ICOMOS Lebanon

International Museum Day
2026-05-18
© Courtesy of Rehabilitation of the National Museum of Beirut 1996–1999

International Museum Day 2026: Museums Uniting a Divided World
Each year since 1977, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has organized International Museum Day, which represents a unique moment for the international museum community.
The objective of International Museum Day (IMD) is to raise awareness about the fact that “museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.”
On 18 May 2026, museums worldwide will mark International Museum Day under the theme “Museums Uniting a Divided World”. The theme highlights the potential of museums to act as bridges across cultural, social, and geopolitical divides, fostering dialogue, understanding, inclusion and peace within and between communities worldwide.
On International Museum Day, ICOMOS Lebanon recognizes the vital role museums play in preserving, interpreting, and transmitting cultural heritage.
Museums safeguard collections that originate from monuments and archaeological sites, linking movable and immovable heritage within a shared framework of conservation standards and research.
The protection of heritage depends on this collaboration — from the site to the museum, and from scholarship to public engagement.

World Book and Copyright Day
2026-04-23
© Ed Robertson / Unsplash

A Celebration of the Power of Books

On World Book and Copyright Day, we recognize the essential role of research, documentation, and intellectual work in safeguarding cultural heritage.
The protection of monuments and sites depends not only on physical conservation, but also on the written knowledge, studies, charters, and technical expertise that guide responsible preservation.
ICOMOS Lebanon reaffirms the importance of scholarship and intellectual property in advancing heritage protection and cultural transmission.

International Day for Monuments and Sites
2026-04-18
© ICOMOS International

Emergency Response for Living Heritage in contexts of Conflicts and Disasters
Celebrated each year on 18 April, the ICOMOS International Day for Monuments and Sites (IDMS), provides heritage enthusiasts, heritage professionals and ICOMOS members with the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the shared responsibility of safeguarding our heritage.
This year, IDMS focuses on bringing visibility to the work undertaken to conserve and protect the world’s culturally significant “Living Heritage” – increasingly at risk from accelerating disasters and conflicts unfolding in complex, multi-hazard contexts.

World Water Day
2026-03-22
© Libshop.fr — Cascade d’Afqa

Water and Heritage: Connecting Past, Present and Future
Water is a source of life, a driver of cultural meaning, and a shaper of places and practices. From historic waterworks and sacred springs to cultural landscapes and community traditions, water has sustained cities, inspired rituals, and shaped human settlement long before modern infrastructure.
On World Water Day, ICOMOS Lebanon highlights the cultural values of water — as the foundation of historic infrastructures, as inspiration for living traditions, and as a defining force in the landscapes that form part of our shared heritage.
Safeguarding heritage means safeguarding the water that sustains it. The legacies of the past depend on how we manage and protect water today — for communities, for cultural identity, and for future generations.

World Poetry Day
2026-03-21
© Hidden Mediterranean
https://lebanon.icomos.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Lebanese-Zajal.mp3

Men and Women in Zajal
On World Poetry Day, ICOMOS Lebanon highlights the richness of Lebanon’s oral poetic tradition of Zajal, inscribed in 2014 on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Zajal embodies the power of language as living heritage – transmitted through performance, dialogue, and communal gathering. Often held in historic settings, these poetic encounters connect living traditions to cultural places.
Safeguarding heritage means protecting not only monuments and sites, but also the voices and practices that give them meaning. ICOMOS Lebanon recognizes the contribution of both men and women in sustaining Lebanon’s poetic traditions across generations.

International Women's Day
2026-03-08
Archival Photograph, Beirut, 1970

Women at the Heart of Cultural Heritage: Protecting Traditions, Shaping the Future
On International Women’s Day, ICOMOS Lebanon recognizes the vital contribution of women to the safeguarding, interpretation, and transmission of cultural heritage.
Across tangible and intangible domains — from traditional crafts, community memory, and ritual knowledge to professional practice in conservation and heritage management — women are central actors whose expertise sustains cultural continuity.
This day reminds us that equitable participation, recognition, and leadership are essential for heritage that is representative, resilient, and relevant. ICOMOS Lebanon reaffirms its commitment to gender equity in heritage governance and celebrates the women who shape the past and future of our cultural heritage.
