Closed Call: First Aid for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis
The Prince Claus Fund's Cultural Emergency Response (CER) Programme, ICCROM, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, the Smithsonian Institution and the Netherlands National Commission for UNESCO are jointly organizing a course designed to improve emergency preparedness and response to rescue cultural heritage affected by natural or man-made disasters.
The course is especially designed for people working in the fields of heritage management, preservation or protection, or disaster risk management.
Why this course?
Cultural heritage is of great value to communities world-wide. It connects us to the past, serves as a basis for our identity and as a source of knowledge. Furthermore it can contribute to economic growth and sustainable development. However, heritage is vulnerable, especially to the impact of natural disasters. Climate change is adding to this challenge. Economic losses from disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones and flooding are now reaching an average of US$250-300 billion each year. And althoughthe number of armed conflicts around the world has been declining, there is an inexorable rise in the intensity of violence associated with conflict.
Past events have shown that cultural heritage plays a role in strengthening the resilience of affected communities. First Aid for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis (FAC) emphasizes increased awareness, preparedness and immediate coordinated response to safeguard movable and immovable cultural heritage directly after a crisis. It aims to enhance participants’ skills for emergency preparedness and response, crisis communication, and providing people-centred first aid to cultural heritage. Using simulations and scenarios to replicate field conditions, the training is mostly hands-on. The training aims to enhance collaboration between cultural and humanitarian sector by streamlining activities and communication and by enabling cultural responders to be integrated in the overall humanitarian response efforts. Questions such as how and when to intervene in an unfolding humanitarian crisis—where does one start, and how can you help the affected communities in recovering their heritage and how do you coordinate your activities with authorities form the basis of this course.
Application process: (Please note we are past the deadline and no longer accepting applications)
Full overview of the FAC Course, please download the Course Announcement:
Downloads
- Fac2018 Course Announcement pdf 606 KB