IcoFort
International Scientific Committee on Fortifications and Military Heritage
Annual Report 2006
International
Scientific Committee on Fortifications and Military Heritage was
established by ICOMOS Executive Committee on 8thFebruary 2005 in Paris.
A - Upcoming activities
· 2006 Scientific Council meeting in Rome – (16th June 2006)
· 2006 annual meeting – Channel Islands, Costal Fortifications (28th September – 3rd October)
· 2007 scientific meeting – Krakow, Management of Fortifications (October – the exact date is unknown yet)
· 2008
business meeting connected with scientific meeting, Proposal for World
Heritage Sites – within the framework of the GA (October)
B - Publications under development
· Papers of IcoFort Committee Members are published at the IcoFort Web Site.
· Statutes of IcoFort Committee are published at the IcoFort Web Site.
· Fortifications and Military Heritage, the planning publication under the “Scientific Committees” series of ICOMOS.
C - Affinity organizations
To
pursue actively international cooperation for the identifications,
protection and preservation of the historic fortifications, military
structures, military landscapes and sites, other military heritage
monuments, alone or with cooperation with:
Within ICOMOS:
· National
and International Scientific Committees of ICOMOS, especially with
respect of ICOMOS’ tasks and needs for UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage
Division and World Heritage Center.
· ICOMOS Canada regarding the development of the Scientific Symposium on Spirit of Place associated with 16th ICOMOS General Assembly, Quebec, 2008
Outside ICOMOS:
· Other cooperative partners of ICOMOS, for example ICCROM, ICOM, DOCOMOMO, TICCIH, Blue Shield etc.
· Other
international and national bodies, such as NATO, Ministries of Defence
of different countries, Ministries of Culture of different countries.
· National Center for Historical Monument Studies and Documentation, Warsaw, Poland.
D - Major issues or concerns within specialized area to address
· Promoting
the knowledge of the resources, including their historical,
architectural, artistic and scientific values, and to encouraging the
preservation and maintenance of fortifications, military and naval
structures, fortress landscapes and other objects and sites connected
with the military heritage.
· Being
available to help ICOMOS accomplish its role in the context of
international convention (specially the World Heritage Convention and
the Hague Convention) and in its cooperation with UNESCO and other
International Organizations, and willing to receive mandates from the
Executive Committee to that effect.
· Carrying
out specialized studies and promoting the application of professional
expertise in regard to the preservation and conservation problems of
historic fortifications and military heritage.
· Establishing
links and networks between conservation professionals, architects,
historians, landscape architects, military architecture specialists,
archaeologists, recording and inventory specialists, cultural heritage
specialists and other professionals.
· Establishing close cooperation with the other National Committees and International Scientific Committees of ICOMOS.
· Establishing
contacts with and between the relevant institutions, universities,
nongovernmental organizations and government organizations that
specialize in the research, preservation, conservation and management of
historic fortifications, defensive structures and fortress landscapes.
· Organizing
and encouraging the promotion and exchange of ideas, knowledge,
experience and the results of research in regard to fortifications,
military heritage and fortress landscape resources, their values, the
possibilities of their preservation, appropriate conservation methods,
and principles of proper maintenance.
· Creating
database for the historic fortifications, military heritage and
fortress landscapes which takes into consideration the specific needs of
the differing geographical areas, types and conditions.
· Creating database for the fortification monuments in danger.
· Organizing initiate international conferences, symposia, workshops, practical tutorials and specialized courses.
· Providing
scientific expertise for specific projects and for solving difficult or
complicated preservation and conservation problems.
· Carrying out specialized studies on professional problems with which ICOMOS is concerned.
· Defining
and adopting an ICOMOS Scientific Program for the preservation of
historic fortifications and military heritage, which reflect worldwide
needs in the field and in UNESCO.
· Organizing
campaigns; initiating the processes for the protection of the most
valuable fortifications, military heritage and fortress landscapes and
trying to initiate the procedures for those monuments to be inscribed on
the UNESCO World Heritage List in the mother countries.
· Closely
cooperating with experts and groups of specialists and help ICOMOS in
the works and programs to prepare documents for UNESCO World Heritage
List in scope of the nominations of historic fortifications and military
heritage monuments and helping ICOMOS in the preparation of monitoring
and periodic reports.
· Helping
ICOMOS to prepare guidelines for the inclusion of properties in the
List of World Heritage in Danger and the list of the fortification and
military heritage monuments at risk.
· Cooperating
with specialists responsible for handling heritage properties in many
Ministry of Defence and in NATO for including their operational
perspective to the programs of the protection of military heritage and
of military heritage at risk.
· Submitting an annual report on its activities to the ICOMOS Bureau (Secretary General).
· Influencing ICOMOS triennium program relevant to The Fortifications and Military Heritage values, protection and management.
· Developing input on Fortifications and Military Heritage values to ICOMOS Canada on Scientific Symposium Spirit of Place, as part of the 16th General Assembly, Quebec, 2008.
· Developing the IcoFort Committee Web Site.
· Responding to the new Eger-Xi’an Principles
E - Areas of the world where IcoFort is particularly active
IcoFort Committee currently has voting or non-voting members from the following countries:
Australia,
Canada, Cuba, France, Germany, Hungary, Malta, Mauritius,
The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom, United States of
America.
IcoFort is particularly active in Europe, North America, Africa and Australia.