ICCROM – International Centre for the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property

ICCROM is an international intergovernmental organisation set up in Rome in 1959 by the 1956 UNESCO General Conference and currently has 124 members. By virtue of an agreement ratified by the Italian government in 1960, ICCROM headquarters were located in the San Michele a Ripa complex, and in late 2006 ICCROM was informed by the Ministry of Cultural Assets and Activities that the former Convent of San Francesco a Ripa in Trastevere was to be made available for its headquarters.
In pursuance of the complete implementation of its original charter ICCROM is today legally recognised as an independent organisation distinct from UNESCO, of which it was formerly a subsidiary. The centre acts as scientific consultant to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, drafting and implementing projects for the restoration and protection of the sites enrolled on the World Heritage List, in addition to its primary activities of research, training, education and promotion in the sector of tangible and intangible heritage, in synergy with the directives and conventions approved by UNESCO.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes an annual obligatory contribution through its Directorate General for Cultural Promotion and Cooperation  (179,958.00 euro in 2006), and voluntary contributions through its Directorate General for Development Cooperation (2.1 million euro for the biennial 2004-2005 and 1 million for 2006-2007). The Ministry of Cultural Assets and Activities provides for the ordinary maintenance of the building that houses the organisation.

The 24th ICCROM General Assembly was held from 9 to 11 November 2005 at FAO headquarters in Rome, during which the organisation’s new Director General Mounir Bouchenaki (former UNESCO Assistance Director General for Culture) was elected and the Centre’s Action Plan for the coming years was approved. The 25th General Assembly was held at FAO in Rome from 7 to 9 November 2007. ICCROM’s priorities include the creation of regional programmes and the training of specialists in restoration and conservation of cultural heritage. Examples include the Africa 2009 Programme, a pilot project in Sub-Saharan Africa launched in 1998 and now in its conclusive stage, and the Athar Programme financed with voluntary contributions from the Directorate General for Development Cooperation (200,000 euro for 2005 and 270,000 for 2003 and 2004), aimed at enhancing the archaeological heritage of the Middle East; the programme will be operational through 2007 on the basis of a Memorandum signed in 2004 with Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Among the many initiatives included in the Athar programme is the first Regional Course on the Conservation of Archaeological Sites held in Beirut in January 2006. The second course was held in Amman Jordan from 10 June to 12 July 2007 in Amman, Jordan.
The 24th General Assembly also decided to boost training and conservation programmes in the countries of Latin America, to give incentives to initiatives for the protection of intangible cultural heritage, in keeping with the recommendations of the Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Property adopted by the UNESCO General Conference of 2003, without neglecting the importance of the aspect of training. From 18 to 21 April 2007 ICCROM and IILA (the Italo-Latin American Institute) held a meeting of experts aimed at setting up a long-term programme for the Conservation of the Cultural Heritage of Latin America. The Getty Foundation is its official sponsor. The Directorate General for Development Cooperation collaborated on financing the meeting.