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ICOMOS or International
Council on Monuments and Sites,
is a non-governmental organisation of professionals in the
conservation of historical monuments and sites all over the world.
The organisation was founded in 1965, following the adoption of the International
Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and
Sites, better known as the Venice
Charter (1964).
ICOMOS constitutes a forum for professional dialogue and commits
itself
to promoting the theory, methodology and technology of
conservation, and the protection and the enhancement of monuments
and sites.
ICOMOS, which has its headquarters in Paris, currently numbers over
9.000 members spread in nearly 120 National Committees and 28
International Scientific Committees. ICOMOS has formal relations
with UNESCO and
is also one of the advisory bodies for the implementation of the World Heritage
Convention.
To this end, ICOMOS advises the World Heritage Committee and the
UNESCO
World Heritage Centre on all technical matters relating to the
Convention: doctrinal questions, properties to be inscribed on the
World Heritage List, state of conservation, measures to take to
ensure
the protection, conservation and management of properties on the
World
Heritage List, capacity-building in States-Parties, etc.
The Belgian Committee of ICOMOS was established in 1965, and is a
federal association which represents Belgium within the
non-governmental international organisation ICOMOS. The association
is composed by two non-profit organisations, a French-speaking and a
Dutch-speaking, which are each affiliated to ICOMOS.