On International Day for Monuments and Sites 2020, ICOMOS urges people to focus on shared culture, heritage and responsibility

Every year the International Day for Monuments and Sites is celebrated on 18 April. Approved by the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) event aims to encourage communities around the world to consider the importance of cultural heritage and create awareness regarding its diversity, vulnerability and the efforts needed to conserve it.Theme for 2020The theme for International Day for Monuments and Sites 2020 is Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility. The theme has been chosen by ICOMOS to highlight global unity in the face of the ongoing worldwide health crisis due to the novel coronavirus.[caption id="attachment_8274621" align="alignleft" width="380"]

Khajuraho temple. Wikimedia Commons[/caption]The theme for 2020 invites participants to explore the “idea of sharing — and its counterpoints, contestation and resistance — in relation to cultures, heritage and responsibility”.As per ICOMOS, the theme reflects the importance of heritage as part of cultural identity at a time of rapid population shift, conflict, and environmental uncertainty. It aims to highlight the relationships between cultures or cultural groups and their collective responsibility for the care and safeguarding of the significant attributes, meanings, and values of heritage.The theme connects with the ICOMOS 20th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium (GA2020) that will take place in Sydney, Australia from 1-10 October, 2020.Click here for LATEST updates on coronavirus outbreakHow to celebrateIn view of the coronavirus pandemic, ICOMOS has encouraged people to celebrate the International Day for Monuments and Sites in compliance with instructions from local and national authorities.They have advocated for a virtual celebration, including virtual conferences and round tables, webinars, online lectures, poster presentations, and livestreamed interviews, etc.Participants can share slideshows or videos under 30 seconds, upload images, share virtual tours or even use Twitter threads using the hashtags #18April, #ICOMOS, #SharedCultures, #SharedHeritage, #SharedResponsibility, #IcomosIDMS2020.The hashtag #WorldHeritageDay too is trending on Twitter with a number of people highlighting the beauty of Indian monuments.Union minister Prakash Javadekar urged people to celebrate the day while staying at home and taking virtual tours and watching videos of heritage sites.

The official handle of the Indian Railways Traffic Service tweeted about the iconic Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.