The General Assembly, which meets every three years, is the sovereign body of ICOMOS comprising all its members. It elects the President, the Vice-Presidents, the Secretary General and the Treasurer General, who together make up the Bureau. It also elects the 12 members of the Executive Committee. The General Assembly determines the programme and the budgetary orientations for the triennium to come and sees that the objectives of ICOMOS have been met. Parallel to the elections and the statutory proceedings, a major international symposium is held on a different theme each time.

The Advisory Committee comprises the Chairs of the national and international scientific committees. It Committees meet once a year to update the implementation of the programme. Its function is to advise the Executive Committee by bringing forth suggestions and recommendations on programme priorities and orientations.

The Executive Committee is the managing body of ICOMOS. It has 12 members, plus the members of the Bureau and 5 co-opted members. Demonstrated professional qualities are a must for these members, who represent every major region of the globe. The Executive Committee prepares the programme and the Budget and oversees their implementation. It registers new National and International Committees. Between sessions it is the Bureau that sees that the programme is carried out.

The Bureau, made up of the President, the Secretary General, the Treasurer and the five Vice Presidents, ensure that the program will be implemented in the interval between the Executive Committee sessions.

International Secretariat

The International Secretariat is located in the headquarters of ICOMOS in Paris. An operational team manages the secretariat and the UNESCO-ICOMOS documentation centre, lead by a Director.

The International Secretariat coordinates the implementation of the program set by the General Assembly.

The International Secretariat is made up of three divisions : administration, World Heritage and documentation.