National Committees

National Committees are a way for our members to engage in national and regional initiatives. They can undertake activities both on the initiative of the Committee and in cooperation with their national governments. They also serve as a channel for individual specialists in a country to take part in ICOMOS’ international activities, including specific missions entrusted to ICOMOS by UNESCO.

National Committees are represented in the ICOMOS Advisory Committee’s national meetings. This means that they can have their say on decision making and programme priorities for the whole ICOMOS network. National Committees implement the Board’s proposed programme on a local level. Additionally, they can choose to take responsibility for any parts of ICOMOS’ international programme that concerns their country in particular, working in close cooperation with the team at ICOMOS headquarters.

ICOMOS National Committees elect or appoint their presidents from among their members. The President must hold at least one National Committee meeting per year. National Committee Presidents automatically become members of the ICOMOS Advisory Committee and should take part in its annual meeting, or send another member of their National Committee in their stead. The Committee may elect other officers to assist the President; in particular, committees are encouraged to elect a Secretary or Secretary-Treasurer.

Every National Committee must accept the Statutes of ICOMOS. Its own statutes should also conform to both national requirements and practices. These statutes must be submitted to the Board of ICOMOS for ratification.

If a National Committee does not exist in your country and you wish to create one, please contact the ICOMOS headquarters for instructions.

ICOMOS National Committees may be established in any country or territory which is a member state of UNESCO. Each National Committee must have at least five individual members.

Once a National Committee is created, any membership applications to the ICOMOS headquarters will be forwarded to the relevant National Committee.

Any new National Committee is subject to the approval of the ICOMOS Board and will be discussed at the next meeting. Board meetings occur at least once a year.

If you are a professional working in the cultural heritage field, you can make an ICOMOS membership request through your country’s National Committee.

If your country does not have a National Committee, please address your membership request to the ICOMOS headquarters. ICOMOS members in countries with no National Committee have the same rights as National Committee members.