The 32nd session of the General Assembly of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) was held online on October 27–28, 2021.
The event was attended by over a hundred delegations of ICCROM member states, observer countries, and others. The Russian side was represented by the staff of the Secretariat of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, the Embassy of Russia in Rome, and the Ministry of Culture of Russia.
The session was opened by Dario Franceschini, Minister of Culture of Italy; Benedetto Della Vedova, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy; Ernesto Ottone, Assistant Director-General for Culture; and Webber Ndoro, Director-General of ICCROM.
The participants discussed progress in the implementation of the main programs and the ICCROM budget, and approved the plan of activities for 2022–2023. There was a particular emphasis on the digital transformation of the Centre’s work, searching for solutions to address the negative impact of the pandemic, and further interaction in world cultural heritage preservation through collaborative scientific research and education.
Elections for the ICCROM Council were also held. NIna Shangina, the Russian expert and Chairperson of the Council of the Union of Restorers of St. Petersburg, was elected council member for the new term from 2022 to 2025.
Dr. Gamini Wijesuriya, an architect and archaeologist from Sri Lanka, was announced the winner of the 2021 ICCROM Award for his contribution to the development of the Organization and the preservation of cultural heritage in his country and internationally.
Anna Ermachenkova