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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.