About our Anniversary Conference
5 years ago, four international heritage organisations recognised the need for greater cooperation to protect cultural heritage at risk from conflict and disaster. in 1996, ICA, ICOM, ICOMOS and IFLA came together in Paris and signed an agreement to create the International Committee of the Blue Shield. ICBS went on to become the Blue Shield – an organisation composed not just of these founding four organisations, but with national committees around the world coordinated by an International Board made up of representatives of the four founding institutions and members nominated by the National Committees.
On 14th and 15th December, Blue Shield International hosted their 25th anniversary conference, celebrating 25 years of protecting heritage in conflicts, disasters and crisis around the world, and looking forward to our aspirations for the future.
We were delighted to open our 25th Anniversary Conference with a special screening of The Destruction of Memory, based on the book ‘The Destruction of Memory: Architecture at War’ by Robert Bevan, a member of UK Blue Shield, and features interviews with a number of members of US Committee of the Blue Shield.
The screening was arranged by the Czech Republic National Committee of the Blue Shield, with their colleagues from the National Film Archive, namely Mr. Tomas Lachman, Mr. David Havas, and Ms. Nikola Krutilova. Access to the film for our Anniversary was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. We offer them our sincere thanks for their support.
On day one, 152 people attended, and on day two 105 people attended. We estimate in total 166 people came over the two days. Attendees came from Australia; Austria; Belgium; Canada; China; Croatia; Czechia; France; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Iraq; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Republic of Korea; Lebanon; Liechtenstein; Mali; Netherlands; Norway; Peru; Poland; Senegal; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Syria; Syrians in Russia & Spain; Türkiye; UAE; UK; Ukraine; USA; Yemen for a truly global conference!
Conference Documents
