ICOMOS and the UNESCO World Heritage Convention

The role of ICOMOS in the World Heritage Convention

What is ICOMOS?

The headquarters of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which was founded in 1965 in Warsaw (Poland), is in Paris. It is the only international non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting the application of theory, methodology, and scientific techniques to the conservation of the architectural and archaeological heritage. Its work is based on the principles enshrined in the 1964 International Charter on the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites (the Venice Charter).

ICOMOS has six principal objectives:

to bring together conservation specialists from all over the world and serve as a forum for professional dialogue and exchange;
to collect, evaluate, and disseminate information on conservation principles, techniques, and policies;
to cooperate with national and international authorities in the establishment of documentation centres specializing in conservation;
to work for the adoption and implementation of international conventions on the conservation and enhancement of the heritage;
to participate in the organization of training programmes for conservation specialists on a world-wide scale;
to put the expertise of highly qualified professionals and specialists at the service of the international community.

To fulfil these objectives, ICOMOS has an active and diversified programme. This includes the following activities:

the creation of doctrinal texts and charters relating to specific sectors of the heritage;
the organization of conferences, workshops, and seminars, at both international and national level (including a triennial General Assembly);
the development of training programmes on a multilateral basis;
maintaining a documentation centre and database at its Paris headquarters;
organizing expert advisory missions at the request of international and national institutions;
publishing conference proceedings, a scientific journal, and a newsletter.

There are nearly more than eight thousand individual and institutional members of ICOMOS, all qualified in one of the varied fields of conservation - architecture, archaeology, town planning, engineering, heritage administration, art history, archives, etc. The organization operates through a network of National Committees, which now exist in over 120 countries, as well as International Scientific Committees on specialist topics : The scientific committees are the following: Analysis and Restoration of Structures of Architectural Heritage; Archaeological Heritage Management; CIPA – Heritage Documentation; Conservation / Restoration of Heritage objects in Monuments and Sites; Cultural Itineraries; Cultural Tourism; Earthen Architectural Heritage; Economics of Conservation; Fortifications and Military Heritage; Historic Gardens - Cultural Landscapes; Historic Towns and villages; Intangible Cultural Heritage; Interpretation and Presentation; Legal, Administrative and Financial Issues; Pacific Islands; Polar Heritage; Risk Preparedness; Rock Art; Shared Built Heritage; Stained Glass; Stone; Theory and Philosophy of Conservation and Restoration; Training; 20th Century Heritage; Underwater Cultural Heritage; Vernacular Architecture; Wall Paintings; and Wood.

General Assemblies are held every three years - 1978 Moscow, 1981 Italy, 1984 Rostock/Dresden, 1987 Washington, 1990 Lausanne, 1993 Colombo, 1996 Sofia, 1999 Mexico, and Madrid, 2002/ Zimbabwe, 2003, Xi’an, 2005. The National and International Committees are responsible for organizing annually many specialist conferences, colloquia, and workshops, held in all parts of the world.

ICOMOS and the Convention

ICOMOS is named in the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention as one of the three formal advisory bodies to the World Heritage Committee, along with the World Conservation Union – IUCN, based at Gland (Switzerland), and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), based in Rome (Italy). It is the professional and scientific advisor to the Committee on all aspects of the cultural heritage. ICOMOS receives a grant from the World Heritage Fund to cover the costs of its work connected with the Convention, including missions, intellectual development, monitoring, and the evaluation of requests for technical assistance.
As such, ICOMOS is responsible for the evaluation of all nominations of cultural properties made to the World Heritage List by States Parties to the World Heritage Convention (i.e. those countries that have ratified the Convention) against the criteria laid down by the World Heritage Committee. In addition to the basic criterion of “outstanding universal value,” as specified in the Convention, these relate to aspects of authenticity, management, and conservation.

This evaluation process involves consultation of the wide range of expertise represented by the membership of ICOMOS and its National and International Committees, as well as the many other specialist networks with which it is linked. Members are also sent on expert missions to carry out confidential on-site evaluations. This extensive consultation results in the preparation of detailed recommendations that are submitted to the World Heritage Committee at its annual meetings.

The ICOMOS evaluation procedure

There is a clearly defined annual procedure for the submission of properties to the World Heritage List. All new nominations are required to be sent by States Parties to the World heritage Centre of UNESCO, in Paris by 1 February each year. After having been checked for completeness by UNESCO officials, the elaborate nomination dossiers, which have to be prepared to a prescribed format, are then delivered to ICOMOS in March, where they are handled by the small World Heritage Unit. After a quick study of dossiers, in order to ascertain the nature of the property that is proposed, the first action involved is the choice of the experts who are to be consulted. This involves two separate groups. First, there are those who can advise on the “outstanding universal value” of the nominated property. This is essentially a “library” exercise, and may sometimes involve non-ICOMOS members, in cases where there is not considered to be adequate expertise within the ICOMOS “family” on a specific topic: an example is the occasional nomination of fossil hominid sites, where the services of palaeontologists are required. The second group of experts are those with practical experience of the management, conservation, and authenticity aspects of individual properties.
The process of selecting experts makes full use of the ICOMOS networking potential. The advice of International Scientific Committees and individual members is sought, as is that of specialist bodies with whom ICOMOS has close relationships, such as The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (TICCIH), the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), and the International Committee for the Documentation and Conservation of Monuments and Sites of the Modern Movement (DoCoMoMo). The final approval of the selection is made by the ICOMOS World Heritage Working Group.

The single criterion for inscription on the World Heritage List set out in the Convention, that of “outstanding universal value,” is altogether too non-specific for practical application. As a result, the World Heritage Committee has defined six specific criteria against which cultural nominated properties should be compared; for inscription they must conform with one or more of these. A property may:

(i) represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
(ii) exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;
(iii) bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;
(iv) be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
(v) be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;
(vi) be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria).

            In selecting experts to carry out on-site evaluation missions, the policy of ICOMOS is wherever possible to choose someone from the region in which the nominated property is located. Such experts are required above all to be experienced in heritage management and conservation: they are not necessarily high academic experts in the type of property. They are expected to be able to talk to site managers on a basis of professional equality and to make informed assessments of management plans, conservation practices, visitor handling, etc. States Parties are requested to ensure that ICOMOS evaluation missions are given a low profile so far as the media are concerned. ICOMOS experts submit their reports in confidence to the Executive Committee on practical aspects of the properties concerned, and premature publicity can cause embarrassment both to ICOMOS and to the World Heritage Committee.

            The several reports that emerge from these consultations are normally received by the Paris World Heritage Unit by the end of September (though occasionally this is not possible for climatic or political reasons). From these reports, together with the nomination dossier prepared by the Stage Party, the secretariat produces a draft evaluation. This is a report of some four or five pages which contains a brief description and history of the property, summaries of its legislative protection, management, and state of conservation, comments on these aspects, and recommendations to the World Heritage Committee. These draft evaluations are then presented to a three-day meeting of the ICOMOS World Heritage Panel, held at the beginning of December. The Panel comprises elected or co-opted Executive Committee members from all parts of the world and with a wide range of skills and experience and invited experts. Following the conscientious examination of the nominations at this meeting the evaluations are revised and printed, for presentation to the meeting of the World Heritage Committee held in June-July each year. The Committee considers the ICOMOS evaluations and recommendations and then decisions are taken regarding inscription on the World Heritage List. At each of these meetings (ICOMOS World Heritage Panel, World Heritage Committee) there is a 10-15 minute presentation by a representative of ICOMOS, illustrated with power point presentations, followed by discussion.
            In making its recommendations there are four possible choices open to ICOMOS: inscription on the World Heritage List without further action; rejection; deferral to a subsequent meeting, to await further supporting information; and referral for the provision of additional information.

            Deferral may result in ICOMOS commissioning a comparative study from an individual expert or a specialized body (which may be one of its own International Scientific Committees). Studies have included fossil hominid sites, historic canals, bridges, and railways, Gothic cathedrals, Latin-American colonial towns, and the castles of the Teutonic Order in central and eastern Europe. Recent ones include vineyards cultural landscapes, orthodox monasteries in the Balkans, International collieries, Rock Art of Latin America and the Caribbean, Rock Art of Sahara and North Africa and Cultural Landscapes in the Pacific Islands. The appearance of a property in a comparative study carries no commitment to eventual inscription on the World Heritage List; these studies are intended solely to provide background information for ICOMOS and States Parties and to assist the World Heritage Committee in its deliberations. In other cases deferral may stem from the need for a satisfactory management plan to be drawn up and implemented or for significant changes to be made in the area proposed for inscription. In any case, deferral means that a mission is necessary to evaluate the additional information which is requested. Referral, on the other hand, carries with it the presumption of eventual inscription. This procedure is used when ICOMOS recommends a relatively minor redefinition of boundaries or requests further information on management plans.
            At the Documentation Centre of its Paris headquarters ICOMOS maintains a full archive of all successful and unsuccessful nominations. This is regularly consulted by professionals, students, and government institutions from all round the world.

Other ICOMOS work in connection with the Convention

            ICOMOS is also actively involved, through its International Secretariat and its National and International Committees, in the preparation of reports on the state of conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. This constitutes an ever-increasing aspect of the work of the World Heritage Committee, which has recently put into operation a procedure for regular reporting on the state of conservation of World Heritage properties by States Parties to the Convention.
            It advises the UNESCO World Heritage Centre on requests for technical assistance received from States Parties. The Convention provides for the establishment of a World Heritage Fund, made up of the subscriptions of the States Parties. This is allocated under three headings: Preparatory Assistance, Conservation and Management Assistance, and Emergency Assistance. ICOMOS is frequently called upon to nominate experts to carry out projects, and occasionally the entire project is carried out by ICOMOS under contract to UNESCO. In other cases, where funds are requested for projects that do not involve the dispatch of an expert mission, ICOMOS receives project proposals for professional and scientific evaluation.

            Over the past years there has been a considerable amount of time spent by the Committee, by UNESCO, and by the advisory bodies in a critical examination of the past and future implementation of the Convention. ICOMOS is closely associated with all aspects of the intellectual development of the Convention. Through regional conferences and workshops and the publication of reports it has made major contributions to the development of the Global Strategy defined by the Committee in 1985. It has played a key role in the definition of authenticity, beginning with the meeting in Nara in 1992 and followed by a systematic series of regional meetings. The concept of the cultural landscape is one in which ICOMOS has been intensely involved, beginning with the seminal meeting held at La Petite Pierre in France in 1992 and subsequently with a number of meetings and workshops. ICOMOS has been involved in several meetings working on the revision of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, whose final version was adopted on 2 February 2005. Meanwhile, ICOMOS has published “Filling the gaps – An action plan for the future”, an analysis of the World Heritage List which is seen as a contribution to the further development of the Global Strategy for a credible, representative and balanced World Heritage List. ICOMOS has also been involved in the preparation of manuals and on the reflection on the concept of Outstanding Universal Value through the preparation of a Compendium on Outstanding Universal Value. ICOMOS’s activities include participation to programmes on climate change and on tourism.

            Other areas in which ICOMOS is working include the extension of the scope of the heritage to non-monumental cultures through involvement with meetings in sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific Region, to the recognition of the industrial heritage in close collaboration with TICCIH, and to the architectural and urban heritage of the twentieth century, working with DoCoMoMo.

            Its work in connection with the World Heritage Convention is given the highest priority by ICOMOS, since this enables the organization to mobilize its unique scientific and professional resources and make them available to all the countries of world and to all humankind, thereby fulfilling its declared objectives.

December 2007