Blue Shield

ICOM Australia is a founding pillar of the Australian National Committee of the International Council of the Blue Shield (Blue Shield Australia). The other Australian pillars are:

• Council of Australasian Archives and Records Authorities
• Australian International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
• Australian Library and Information Association .

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 Collections Council of Australia provides secretariat services for Blue Shield Australia.
 

Blue Shield Australia      Blue Shield international

Bush Fires in Australia submission (Aug 2009) (141kB)