The Blue Shield formally founded in Iceland.
The Icelandic National Committee of the Blue Shield was formally founded on 24 October, United Nations Day, at the National Museum of Iceland. A large group of people working in the preservation of cultural heritage came together there, with representatives of Civil Protection, ICE-SAR (Landsbjörg), the ministries and the Red Cross; the Blue Shield has been called the Red Cross of cultural heritage.
THE BLUE SHIELD – International Committee of the Blue Shield – was founded in 1996 to work for the protection of cultural heritage threatened by natural disasters and armed conflict. The aim of the Blue Shield is to protect the world’s cultural heritage by coordinating emergency plans where danger arises. The foundation of the work of the International Committee of the Blue Shield is the Hague Convention of 1954. The International Committee of the Blue Shield is based in Paris, and national committees work around the world.
The name Blue Shield refers to the blue colour of the emblem used to mark cultural property protected under the Hague Convention. The Blue Shield, which has been called the Red Cross of cultural heritage, advises UNESCO and other international organisations, and its members include experts with a wide range of knowledge in the preservation of cultural heritage. This allows the organisation to gather and share information on threats to cultural heritage around the world, to advise on appropriate measures where armed conflict or natural disasters occur, and to send experts to the scene.
The founders of the Blue Shield are the international organisations of libraries, archives and heritage institutions: IFLA – International Federation of Library Associations, ICA – International Council on Archives, ICOM – International Council of Museums, and ICOMOS – International Council of Monuments and Sites.
The Icelandic sections of ICOM and ICOMOS and the representatives of IFLA and ICA in Iceland have decided to join forces and found the Icelandic National Committee of the Blue Shield. In this way these organisations want to encourage cooperation between the institutions responsible for cultural heritage, and with the government, local authorities and Civil Protection, on prevention and emergency response, so that cultural heritage can be kept safe when danger threatens.
For more information, contact Njörður Sigurðsson, chair of the Icelandic National Committee of the Blue Shield, or Kristín Dagmar on 697 9810.
The website of the International Committee of the Blue Shield is here.