Heritage Policies
In many cases, the principles of national sovereignty legally empower each country to determine the methods and character of its treatment of tangible heritage. Yet despite the fact that national, regional, and local legislation varies greatly in various parts of the world, a certain level of international consensus has been achieved. This general consensus about heritage conservation and management is expressed in the form of international conventions, regional treaties, and the doctrinal texts of international professional groups. In addition, various comprehensive planning studies have offered valuable projections of emerging trends in heritage policy.
International conventions are legally recognized treaties, drafted in common, but separately ratified or accepted by each signatory state.
Also known as The Hague Treaty, this is the basic standard of behavior in the case of military occupation or intentional destruction of cultural heritage.
Also known as The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, this is the international agreement that established the World Heritage Centre and the World Heritage List.
The first convention to emphasize the non-material elements of heritage and to underline its role in expressions of identity.
A regional treaty mandating legal oversite of archaeological sites and landscapes.
An important regional convention that emphasizes the contemporary social context and legal rights and responsibilities relating to tangible and intangible heritage.
Beginning in the 1920s, with initiatives of the International Museums Office of the League of Nations, professional coalitions of conservators, architects, planners, archaeologists, historians, and preservationists have formulated a series of international standards for best practices in the heritage field.
The Athens Charter was adopted at the First International Congress of the Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments.
Also known as The Venice Charter, it was adopted at the Second International Congress of the Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments.
Also known as The Florence Charter, it was adopted by ICOMOS as an addendum to the Venice Charter in 1982.
Also known as The Washington Charter, it was adopted by ICOMOS to complement the Venice Charter and respond to UNESCO's 1976 "Recommendation Concerning the Safeguarding and Contemporary Role of Historic Areas."
Prepared by the International Committee for the Management of Archaeological Heritage (ICAHM) and approved by the 9th General Assembly of ICOMOS in Lausanne in 1990.
The Nara Document was drafted at the Nara Conference on Authenticity in Relation to the World Heritage Convention, held at Nara, Japan, and organized by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs in coorperation with UNESCO, ICOMOS, and ICCROM.
Ratified by the 11th ICOMOS General Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria, October 1996.
Also known by the title, "Managing Tourism at Places of Heritage Significance", it was adopted by ICOMOS at the 12th General Assembly in Mexico, October 1999.
Ratified by ICOMOS at the 12th General Assembly in Mexico, October 1999.
Adopted by Australia ICOMOS at its Annual General Meeting in November 1999. The result of a national initiative, it is one of the most visionary and far-sighted doctrinal texts, widely used internationally.
Ratified by ICOMOS at the 14th General Assembly in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, October 2003.
Ratified by ICOMOS as the 16th General Assembly in Québec, Canada, October 2008.
Ratified by ICOMOS as the 16th General Assembly in Québec, Canada, October 2008.
The International Council on Archives regularly updates its best practices and standards.
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