards, this year’s IDMS events emphasized the importance of preparedness, resilience and recovery for at-risk cultural resources.
Below is a non-exhaustive selection of 18 April 2025 events and publications.
18 April Prize
To celebrate the International Day for Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS Costa Rica presents an annual award to a heritage professional who has made an outstanding contribution to the protection of cultural heritage in Costa Rica. This year the prize was awarded to Dr. Leonardo Sancho Dobles for his contribution to the intangible cultural heritage of Costa Rica.
Photography Competition
The three winning photographs of the ICOMOS Costa Rica Photography Competition, organised on the occasion of IDMS 2025, under the theme: “Houses with Gardens and Patios in Costa Rica”.
On 18 April, ICOMOS Lebanon, ICOMOS Syria and ICOMOS Palestine organised a webinar entitled “Resilient Heritage and Enduring Communities: Voices from the Frontlines”. This event brought together experts and local voices to highlight the role of cultural heritage in fostering community resilience in these countries.
On 17 April, members of the Emerging Professionals Working Group of ICOMOS North Macedonia visited the Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology in Skopje. The participants had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the scientific research, modern technologies and engineering solutions being applied to the protection and preservation of monuments and cultural heritage.
On the occasion of IDMS 2025, ICOMOS Philippines launched the new ICOMOS Philippines Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness (ICORP Philippines) on 30 April, 2025.
To celebrate IDMS 2025, ICOMOS Türkiye hosted an event under the theme: “Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage: Preparations and Lessons from 60 Years of ICOMOS”. On 18 April, heritage enthusiasts gathered to learn about resilient heritage in Türkiye.
