Today marks the first national Resilient Heritage Action Day. At the Collection Centre Netherlands (CCNL) in Amersfoort, the heritage sector is training with a mobile workspace to save collections during crises. The day focuses on better preparation for emergencies and the protection of cultural heritage.
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National Action Day
The Resilient Heritage Action Day is an initiative of the Dutch UNESCO Commission, Blue Shield Netherlands, and Cultural Emergency Response, taking place for the first time this year. The goal is to enhance the resilience of the heritage sector during crises, such as armed conflict, natural disasters, cyberattacks, and other emergencies. Various activities are organized across the country for and by the heritage sector. The full program of the action day can be found on the website of UNESCO.
Training in Mobile Container
The Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) is organizing a crisis management workshop for the heritage sector. Additionally, the RCE, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence, the Cologne Fire Department, and the Historical Archive of Cologne, is providing training in an emergency aid container that has been transported from Cologne to Amersfoort for the action day. The mobile container is designed to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies threatening cultural heritage, such as fire or water. The container functions as a mobile workspace and storage for materials needed for initial aid to damaged collections.
Resilient Heritage Sector
In addition to the action day, there are more initiatives to assist the heritage sector in better protecting the heritage they manage against threats of war and other crises. At the end of 2024, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science established a Taskforce for Safe Heritage aimed at making the heritage sector more resilient against the threat of hybrid conflict. This is a conflict in which military and non-military means such as cyberattacks, foreign intervention, and economic pressure are combined.
Susan Lammers (General Director of the Cultural Heritage Agency): The international security situation has deteriorated rapidly in recent years. Both military and hybrid threats put cultural heritage at risk. It is good that the Taskforce is a collaboration between governments and the heritage sector itself. Together we increase the resilience of the sector and ensure the continuity and protection of cultural institutions and cultural heritage in times of crisis.