April 18 is observed as World Heritage Day every year to celebrate and promote the cultural heritage across the world, thanks to the efforts of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). The ICOMOS, in 1982, suggested that April 18 be celebrated as the International Day for Monuments and Sites and UNESCO approved the proposal the next year during its 22nd General Conference.
ICOMOS says the “essential aspect is to mark this day so that it becomes not only a day to celebrate your National Heritage but also a day of International Solidarity in favor of strengthening and safeguarding Heritage world-wide.”
The global non-government organization suggests a number of ways to celebrate World Heritage Day.
1) Visiting monuments and sites or conservation works in progress
2) Writing articles in newspapers, magazines, and spreading knowledge on the issue through television and radio broadcasts
3) Hanging banners in town squares or principal traffic arteries calling attention to the day and the preservation of cultural heritage
4) Inviting local and foreign experts and personalities for conferences and interviews
5) Organising discussions in cultural centers, city halls, and other public spaces. Also attending exhibitions (photos, paintings, etc)
6) Publishing of books, postcards, stamps, posters
7) Awarding prizes to organizations or persons who have made an outstanding contribution to the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage or produced an excellent publication on the subject.
8) Inaugurating a recently restored monument
9) Organising special awareness raising activities amongst school children and youth
10) Promoting “twinning” opportunities between organizations, defining areas for co-operation; exchange of speakers; organization of meetings and seminars, or the editing of joint publications.
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