Heritage is a book without an end – each generation adds its own chapter.

The International Day of Monuments and Sites is celebrated every year on April 18 with a theme recommended by the International Council for Monuments and Monuments, ICOMOS. This year’s theme is: Emergency Response for Living Heritage in context of Conflicts and Disasters. This theme emphasizes the importance of intangible heritage, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and crafts.

Intangible heritage is especially threatened in times of conflict and natural disasters. With this year’s theme, ICOMOS primarily focuses on emergency interventions in the preservation of heritage affected by disasters.

Emergency response is not an isolated intervention, but is part of a wider cycle of disaster risk management. This approach encompasses a wide range of initiatives, from advocacy and analysis to concrete activities on the ground in prevention, mitigation, emergency response and recovery. All of these efforts seek to protect “living” heritage and the communities that maintain it in times of crisis.