First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis

A Nepalese woman walks by rubble at Bhaktapur Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kathmandu, Nepal. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Today is World Heritage Day, when we pause to consider the importance of cultural heritage, as well as its vulnerability and the efforts required to protect and conserve it. One of the many ways the United States works to preserve cultural heritage and property around the world is through its support to ICCROM – conserving culture, promoting diversity, an intergovernmental organization based in Rome, Italy with the unique worldwide mandate to promote the conservation of all types of cultural heritage. Check out this video to see how ICCROM and the Smithsonian have teamed up to boost the capacity of cultural heritage professionals to respond in the event of a disaster.