First Aid to Cultural Hertiage in Times of Crisis overview

Cultural Emergency Response First Aid to Cultural Heritage Training

End Simulation 2018 First Aid To Heritage Training Firey Finale Landscap Big Pic

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 and conflict.

In August 2018, the Prince Claus Fund, ICCROM, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative and the Netherlands Commission for UNESCO jointly organised a course designed to improve emergency preparedness and response to rescue cultural heritage affected by natural or man-made disasters.

Past events have shown that cultural heritage plays a role in strengthening the resilience of affected communities. This course aims to enhance participants’ skills for emergency preparedness and response, crisis communication, and providing people-centered 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.

Photos & information on 2018 FAC participants

Photos from the 2018 First Aid to Heritage course simulation

Photos of the 2018 First Aid to Heritage course closing ceremony with Minister OCW Ingrid Engelshoek

Details about the programme can be found in the Course Announcement below. Please also see the Press Releases about the 2018 Summer Course in Dutch and English below.

Our Partners

The 2018 FAC training has been organised by the Prince Claus Fund, ICCROM, the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, and the Netherlands Commission for Unesco, as well as local partners: the Province of North Brabant, Brabant Heritage, and the municipalities of Breda and ’s Hertogenbosch, with support from Brabant C, Mondriaan Foundation and the Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW).

The Prince Claus Fund supports, connects and celebrates artists and cultural practitioners where cultural expression is under pressure, primarily in Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. Through its Cultural Emergency Response programme, the Prince Claus Fund provides quick help to evacuate, stabilise or rescue cultural heritage that is under threat due to conflict situations or natural disasters. https://princeclausfund.org

ICCROM is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage worldwide. It works with 136 Member States to ensure the best tools, knowledge, skills and enabling environment to preserve cultural heritage in all its forms, for the benefit of all people. https://www.iccrom.org

The Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative works to protect cultural heritage threatened or impacted by disasters and to help U.S. and international communities preserve their identities and history. https://culturalrescue.si.edu

The Netherlands Commission for Unesco is the focal point in the Netherlands for UNESCO related activities. Protecting heritage in crisis situations is one of the Commission’s core themes. https://www.unesco.nl; https://www.unesco.nl/unesco/english