[caption id="attachment_1759" align="alignnone" width="274" caption="International Committee of the Blue Shield"] [/caption] The International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the National Museum of Korea will convene the first conference of the International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS), Seoul, Korea, Dec 8-10 2011. The theme of the Conference, Protecting the World's Cultural Heritage in Times of Change: Emergency Preparedness and Response, will be developed through distinct diverse subjects. The topics, addressed by renowned international speakers, are as follows:

• The impacts of natural disasters and environmental changes
• Protecting heritage during military conflicts and political crises
• Protecting cultural heritage through the recognition of its diversity
• New technologies, new risks, new responses
• Preparedness and response at the regional and local level
• Improving the protection of cultural heritage, a global approach

  For more information visit the International Committee of the Blue Shield Conference website  

The International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS) was founded in 1996 "to work to protect the world's cultural heritage threatened by wars and natural disasters". It has been described as the "Cultural Red Cross", and its name derives from the usage of the blue shield as specified in the 1954 Hague Convention on Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict.                                       Source: Wikipedia