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ACTIVITIES OF THE INTERNATIONAL
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTE ON CULTURAL ROUTES (CIIC) OF ICOMOS
GENERAL SCOPE
For the last decade, the research carried out by the
International Scientific Committee for Cultural Routes (CIIC) of
ICOMOS, through its numerous international scientific meetings
as well as its publications, along with the work carried out by
its members in the most diverse regions of the world, have led
to the establishment of scientific bases for the
identification of Cultural Routes and a methodology of
work in this specific field.
Given the increasing importance and complexity of the vast
territorial ensembles involved in the field of cultural
heritage, these efforts have taken, on the one hand, the
form of identifying and systematically researching
several Cultural Routes of notable importance; and on the
other, of firming up and making more precise the
specific conceptual and operational factors which are
embodied in the current project of developing a
Charter for Cultural Routes.
Also, thanks to the interest shown by various member country
delegations to the World Heritage Committee, the newest version
of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of
the World Heritage Convention of UNESCO, approved in
February of 2005, has recognized Cultural Routes as one
of the four WH categories established to date.
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS & CONFERENCES
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“Cultural Routes of the Mediterranean area: commerce and
civilisation; an intercontinental scope” (1997)
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“Intercontinental Cultural Crossroads; Cultural Routes,
Legislation and Cultural Tourism”. (1998)
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“The wine and the vine routes in the Mediterranean Cultural
Heritage”. (1999)
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“Hispano-Portuguese Bastioned Fortifications Across Five
Continents”. (1999)
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“Methodology, Definitions and operative Aspects of Cultural
Itineraries”(1st part:. 21-22 May 1999)
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“Methodology, Definitions and operative Aspects of Cultural
Itineraries” (2nd part:. October 1999)
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“1. Intangible Heritage and Cultural Routes in a Universal
Context; 2. Steps towards making a Pre inventory of Cultural
Routes: a) Strategies and Teams; b) Projects and Contents”.
(2001)
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“Conceptual and substantive independence of Cultural Routes in
relation to Cultural Landscapes”. (2002)
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“Identification, Promotion, and Inventory of Cultural Routes:
Fortifications and port cities as components of cultural routes;
control and use of land; trade routes;
pilgrimage routes”.
(2004).
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Presentation and discussion of a fith approach for the drafting
of a Charter on Cultural Routes (2005). Also, a great number of
experts of the CIIC presented their research work in Section 4
of the Scientific Symposium held during the 15th GA
of ICOMOS.
PUBLICATIONS
The following books containing research work carried out by the
CIIC’s members and minutes of its scientific conferences have
been published with the financial support of different
institutions:
- The wine and the vine routes in the Mediterranean Cultural
Heritage (1999)
- Public Works of the Camino of Santiago in Galicia (2000)
- T he Intangible Heritage and other aspects of Cultural Routes
(2002)
- Cultural Routes. Identification, Promotion, and Inventory:
Fortifications, ports and cities as components of Cultural
Routes. Cultural Routes of control and use of land, trade and
pilgrimage (2005).
STATUTORY OFFICIAL MEETINGS
As
required by its Statutes, the CIIC has held official meetings
every year. Elections for its Board of Directors took place in
1999, 2002 and 2005.
TRIENNIAL PROGRAM / PLAN (2005-2008)
This program/Plan was approved in the official meeting of the
CIIC held in Xi’an (China), 18 & 19 October 2005.
Continue work begun on theoretical bases and field research,
with the goal of finishing the project of creating an
International Charter for Cultural Routes and fulfilling all
administrative requirements so that it can be presented for
approval at ICOMOS’ General Assembly in 2008.
Publicize the principles and operational guidelines contained in
the aforementioned project, which now embody more than a decade
devoted to their formulation and which
are the result of a theoretical approach collated with field
experience gained through numerous research projects around the
world.
Apply ourselves to the ongoing task of identifying Cultural
Routes in all regions worldwide and carrying out their
corresponding inventories, through the use of multidisciplinary
teams convened for this purpose as well as the methodological
tools established by the CIIC.
Work to arouse interest on the part of the governments of
affected countries in the identification and appropriate
treatment of Cultural Routes. Encourage cooperation among the
countries which share such Routes. Assist in the preparation of
proposals that will support an appropriate level of management.
Help ICOMOS raise awareness and interest on the part of UNESCO
and other international organizations so that they will also
collaborate to realize these objectives.
In order to accomplish the above objectives, we consider it
appropriate to include the following measures, amongst others,
in the present program:
Support the work of the experts within the CIIC who to date have
contributed their work of research and promotion of Cultural
Routes.
Continue to encourage others to join in this task.
Publicize widely amongst ICOMOS members and other interested
parties the work carried out by the CIIC, as well as its
theoretical and methodological principles, by distributing
pertinent information, by continuing its program of
publications, and by organizing training courses, exchange
programs, and a series of scientific meeting whose purpose will
be to draw attention to and debate these principles.
Intensify the collaboration already begun with other Scientific
Committees of ICOMOS.
Promote the aforesaid activities and projects via the existing
cooperative agreements with various Universities and Research
Centers. Additionally, work to create new centers designed to
carry out research and promotion of Cultural Routes in various
regions worldwide.
In order to carry out these objectives, the CICC hopes, during
the next three years, to be able to count on the financial aid
which the Spanish Committee of ICOMOS has been accustomed to
provide for it (a center with administrative and meeting spaces;
administrative/secretarial services including staff and
communication tools; translation of documents into three
languages; and economic assistance for scientific meetings
already in the planning stages). The CIIC is also hoping to be
able to count on the support of institutions that will continue,
as they have done up until now, to finance its publications and
help with the expenses of its international conferences. In
order to make these meetings a reality, it counts on proposals
made by several members from Argentina (conference planned for
Buenos Aires and the Humahuaca Gorge), Mexico (conference in
Chihuahua), and others that will be defined by its Board of
Directors as well as in upcoming official meetings.
PROJECT FOR A CHARTER ON CULTURALROUTES
As stated above, the specialists of the CIIC have worked hard
throughout the last decade for the drafting of a project aiming
at the adoption of an International Charter on Cultural Routes,
which have been recognised as a new category of WH by the UNESCO
(February 2005). The text was submitted to the international
Bureau of ICOMOS (Havana, June 2005) and the Executive Committee
(Xi’an, October of the same year) and, after obtaining their
necessary acceptance, the draft was handed to the participants
at the last World General Assembly held in Xi’an (October, 2005)
who adopted a Resolution for this project to be distributed to
the national and IS committees of ICOMOS for their study in the
next three years.
The last version of this project can be consulted on this web
site (See “Documents. Xi’an, 2005”). This document is currently
in progress and its publication will be periodically updated.
SPECIALISTS PROPOSED
FOR THE
WORLD HERITAGE EVALUATION
WORK
According to the request addressed in November 2004 by the
President of ICOMOS to the presidents of the national and
international committees asking them to make a selection of
experts who could be consulted or sent for WH evaluation and /or
monitoring missions, a list of specialist accompanied by their
CV and relevant data was sent to him with a copy for the
international Secretariat of ICOMOS in Paris. It is expected
that others experts from the CIIC may be added to this list in
due course.
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