More than 800 delegates — with hundreds of heritage professionals including archaeologists, architects, urban planners, curators and art historians — from 85 countries will be coming to the Capital to attend an 'general assembly' meet organised by International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a body which conserves and protects cultural heritage around the world.
Headquartered in Paris, France, ICOMOS is organising its 19th Triennial General Assembly in New Delhi between December 11 and 15 and the theme of the assembly is 'Heritage and Democracy'.
"The idea of holding this Assembly here is to provide the Indian perspective on heritage conservation and place it within the wider international discourse," says Rohit Jigyasu, president, ICOMOS India Executive Committee. "So far ICOMOS has mainly been Euro-centric and by bringing it here, we can help them understand our challenges and integrate the Indian discourse into their charters. The topic 'Heritage and Democracy'is the ideal topic for this as we have diversity and multiple narratives here," he adds.
This year's General Assembly will elect 20 members of the Board by a secret ballot for a term of three years 2017 - 2020. These elected board members will then elect a president, a secretary general, a treasurer, and five vice presidents.
Also, according to the group's website — this Assembly and Scientific Symposium will provide an opportunity to promote international co-operation and strengthen understanding and communication in the field of heritage. It also provides an opportunity for heritage professionals and enthusiasts to come together on a common platform to deliberate on various aspects of heritage conservation and management.
As a result, young professionals and enthusiasts will get a chance to interact with experts and comprehend emerging issues and case studies on conservation and management of cultural resources.
For the India event, various self-help groups have been pulled together for the preparations. A women's self-help group established by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) — which is an institutional member of ICOMOS India — is preparing the registration bags and notebooks for the delegates. The group has been running the Humayun's Tomb - Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Project in Delhi.
For the events, there will be pre-meetings from 8-10 December and post-meetings and events from 16-17 December.
WHAT IS ICOMOS?
International Council on Monuments and Sites is an association that works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage around the world, now offers advice to UNESCO on world heritage sites.
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 "International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)")
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