News & Updates – January 2025
As we embark on a new year, we reflect on a productive and insightful 2024 filled with meaningful collaborations, impactful discussions, and promising initiatives. Here’s a look at what we’ve achieved and what lies ahead.
ICOMOS General Assembly 2024 – Ouro Preto, Brazil
The 21st ICOMOS General Assembly, held in Ouro Preto, Brazil, from 10 to 17 November 2024, with the theme "Revisiting the Venice Charter: Critical Perspectives and Contemporary Challenges," was a landmark event for our committee, underscoring our active engagement and contributions to the global heritage discourse.
We proudly participated in this significant gathering, where two key events took place on 12 November 2024: a study tour and a workshop, both of which broadened our perspectives and laid the foundation for future discussions on shared heritage in Southeast Asia.
Study-Tour
Organized by Prof. Bárbara Campos, the study tour offered an opportunity to explore various aspects of the city beyond the UNESCO-protected area. It provided a deeper understanding of local history and a sense of belonging, achieved through the observation of buildings and the city's development during different phases of occupation. This immersive experience enriched the discussions that followed during the workshop.
Workshop
Led by Maria José de Freitas, our President, the workshop focused on the concept of ‘Shared Heritage’ in Southeast Asia and its implications, with an emphasis on the historical occupations that took place in the region during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. This contemporary reflection allowed participants to discuss and explore different perspectives on shared heritage, which significantly influenced our future discussions and research.
Here, you will find contributions from our colleagues who participated in the ICOMOS AGA 2024 and enriched the discussions by deepening concepts and exchanging ideas during the conference on the theme of the Venice Charter. These contributions reflect the diversity of thoughts and perspectives shared at the event.
Malayan New Villages: Re-Imagining the Better Way of Life
By Ai Tee Goh (former ISCSBH Vice President)
Enriching the Venice Charter with a De-Colonial reinterpretation
By Romeo Carabelli (ISCSBH Vice President)
Global Vision of Heritage Sites as Shared Living Heritage
By Yvon Velot
Looking Ahead – ICOMOS General Assemblies 2025 & 2026
We are thrilled to participate in upcoming ICOMOS gatherings:
ICOMOS AGM (ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING) 2025 in Lumbini, Nepal.
ICOMOS GA (GENERAL ASSEMBLY) 2026 in the city of Sarawak, Malaysia.
We encourage members to stay involved by proposing papers and participating in related discussions.
Annual General Meeting 2024
The ISCSBH AGM 2024 held online on 6 December was a valuable platform for presenting annual achievements and future proposals.
- We now proudly count over 90 active members.
Results from the Working Group Membership Survey are forthcoming, revealing strong interest in collaborative projects.
The reorganization of the working groups aims to ensure more active participation by our ISCSBH in the next ICOMOS assemblies, either in 2025 at the AGM in Lumbini, Nepal, or in 2026 at the General Assembly in Sarawak, Malaysia.
The overarching theme adopted by ICOMOS in the Triennial Scientific Plan (TSP) 2024-2027, entitled "Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage: Preparedness, Response, Recovery," will be adopted for this purpose due to the clear interrelationship it establishes with shared built heritage.MOMBASA, KENYA: ICOMOS Africa24
Conference Report
Prepared by John Ward,
Secretary-General ISCSBH
To briefly report, during the last week of November, the ICOMOS Africa24 Conference was held in Mombasa, Kenya, at the Swahilipot Hub Foundation. This is the first large ICOMOS meeting to be held in Africa since the Victoria Falls General Assembly in 2002, and the first to be held in the East Africa region which includes Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. The five day meeting held between 25-29 November, 2024, was organised by members of six ICOMOS ISCs including CIAV (Vernacular heritage), ISCEAH (Earthern Architectural Heritage) ICTC (Cultural Heritage), ISCCL (Cultural Landscapes) ICICH (Intagible Cultural Heritage) ISCES (Energy and Sustainability) together with assistance of ICOMOS International in Paris and Working Groups related to Common Dignity Rights-Based Approaches and Emerging Professionals.
ICOMOS Africa24 Pictures by J Ward
John Ward at Swahilipot Hub conference
Collaborative Initiatives and Emerging Professional Contributions
Our Emerging Professionals have made a valuable contribution to the continuity of our work and Ghofrane Bioud has made proposals for thematic webinars which have the potential to revitalise our Scientific Group and form part of our three-year activity plan.
Thanks to Ghofrane, and to Mohamed Fareed, the ISCSBH representative of the EP group.
We invite all members to engage actively and contribute ideas for future sessions.
Call for Participation in a Series of Webinars on Shared Built Heritage
Prepared by Ghofrane Bioud.
For more information click here
Congratulations
A heartfelt congratulation to Kerime Danis, newly elected President of the ICOMOS Advisory Committee. We look forward to her leadership and continued collaboration.
Join Us in Shaping the Future of Shared Heritage
With a growing network of dedicated professionals, we look forward to deepening our impact on shared built heritage worldwide. Let’s continue this journey together in 2025 and beyond!
What is SBH?
The ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Shared Built Heritage (ISCSBH) was set up to promote greater protection and conservation of the shared heritage built over time by different cultures and civilisations with different social and religious backgrounds. For this purpose, the ISCSBH researches and fosters discussion on the understanding of ‘shared’ and on the management of historical built legacies resulting from multicultural encounters and mutual influences. The group is relatively young, having started in 1998 as the Scientific Committee on Shared Colonial Architecture and Town Planning, and changing its name in 2003 to reflect more open objectives.
In some cases, shared heritage is at the centre of identity narratives constructed by different communities and nations; in others, it is the source of tension, and is therefore neglected. The aim of the scientific group is therefore to understand how shared heritage is valued and promote its revitalization, rehabilitation, and conservation, encouraging the use of existing structures and of traditional building techniques as much as possible.
To this end, the ISCSBH organises meetings, debates, study visits, symposia, and conferences with the aim of disseminating the state of the art in various technical, scientific and academic fields, promoting the exchange of knowledge and, through thematic workshops, trying to instill a taste and curiosity for heritage conservation among young people and emerging graduates.
