ICOMOS Annual Meetings in Marrakech
The annual meetings of ICOMOS took place this year in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 12 to 18 October 2019, at the magnificent Mohammad VI Cultural and Administrative Complex of the Habous. The week was very busy for the ICOMOS members attending: in addition to the working meetings (Board, regional groups and International Scientific Committees meetings, Scientific Council, National Committees forum, Advisory Committee, Annual General Assembly), many sessions allowed members to discuss and exchange views on key heritage topics - see the full programme of meetings.
Inside the Habous' Mohammad VI Cultural and Administrative Complex in Marrakesh, Morocco (Photo credits: ICOMOS)
Working meetings and parallel events
In total, nearly 250 ICOMOS members were present, representing some 50 National Committees and 23 International Scientific Committees. In addition to the budgetary and administrative matters dealt with during the Annual General Assembly, the members attending presented and discussed their Committees’ activities, the doctrinal texts being prepared, and the evolution of the organisation as a whole.
The Advisory Committe and the AGA were also an opportunity for ICOMOS to renew its Memorandum of Understanding with the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC).
Preliminary minuteof the meetings will soon be made available to members.
You can already download the resolutions of the AGA here.
In addition, the Working Groups on Sustainable Development Goals and on Rights-Based Approaches held a joint meeting, while three other working groups (Emerging Professionals, Climate Change and Heritage, Iraq-Syria) were also able to hold meetings during the week.
The ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Centre for Conservation also organised a presentation on heritage in the Arab World which was open to all ICOMOS members present.
Finally, the Sustainable Development Goals Working Group organised a day of reflection and discussion on Saturday 19 October to start developing a Policy Guidance document on Sustainable Development Goals. For more information on the working group’s activities during the week in Marrakech, read this article.
Scientific Symposium on Rural Heritage
The theme of this year's Scientific Symposium was "Rural Heritage - Landscapes and Beyond". Over the course of a day, a dozen sessions in various formats – panels, Knowledge Cafes and presentations – allowed the members attending to discuss a wide variety of topics related to rural heritage. Members were also able to view the posters selected by the Symposium coordinators. For more information, you can read the summary of the Symposium and access all the Symposium documents via this page.
ICOMOS Morocco had also planned exhibitions related to rural heritage – in particular on traditional hydraulic systems, ancestral agricultural methods, rural architecture, and crafts.
Discovering Moroccan heritage and excursions
T
he participants were also able to discover during the opening ceremony the beautiful Bahia Palace – a 28-acre palace built in the 19th century and one of the major monuments of Moroccan cultural heritage. ICOMOS Morocco had planned on this occasion a dinner with a performance by a dance group from the Taskiwin region, in Western High Atlas, inscribed on the Intangible World Heritage list.
Excursions were also offered to participants on the last day, in order to enjoy and discover the cultural heritage of Marrakesh and surrounding cities and sites such as Essaouira and Ouarzazate.
ICOMOS members, Committees and Working Groups were all grateful for the hosting Committee’s warm welcome, and thanked the colleagues from ICOMOS Morocco for their efforts and work to make these annual meetings a success.
Photos credits: ICOMOS
See also
More information about the 2019 ICOMOS meetings in Marrakesh
Website of 2019 ICOMOS Scientific Symposium and a summary of the Symposium
ICOMOS Morocco's website with more information on the 2019 ICOMOS meetings