Approval granted for an Australian National Committee of the Blue Shield

At a meeting held in Paris on 8 September 2005, the International Committee of the Blue Shield approved an application by cultural heritage organisations in Australia to establish an Australian National Committee of the Blue Shield.

What is the International Committee of the Blue Shield?

The Blue Shield is the cultural equivalent of the Red Cross. It is the symbol specified in the 1954 Hague Convention for marking cultural sites to give them protection from attack in the event of armed conflict. It is also the name of an international committee set up in 1996 to work to protect the world's cultural heritage threatened by wars and natural disasters.

The International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS) covers museums (including art museums and galleries), archives, libraries, monuments and sites. It brings together the knowledge, experience and international networks of the four expert organisations dealing with cultural heritage: an unrivalled body of expertise which is now available to advise and assist in responding to events such as the war in the former Yugoslavia, the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2005, and hurricane damage in Central America. The ICBS is international, independent and professional.

The pillars of the ICBS

The four expert organisations that work together as the ICBS are:

• International Council on Archives (ICA);
• International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS);
• International Council of Museums (ICOM); and
• International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

The Australian pillar bodies

In Australia, the expert organizations are:

• Council of Australasian Archives and Records Authorities, representing ICA;
• Australia ICOMOS;
• ICOM Australian National Committee; and
• Australian Library and Information Association, representing IFLA.

Representatives of these Australian organisations met by teleconference on 17 May 2005, and resolved to apply for permission to establish an Australian National Committee of the Blue Shield.

The meeting appointed Ms Robyn Riddett as the interim Convenor of the committee. The Collections Council of Australia has undertaken to provide secretariat services for the Committee.

Next steps

The May meeting decided that, if the Australian National Committee were approved, the group should take steps to become incorporated.

Occasional updates on the development of the Committee will be posted to this site.

Further information

Further information about the ICBS can be found at the websites of:
IFLA
ICOM 
ICOMOS