International Day for Monuments and Sites

About International Day for Monuments and Sites

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Dates of International Day for Monuments and Sites
2026 InternationalApr 18 International Sat, Apr 18Observances Holiday 2025 InternationalApr 18 International Fri, Apr 18Observances Holiday 2024 InternationalApr 18 International Thu, Apr 18Observances Holiday 2023 InternationalApr 18 International Tue, Apr 18Observances Holiday 2022 InternationalApr 18 International Mon, Apr 18Observances Holiday
Summary
Find out the dates, history and traditions of International Day for Monuments and Sites.

Every year, the World Heritage site celebrates the International Day for Monuments and Sites holding special programs in accordance with a theme that the ICOMOS [the International Council on Monuments and Sites] selects each year. 

In 1982, ICOMOS established April 18th as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, followed by UNESCO adoption during its 22nd General Conference.

Conservation of cultural heritage requires critical examination of the past, as much as its practice demands provision for the future. Debates on the omission and erasure of certain narratives, and the privileging of particular stories over others, have come to a head in recent years. Addressing contested histories hence involves complex conversations, avoiding biased views and interpretations of the past.

The World Heritage Convention (1972) states: “deterioration or disappearance of any item of the cultural or natural heritage constitutes a harmful impoverishment of the heritage of all the nations of the world” – however imbalances in recognition, interpretation and ultimately, conservation of various cultural manifestations continue to exist.

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