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Advocacy

Because of the wide range of challenges and disruptions taking place to effective heritage conservation in the United States in recent years, World Heritage USA provides a unique voice for the protection of global heritage in the face of threats to these irreplaceable resources.

With a network that includes monthly information sharing meetings with representatives of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Action, the National Association of State Historic Preservation Officers, the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, the Coalition for American Heritage, and many other important national heritage conservation organizations, World Heritage USA has publicly taken positions and issued statements on the following issues:

Recent Advocacy

In Solidarity with Communities Devastated by Wildfires

World Heritage USA and ICOMOS-USA stand in solidarity with the communities, first responders, and organizations impacted by the recent devastating California wildfires. These fires threaten not only lives and landscapes but also irreplaceable cultural and natural heritage. We are committed to supporting efforts that safeguard these treasures and address the…

On the Anniversary of the 2023 Maui Wildfires

By Douglas C. Comer, Ph.D. President of ICOMOS-USA This August 8, 2024, we sadly observe the one-year anniversary of the wildfire in Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century. It left many homeless in the former capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Lahaina, and for many residents incinerated a lifetime…

ICOMOS-USA Advocates for U.S. to Contribute to World Heritage Fund

On May 31, 2024, Thomas Cassidy, ICOMOS-USA Advocacy Chair, submitted testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs regarding Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations to the Department of State. In this testimony, Mr. Cassidy on behalf of ICOMOS-USA encourages payment of our nation’s…

Senate Votes to Confirm Courtney O’Donnell as U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO

We are excited to announce that the U.S. Senate, led by Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, has voted to confirm Courtney O’Donnell as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). ICOMOS-USA advocated for the United States’ return to UNESCO in 2023 after a  five-year absence…

ICOMOS Carbon Reduction Strategy

ICOMOS Carbon Reduction Strategy
Shared from ICOMOS, 16 January 2024 The ICOMOS Board approved the ICOMOS Carbon Reduction Strategy, prepared by the AdCom Sustainability and Communications Task Force (SCTF), at its meeting of 1 September 2023, in Sydney. The objective of the Strategy is to guide and encourage ICOMOS as a whole towards reducing the carbon footprint of all our…

President’s Message: Innovation and Increasing Engagement in 2024

Innovation and Increasing Engagement
A Message from ICOMOS-USA President Douglas C. Comer, Ph.D. 2024 will see critical changes for our national committee, changes driven by our increasing attention to the roles that culture plays in the dominant issues of our day: social justice and climate change. In 2023, we changed the name of our…

Call to Action: Sign for COP28 Culture and Heritage Representation

🚨 CALL TO ACTION: Sign on to this global call to include cultural heritage, the arts and creative sectors in climate policy! The world is far off track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement: seeking new solutions is imperative. Culture and heritage shape our lives in many different…

ICOMOS Spain and ISCEAH Statement Concerning Earthquake in Morocco

ICOMOS-USA and World Heritage USA share the sentiments expressed in this statement produced by the ICOMOS National Committee of Spain and the International Scientific Committee on Earthen Architectural Heritage (ISCEAH) and reproduced below: Madrid, 14 September 2023 We are deeply saddened by the recent earthquake in Morocco and subsequent loss…