ICOMOS STATUTES

  1. NAME AND HEADQUARTERS

    • Article 1

      An association is hereby established under the name of the INTERNATIONAL
      COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES, hereinafter designated by the initials ICOMOS.

    • Article 2

      The location of the headquarters of ICOMOS is at Paris. It may be changed by a decision of the General Assembly.

  2. DEFINITIONS

    • Article 3

      1. The term "monument" shall include all structures (together with their settings and pertinent fixtures and contents) which are of value from the historical, artistic, architectural, scientific or ethnological point of view. This definition shall include works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and all combinations of such features.

      2. The term "group of buildings" shall include all groups of separate or connected buildings and their surroundings, whether urban or rural, which, because of their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the landscape, are of value from the historical, artistic, scientific, social or ethnological point of view.

      3. The term "site" shall include all topographical areas and landscapes, the works of man or the combined works of nature and of man, including historic parks and gardens, which are of value from the archaeological, historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view.

      4. The terms "monument", "site", and "group of buildings" shall not include :
        - museum collections housed in monuments,
        - archaeological collections preserved in museums or exhibited at archaeological or historic site museums,
        - open-air museums.

  3. AIMS AND ACTIVITIES

    • Article 4
      ICOMOS shall be the international organisation concerned with furthering the conservation, protection, rehabilitation and enhancement of monuments, groups of buildings and sites, on the international level

    • Article 5
      ICOMOS shall:
      1. Provide a mechanism for linking public authorities, institutions and individuals concerned with the conservation of monuments, groups of buildings and sites, and ensure their representation with inter national organisations;

      2. Gather, study and disseminate information concerning principles, techniques and policies for the conservation, protection, rehabilitation and enhancement of monuments, groups of buildings and sites;

      3. Co-operate at national and international levels in the creation and development of documentation centres dealing with the conservation and protection of monuments, groups of buildings and sites, and with the study and practice of traditional building techniques;

      4. encourage the adoption and implementation of international recommendations concerning monuments, groups of buildings and sites;

      5. co-operate in the preparation of training programmes for specialists in the conservation, protection and enhancement of monuments, groups of buildings and sites;

      6. establish and maintain close co-operation with UNESCO, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, Rome, regional conservation centres sponsored by UNESCO, and other international or regional institutions and organisations pursuing similar goals; and

      7. encourage and instigate other activities consistent with these statutes.

  4. MEMBERS

    • Article 6

      1. ICOMOS shall be composed of four categories of members: Individual Members, Institutional Members, Sustaining Members and Honorary Members.

        1. Individual Membership shall be open to any individual engaged in the conservation of monuments, groups of buildings and sites (as defined in Section II, article 3) as a member of the scientific, technical or administrative staff of national, regional or local monuments, fine arts or antiquities services, a decision-maker or a specialist engaged in the conservation, restoration, rehabilitation and enhancement of monuments, groups of buildings and sites, including, as appropriate, architects, town planners, historians, archaeologists, ethnologists, and archivists. Individual membership may be accorded in exceptional cases to other individuals interested in supporting the aims and objectives of ICOMOS. Only individual members shall be eligible for office within ICOMOS, in accordance with Article 10.

        2. Institutional Membership shall be open to any institution of whatever nature concerned with the conservation, protection, restoration, rehabilitation, enhancement or animation of historical monuments, groups of buildings and sites (as defined in Article 3), institutions which own or have in their charge historical monuments, groups of buildings and sites and institutions which devote all or part of their activity to one or more of the objectives listed above in relation to monuments, groups of buildings or sites.

        3. Sustaining Membership shall be open to any individual or institution wishing to support the aims and activities of ICOMOS or to contribute to international co-operation in the field of the conservation of the cultural heritage.

        4. Honorary Membership shall be conferred by the General Assembly, at the proposal of a National Committee, upon individuals who have rendered distinguished servic es in the field of the conservation, restoration and enhancement of historical monuments, sites and groups of buildings.

      2. ICOMOS members in each country shall be formed into National Committees, as defined in Article 13. Applications for ICOMOS membership shall be forwarded to the National Committee, where such Committee exists.
        All members of ICOMOS National Committees shall have the right to attend and participate in the General Assembly of ICOMOS. However, no National Committee shall ever have more than 18 votes at the General Assembly. Any voting member duly named in accordance with Article 13 (f) may give a proxy to another member of his National Committee; however no member shall be entitled to have more than 5 votes in addition to his own.

      3. In countries where no National Committee exists, membership applications shall be sent to the ICOMOS Secretariat, for approval by the Bureau of ICOMOS. ICOMOS members in such countries shall enjoy the same rights as members of National Committees, except that they shall not have the right to vote at the General Assembly.

      4. Sustaining and Honorary Members shall have the right to attend and participate in the General Assembly, without the right to vote.

      5. Individual, Institutional and Sustaining Members of ICOMOS shall pay, on or before May 1st of each year, such dues or subscriptions as shall be set by the Executive Committee of ICOMOS for that year, for their respective categories. Any change in the amount of the dues shall be ratified by the General Assembly of ICOMOS.
        In exchange for the payment of his dues, each Member shall receive an ICOMOS membership card, ICOMOS periodical publications and such other advantages as the Executive Committee shall from time to time decide. He shall have the right to attend the General Assembly and to consult the ICOMOS Documentation Centre. Honorary Members shall not be subject to dues.

    • Article 7

      A member of ICOMOS shall cease to be a member :

      1. - if he should resign at the end of a calendar year after having given his National Committee written notice to that effect three months in advance, and after having paid his due for the current year.

      2. - If he should be formally struck off the register by the General Assembly or Executive Committee for non-payment of dues or for any other cause.

  5. ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

    • Article 8

      1. - The administrative organisation of ICOMOS shall consist of the :
        - General Assembly
        - Executive Committee and Bureau
        - Advisory Committee and Bureau
        - National Committees
        - Specialised International Committees
        - Secretariat

      2. - Each of these bodies shall adopt its own rules of procedure with regard to its mode of operation, including the election of its officers, according to the ICOMOS statutes.

    • Article 9
      The General Assembly shall be the sovereign body of ICOMOS. It shall constitute itself and elect its own Chairman, 3 vice-chairmen and a Rapporteur, whose mandates shall be for the duration of the session. It shall adopt its own rules of procedure.

      It shall elect the President of ICOMOS, 5 Vice-Presidents, the Secretary General, The Treasurer General and 12 members of the Executive Committee from among individual Members in good standing selected to ensure that different specialisations are represented. It shall determine the site of ICOMOS headquarters, adopt amendments to the ICOMOS Statutes, establish ICOMOS programmes, approve the Secretary general's and Treasurer General's reports and the budgetary guidelines for the following period, and oversee the achievement of the aims of ICOMOS. It shall ratify changes in ICOMOS membership dues and shall confer Honorary Membership on the proposal of an ICOMOS National Committee.

      The General Assembly is open to all members of ICOMOS. It shall be convened every three years in ordinary session on the date and at the place chosen by the Executive Committee or in extraordinary session at the request of the majority of the Members of the Executive Committee or of one third of the members of ICOMOS. The requisite quorum shall be one third of all voting members calculated in accordance with Article 6 (b). Should this quorum not be reached, the General Assembly shall, 24 hours later, meet again at the same place; its discussions shall then be valid, irrespective of the number of voting members present.

    • Article 10

      1. - The Executive Committee is the executive body of ICOMOS. It shall be composed of 26 members as follows :

        - the President of ICOMOS
        - 5 Vice-Presidents
        - the Chairman of the Advisory Committee
        - the Secretary General
        - the Treasurer General
        - 12 members elected by the General Assembly
        - 5 co-opted members.

        All members of the Executive Committee shall be Individual Members of ICOMOS chosen with regard to their professional standing. They shall be in active service. Part shall be elected by the General Assembly (see Article 9) and part co-opted by the Executive Committee. They shall represent in an equitable manner the different regions of the world. No country shall be represented by more than one member within the Executive Committee (with the exception of the country to which president belongs).

        The President of ICOMOS or, in his absence, one of the Vice-presidents shall preside at the meetings.

        The Director of the Secretariat shall be in attendance at all Executive Committee meetings in an advisory capacity.

      2. - The Executive Committee shall be authorised to receive, borrow, hold and use, on behalf of ICOMOS, the funds necessary for the achievement of the aims set forth in these statutes, as well as to accept gifts and bequests. It shall prepare draft programmes and budgets and shall supervise their implementation. Between General Assemblies, the Executive Committee shall act on behalf of the General Assembly. The Executive Committee shall approve the Treasurer General's Report and the annual Budget of ICOMOS. It shall set the rate of membership dues.

        It shall take note of the establishment of National Committees, approve their composition, ascertain that their statutes are in conformity with those of ICOMOS and ratify changes in existing statutes of National Committees. It shall approve the appointment of members of international committees in accordance with Article 14.

      3. - Past Presidents of ICOMOS shall remain as ex-officio non-voting members of the Executive Committee.

      4. - The members of the Executive Committee shall ordinarily be elected by the General Assembly by secret ballot for a term of three years and shall be eligible to be re-elected for two further consecutive terms of three years.

        At each statutory election, or after a period of three years, one-third of the members of the Executive Committee shall retire. A retiring Member may not be re-elected to the Executive Committee before the expiration of a three-year term. The longest continuous term of service allowed as a member of the Executive is nine years. This rule shall apply equally to the chairman of the Advisory Committee who is appointed by the Advisory Committee.

        An exception to this rule shall be made in the case of a member of the Executive Committee who is elected to the office of President, Secretary General or Treasurer General. Such a member shall not, however, remain in any one office for more than three consecutive periods of three years. His term of service shall in no case exceed a total of 18 consecutive years.

        If the General Assembly does not meet before the term of the Executive Committee expires, a new Committee shall be elected by a postal ballot of all voting members of ICOMOS, as defined in Article 6 (b).

        Should a seat fall vacant, the Executive Committee shall elect, for the balance of the term of office of the previous occupant, a successor from among the individual members of ICOMOS.

      5. - The Executive Committee shall be convened by the President of ICOMOS in ordinary session at least once a year and, at the request of one-third of the Committee members, in extraordinary session. During years when the General Assembly meets, it shall meet before and after the meeting of the Assembly. Decisions shall be taken by a majority vote of members present or their representatives.

      6. The President, Vice-presidents, Secretary general and Treasurer General constitute the Bureau. The bureau shall be convened by the President to meet between sessions of the Executive Committee and shall act on behalf of the latter. Its decisions shall be taken by simple majority.

        The Executive Committee may appoint an Assistant Secretary General and an Assistant Treasurer General from among its own members, and may call for expert advice as appropriate.

    • Article 11

      1. - The president of ICOMOS shall convoke the General Assembly, convoke and preside over the Executive Committee and the Bureau, and shall propose their agenda. He shall be an ex-officio member of the Advisory Committee. He shall represent ICOMOS by proxy. With the approval of the Bureau, he may delegate his signature for any purpose.

      2. - The Vice-Presidents shall assist or take the place of the President. They shall assist him in representing ICOMOS and furthering its activities throughout the world. In this connection, the President may delegate powers to them.

      3. - The Secretary General is charged with the direction and operations of the Secretariat in accordance with broad policy guidelines set by the General Assembly and the Advisory Committee, and decisions of the Executive Committee and the Bureau.

      4. - The Treasurer General is responsible for the financial affairs of ICOMOS. He shall prepare financial reports and draft budgets for the period 1 January - 31 December of each year, authorise expenditure according to the instructions of the Bureau and make payments.

    • Article 12

      1. - The Advisory Committee shall be composed of the Chairmen of the National Committees and the Chairmen of the Specialised International Committees. The President of ICOMOS shall be ex-officio member. The Advisory Committee shall be governed by its own rules of procedure. It shall elect its own Chairman and it may also appoint one or more Vice Chairmen to assist or to take the place of the chairman. It shall be convened by its Chairman at least once a year on the date and at the place chosen by the Executive Committee.

      2. - The Advisory Committee shall advise and make recommendations to the General Assembly and Executive Committee of ICOMOS on matters of policy and programme priorities. It shall examine proposals made by National Committee and shall pass them, with its recommendations, to the Executive Committee for implementation. It shall take note of the activities of National and International Committees and shall recommend action as appropriate.

      3. - Within one year preceding any ordinary session of the General Assembly, the Advisory Committee shall draw up a list of candidates for election to the Executive Committee including all nominations received from National committees together with such further nominations as it shall itself propose. This list shall be sent, not less than 120 days before the date of the General Assembly, to all Members of ICOMOS, who may, in accordance with the rules of Procedure of the General Assembly, propose further candidates.

    • Article 13

      1. - ICOMOS National Committees may be organised in any country which is a member state of UNESCO, in accordance with the relevant laws of that country. The number of Individual Members in a National Committee is subject to the agreement of the ICOMOS Executive Committee at its next meeting, in accordance with Article 9 (b).

      2. - National Committees shall comprise the members of ICOMOS within a country, as defined under Article 6, including individual Members, Institutional Members, Sustaining Members and Honorary Members. National Committees shall receive and accept applications for membership, and shall inform the ICOMOS Secretariat of the names of all new members so accepted.

      3. - National Committees shall adopt their own rules of procedure and shall establish and carry out national programmes which are in accordance with the aims of ICOMOS.

      4. - They shall implement the decisions of the General Assembly and the programmes proposed by the Advisory and Executive Committees of ICOMOS.

      5. - Generally, they shall serve as a forum for discussion and for the exchange of national and international information on matters of principle and of technical, legal and administrative practice, affecting the conservation, restoration, rehabilitation and enhancement of monuments, sites and groups of buildings.

      6. - National Committees shall assign their own voting privileges at the General Assembly, within the numerical limits laid down in Article 6 (b) and in accordance with their own statutes. A majority of the voting members of any National Committee shall be Individual Members. The names of those members entitled to vote at the General Assembly shall be communicated to the ICOMOS Secretariat not less than one month before the General Assembly. Representatives of Institutional Members shall have been duly designated by the relevant bodies.

      7. - The National Committee shall be convened at least once each year in ordinary session by the Chairman to examine the annual report to be submitted to ICOMOS.

    • Article 14

      1. - The International Committees are the technical organs of ICOMOS. They shall, in their respective fields, carry out specialised studies on professional problems with which ICOMOS is concerned.

      2. - The Executive Committee may set up and dissolve Committees and appoint their first Chairmen. The appointment of members of International Committees shall be ratified by the Executive Committee, on the proposal of the Chairman of the Committee concerned.

      3. - The International Committees shall adopt their own rules of procedure and shall establish and carry out their own programmes, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee (see Article 10 b), to which they address an annual report. They may form working parties among themselves as sub-committees or commissions.

    • Article 15

      The Secretariat shall implement and co-ordinate the programme established by the General Assembly under the direction of the Bureau. The Secretariat shall be responsible for the day to day operations of ICOMOS, under the direction of the Secretary General and the Treasurer General, within the framework of decisions of the general Assembly and the Executive Committee and in line with policy guidelines set down by the President. It shall produce an annual report on its activities.

      The Director of the secretariat is appointed by the President on the proposal of the Bureau, subject to the previous approval of the Executive Committee.

    • Article 16

      UNESCO, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property and other international organisations as appropriate may be invited to send observers to all ICOMOS meetings.

    • Article 17

      Income of ICOMOS shall derive from :

      - Subscriptions or dues of members
      - Gift and bequests
      - Subventions
      - Contracts for research and provision of services, in accordance with Article 5
      - Other appropriate activities approved by the Bureau and ratified by the
      Executive Committee

  6. LEGAL STATUS

    • Article 18

      The Executive Committee may take appropriate measures to acquire legal status for ICOMOS in the countries where it exercises its activities.
      ICOMOS shall be represented vis-à-vis third parties by the President, by one of its Vice-Presidents, or by the Secretary General.

  7. AMENDMENTS

    • Article 19

      The General Assembly alone shall be empowered to amend the present statutes, by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, and after the proposed amendments have been communicated to all members, at least four months before the opening of the General Assembly.

  8. DISSOLUTION

    • Article 20

      The decision to dissolve ICOMOS may be taken only by the General Assembly, by a two-third majority of the votes cast. In the event of the dissolution of ICOMOS, its assets shall be transferred to an organisation nominated by UNESCO.

  9. LANGUAGES

    • Article 21

      English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of ICOMOS. The working languages shall be English and French.

  10. ENTRY INTO FORCE

    • Article 22

      These present Statutes are adopted by the Vth General Assembly of ICOMOS at Moscow on 22 May 1978.
      They shall come into force immediately after the close of the General Assembly.



© ICOMOS
http://www.international.icomos.org
secretariat@icomos.org
Dernière mise à jour: 30 january 2005 - Web map - Web design - webmaster@icomos.org