15 October 2008
(updated 9 July 2009)
Invitation, 15 October 2008
The Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield is convening a ‘Founding Conference’ in The Hague, the Netherlands, from 7 - 9 December 2008. This group supports the International Committee of the Blue Shield in coordinating efforts to assist cultural heritage affected by natural disaster or armed conflict across the world.
Anyone interested in emergency preparedness and response for cultural heritage is invited to attend the conference, to learn more about Blue Shield National Committees and their responsibilities under the Second Protocol of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1999). It will also be an opportunity to receive training and build global networks to support emergency preparedness and response in the Asia-Pacific region.
Blue Shield Australia was represented at the ANCBS conference in The Hague by two self-funded Australians:
- Ms Robyn Riddett who represents Australia ICOMOS on the Blue Shield Australia committee, and is active with ICORP, the International Committee on Risk Preparedness within ICOMOS.
- Ms Margaret Birtley who, as CEO of the Collections Council of Australia, helps provide the Secretariat for Blue Shield Australia.
During the conference, Ms Riddett made a well-received presentation about Blue Shield Australia. Click HERE to access the powerpoint slides from that presentation.
Outcomes from the conference
The ANCBS website provides information about the presentations and decisions from the 2008 conference. Click HERE to read an overview of the event. The home page for the ANCBS website is: www.ancbs.org