08-12-2008 PRESS RELEASE

FOUNDING CONFERENCE IN THE HAGUE - DECEMBER 7-9th 2008

ANCBS | AN ORGANIZATION FOR PROTECTION OF CULTURE IN DANGER

Representatives of cultural heritage institutes from all over the world met in The Hague at the Founding Conference of the ANCBS – The Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield, with the purpose of coordinating and strengthening international efforts to protect cultural property at risk of destruction during armed conflicts or natural disasters.

Sunday 7^th, 11 National Blue Shield Committees established the ANCBS organization. An international board was elected, chaired by Karl Habsburg-Lothringen from Austria with members from 6 countries. They identified the following priorities: coordinating and strengthening international efforts to protect cultural property at risk, providing and promoting cultural heritage protection training programs and awareness raising with international and governmental decision makers on the importance of the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocols and the international symbol of the Blue Shield.

The Blue Shield is the protective emblem of the 1954 Hague Convention which is the basic international treaty formulating rules to protect cultural heritage during armed conflict. The Blue Shield network consists of organizations dealing with museums, archives, libraries and historical monuments and sites, cooperating through the International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS).

During the conference they discussed their plans and activities to strengthen the network between Blue Shield and other cultural emergency assistance organizations, institutions and authorities that are responsible for cultural heritage. Tuesday the 9^th offered a variety of training courses in concurrent sessions to improve the knowledge and skills of the conference participants.

The ANCBS will have its headquarters in The Hague. The city is generously supporting the new organization through its initial phase with office space and an annual contribution.

The ANCBS office can be reached: 00 31 (0) 70 346 6161 or contact@ancbs.org

Website : http://www.ancbs.org

Press contact : Marjan Otter 06-46015104

Trains from Schiphol to The Hague

Routes and maps, general (no hotel info)

Routes and maps for guests at Hotel Sebel

Routes and maps for guests at Hotel Wahdo

Routes and maps for guests at Hotel Het Centrum

We are trying to repair our website progressively. You can find all the informations about the 2008 conference at this address : http://www.ancbs.org.

We apologize for these inconvenients.

We apologize if you encounter problems with our Website http://www.ancbs.org. It was hacked a few days ago and we are trying to repair it as soon as possible.

Thank you very much for your comprehension.

The Founding Conference of the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS) will be held in The Hague on the dates 7th, 8th and 9th of December 2008 and you are cordially invited to participate. Conference programme and all informations are now available on our Website at http://www.ancbs.org.

The Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS) expresses its concern about the armed conflict in Georgia which has inflicted not only human losses and suffering but also destruction of the physical environment and possibly of cultural heritage in the area. This region has an exceptionally complex and rich cultural heritage and it is imperative that all parties in the conflict take whatever precautions may be necessary to avoid destruction or damage to cultural heritage such as historical monuments, museums, archives or libraries.

The Blue Shield organizations work to uphold the 1954 Hague Convention which aims at protecting cultural heritage from destruction in armed conflicts. Both Georgia and Russia are State Parties to the Convention and its First Protocol and are obliged to implement its obligations.

The ANCBS calls upon the organizations behind the Blue Shield network, covering cultural heritage sectors such as museums, libraries, archives and archaeological sites and monuments, to make use of their respective contacts with organizations in Georgia and Russia in order to obtain information about possible damage to cultural heritage and what assistance may be needed from the international community in this tragic situation.

Leif Pareli
Chairman, ANCBS working group
cont...@ancbs.org

Title: General Assembly
Location: The Hague (NL)
Description: General Assembly of ANCBS
Start Date: 2008-12-07
End Date: 2008-12-09