Paris | ICOMOS General Assembly and Symposium on Heritage

17th ICOMOS General Assembly and Scientific Symposium 'Heritage, driver of development' takes place 27 November to 2 December 2011, Paris, France. Registration now open.

The most important triennial gathering of ICOMOS will take place from 27 November to 2 December 2011 for the first time in Paris at UNESCO headquarters. The General Assembly is accompanied by a Scientific Symposium on the theme "Heritage: Driver of Development".

Both events are open to ICOMOS members and non-members alike.

The theme of the Scientific Symposium that will form part of the General Assembly is the role of heritage in the creation of tomorrow’s society.

The effects of globalization, which are manifested in growing trends towards standardization and westernization, bring various forms of instability to human societies. Until now, heritage has been confined to the role of passive conservation of the past, and so has often been seen as a burden hindering development. In the future, it should be called upon instead to play a major role, re-establishing cultural identity and diversity as key reference points for development; these factors are currently endangered, yet vital. There is therefore a need to reassess the role of heritage in a constructive way. Heritage as a driver for development ? The concept of heritage, which ranges from designated historic monuments to a jumble of memories, first needs a clear definition that identifies its inherent nature and sets out its boundaries and limits, now and in the future. As it would be impossible to cover all these issues at the symposium, it is proposed to focus on the following four issues, chosen for their fundamental importance or contemporary relevance.

The Scientific Symposium will explore the theme under four subheadings: