Iran has won a seat in the executive council of the International Center for Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property for the 3rd time. During the 29th general assembly of ICCROM — convened in Rome on November 18-20 — representatives from 134 member states voted Muhammad Hassan Talebian, the cultural heritage deputy chief at Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, to the council, Mehr News Agency reported. “Appointment of Iran as an ICCROM council member can boost our contribution to preservation and restoration of world heritage,” Talebian said. ICCROM is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide through training, information, research, cooperation and advocacy programs. It aims to enhance the field of conservation-restoration and raise awareness on the importance and fragility of cultural heritage. The center was founded following a proposal at the UNESCO General Conference in New Delhi in 1956. Three years later it was officially established in Rome, where its headquarters remain to this day.
