Newsletter 14.3 Fall 1999 (Getty Conservation) http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/newsletters/...

The Getty Conservation Institute

International Conservation Organizations
By Mounir Bouchenaki

When historians study the half century preceding the beginning of the third millennium,
they will certainly point out the very important change in mentalities, particularly in the
Western world, after the two major disasters of the World Wars, during which so much
destruction of historic buildings occurred. It was with a view to avoiding such a situation in
the future that the first international normative instrument for the Protection of Cultural
Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was prepared and adopted at The Hague in 1954.

The creation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) in the middle of the 20th century was certainly a landmark in the process that
has led to an increasing awareness of the world's cultural heritage. Its constitution,
adopted in London in 1945, stated that UNESCO was entrusted with the task of "ensuring
the preservation and protection of the world heritage of works of arts and monuments of
historic or scientific interest."

At the same time, the world was witnessing the decolonization and independence of most
of the colonized countries in Africa and Asia. Along with this new political trend, the
consciousness of cultural identities also developed, represented by cultural heritage. It was
recognized that "political emancipation is of little significance unless it entails cultural
emancipation" (1982 UNESCO report "The Cultural Heritage of Mankind"). Historians will
certainly note that various organizations dealing with the protection of cultural heritage
were also born in this context.

The oldest nongovernmental organization (NGO) in this field is the International Council of
Museums (ICOM), created shortly after UNESCO. Very closely associated with UNESCO,
ICOM has made a significant change in the role and function of museums in contemporary
society. "Scattered over the five continents, there are many museums which are breaking
new ground, in an effort to prove that the museum is not necessarily an obsolete, elitist
institution and that it has an essential part to play in the world of today and tomorrow,"
wrote Kenneth Hudson in his 1977 report Museums for the 1980s. "To achieve the impact
[museum professionals] are anxious to achieve, they are coming to realize that they must
involve the community in what the museum is trying to do."

As mentioned in the 1995 Report of the World

Commission on Culture and Development, "since the
end of the Second World War, there has been an
exponential growth of museums throughout the world,
and probably well over 90 percent of the total number
of the world's museums postdate the creation of
UNESCO and the International Council of Museums
(ICOM) in 1946."

ICOM was followed by the International Council on

Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the second
international NGOin the field of cultural heritage—this
one dealing with immovable heritage. ICOMOS was
created in 1965 in Warsaw just one year after the
elaboration of one of the most recognized international
charters on the conservation and restoration of
monuments and sites, known as the Venice Charter. As
one of the founders of ICOMOS and the main drafter of
the Venice Charter, Raymond Lemaire, wrote years
later: "ICOMOS was conceived as an organization aimed
at promoting on an international level the conservation, A poster in Chinese and English,
protection, utilization, and valorization of monuments, produced by the International
ensembles, and sites. Following the accepted concept, Council of Museums (ICOM) in
which was very innovative at the time, the objective conjunction with its 1997
could only be reached through a large interdisciplinary International Museum Day.
collaboration. It was therefore necessary to gather ICOM was the first major
within one single organization all institutions, nongovernmental organization in
organizations, and people professionally interested in the cultural heritage field
the protection of our historic architectural and urban created after World War II.
heritage. This professional aspect appeared to us very Devoted to the promotion and
important, since it guarantees the scientific value of its development of museums and

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activity, thereby giving it authority." the museum profession at an
international level, ICOM has
Nearly 30 years after the founding of ICOMOS, a great around 15,000 members in 147
number of experts in the field of cultural heritage met in countries. Photo: Courtesy
Nara, Japan, in November 1994 in order to discuss the ICOM.
various aspects of the criteria of "authenticity" and—as
K. E. Larsen, chairman of ICOMOS Norway and scientific
coordinator of the Nara conference, observed during the meeting—to move forward —the
international preservation doctrine from a Eurocentric approach to a postmodern position
characterized by recognition of cultural relativism."

A third organization, this one with an intergovernmental character, was founded by

UNESCO in 1956 and located in Rome after 1959 following an agreement with Italy. The
main purpose of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration
of Cultural Property (ICCROM) is to link governments and specialists in the safeguarding of
both movable and immovable cultural heritage; its statutory functions were defined as
documentation, technical cooperation, research, training, and awareness building in
member states. ICCROM is known as one of the world's international "centers of
excellence" that deal with training and education. Hundreds of architects and conservators
from all over the world have followed and are following specialized conservation training
programs in areas such as architecture, mural paintings, stone, wood, paper, and textiles.
As Jukka Jokilehto—former assistant to the director general of ICCROM and current
president of the ICOMOS International Training Committee—noted in 1995, "international
courses should be understood as part of the professional career structure of a professional,
particularly when aiming at a leading position in one's country."

Our historians analyzing the role of international organizations during the 20th century
would consider many other professional institutions that were also developing programs
and activities related to cultural heritage during the second half of this century: the Council
of Europe (as an intergovernmental body), the Getty Conservation Institute, the Aga Khan
Trust for Culture, the International Foundation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), the World
Monuments Fund, and many others at regional and subregional levels, such as Europa
Nostra. All of these organizations faced the challenge of preserving the values of the past
in a changing world in which heritage is often at risk.

The main achievement of these international

organizations, according to historians, would certainly
be the raising of international concern. This is, in fact,
the first time in our history that the international
community is considering expressions of the creativity
of mankind, in both their tangible and intangible forms,
as an indivisible whole. As the tangible expression of
each national genius is now seen to be part of the
world's heritage, all such expressions must therefore be
respected, preserved, studied, and passed on to future The main temple at Abu Simbel,
generations. constructed by Ramses II over
3,200 years ago on the southern
This international perspective developed when the frontier of pharaonic Egypt. In
Egyptian temples of Abu Simbel and Philae were the mid-1960s, when the
threatened by the building of the great dam in Aswan in building of the Aswan Dam
1960. Both Egypt and Sudan presented a request to threatened the site, UNESCO
UNESCO for assistance in their safeguarding, and this
conducted its first international
was the basis for the first international campaign of
campaign, raising funds from
UNESCO. The response from public and private bodies
around the world to preserve the
was quite surprising. Even children from schools all
ancient temples at Abu Simbel.
around the world reacted by sending small
contributions. The message was clear: these A project supported by funds
monuments do not belong only to Egypt. They from over 50 countries made
represent a value to each and every one of us. It is no possible the disassembly of the
exaggeration to say that international campaigns for temples and their reconstruction
preservation undoubtedly constitute one of the key on higher ground. Photo:
areas for the implementation of the concept of universal Guillermo Aldana.
heritage.

This concept is the result of the development of the modern historical consciousness of the
values of heritage that paved the way for the 1972 Convention, also called the World
Heritage Convention. It was a significant innovation, as it linked sectors that had hitherto
been considered very different—the protection of the cultural heritage and that of the
natural heritage. The 20th century introduced the idea of world heritage, the significance of
which transcends all political or geographical boundaries. The experts of all specialized
organizations mentioned above have contributed to the development of this new concept
and the doctrine applicable in this domain.

How will this emerging consciousness continue in the next century? Today, as we enter the

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year 2000, the number of states party to the 1972
Convention for the Protection of World Cultural and
Natural Heritage is 158, and the number of sites
inscribed is 582. This spectacular increase reveals the
determination of states to preserve their cultural
heritage and their readiness to recognize that heritage
is not the exclusive property of one nation but is,
instead, the common property of the whole of
humanity. These figures and the great commitment
shown by authorities at all levels when a site is declared
to be on this list suggest a trend that is likely to
continue.

I have had the opportunity to attend ceremonies in

various parts of the world in which the whole population
of a given site has been present, singing and dancing,
showing happiness and pride at having the site
recognized by the international community. When
attending a 1997 ceremony to unveil the plaque
declaring the Medina of Meknès, Morocco, as a World
Heritage site, the delegation headed by Federico Mayor,
director general of UNESCO, was surprised to see the
population of the city in the streets expressing their joy. On many other occasions—for
example, in Italy in 1999, for the unveiling of the plaque declaring Paestum and Il Valle del
Cilento as World Heritage sites—I again saw the population attending the ceremony and
celebrating the recognition of its heritage.

Hence, the role and function of UNESCO and its advisory

bodies for the implementation of the 1972 Convention
would certainly be pursued and reinforced, despite the
fact that cultural heritage in many parts of the world is
under threat. International organizations can be part of
the response against the number of growing problems,
ranging from natural to human-made disasters. For
example, the International Committee of the Blue
Shield—developed by a number of NGOs in cooperation
The 1997 ceremony marking the
with UNESCO to disseminate information and to
inscription of the historic city of
coordinate action in emergency situations affecting
cultural heritage—could constitute a way of Meknès in Morocco as a World
strengthening the international campaigns. Heritage site. Founded in the
11th century, the city was made
In the same spirit, the intergovernmental committee the Moroccan capital in the latter
created as an advisory body for the implementation of part of the 17th century by the
the UNESCO Convention of 1970 on the Means of sultan who constructed the
Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Importation, massive city walls and gates
Exportation, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural that still stand today. The
Property, should be strengthened. At present, the illicit ceremony for the city's
traffic of cultural assets is considered by all international inscription was enthusiastically
organizations concerned as an expanding phenomenon. celebrated by the community.
In his book, Trade in Antiquities, published in 1997 by Photos: Mounir Bouchenaki.
UNESCO, P. J. O'Keefe writes that this
intergovernmental committee "does not meet
sufficiently often and is not representative of all parties involved. It would be desirable for
formulation of the approach to take place in a non-partisan atmosphere. One of the large
international foundations might be willing to provide the facilities for such meetings."

In conclusion, it is now apparent that the cultural heritage, as a legacy for all, cannot be
treated only by local or national institutions. Concerted approaches and international
cooperation with the public and the private sector are necessary to create the synergy that
will ensure the participation of all the stakeholders. It is clear that international
organizations have a major role to play in forwarding a global commitment to cultural
heritage and development.

Mounir Bouchenaki is director of the Division of Cultural Heritage and the World
Heritage Centre of UNESCO. Prior to 1982, he was director of Antiquities,
Museums, Monuments, and Sites of Algeria.

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