We, the UNESCO Chair on Cultural Heritage and Risk Management, Ritsumeikan University, have decided to close the International Training Course (ITC) on Disaster Risk Management of Cultural Heritage. The ITC that began in 2006 completed the 18th course in the last year of 2024.
The UNESCO Chair Programme on Cultural Heritage and Risk Management, collaborating with ICCROM, has promoted an intensive educational programme, scientific networking, and research on cultural heritage disaster risk management. It has also contributed to creating sufficient measures for cultural heritage sites to reduce risks to both movable and immovable, as well as tangible and intangible cultural heritage. As a representative of the UNESCO Chair, I sincerely salute ICCROM’s unchanging and reassuring support.
The team carefully discussed ending this important initiative after about 20 years. This sorrowful decision was based on financial and institutional reasons within the university, but we also needed to reconsider the rapid changes in international society.
We have established a highly specialized, practical, and expertized network in international cultural heritage disaster risk management. From now on, we would like to grow with this network and strive to contribute more strongly to the practical field of cultural heritage disaster prevention worldwide.
We are preparing to hold an international commemorative symposium and workshop in 2026 to summarize the efforts that have taken about 20 years and make further progress. We hope this symposium not only concludes ITC’s 20-year journey but also designs and suggests the following initiative for cultural heritage risk management. We will continue collaborating with ICCROM and various international and national institutes in cultural heritage disaster risk management.
We look forward to your contribution to the following symposium in 2026.
Details of the symposium will be announced on this webpage.
Thank you for your endless support and warm regards.
Sincerely,
Dowon Kim, UNESCO co-chairholder professor & Rohit Jigyasu, programme manager at ICCROM
The team of UNESCO Chair on Cultural Heritage and Risk Management, Ritsumeikan University