National emergency plans & priorities

1. Does your institution have a national or regional emergency plan for the protection of heritage? N/A
2. If so, please share the document or an existing link to the document’s webpage below. Please note that if your national emergency plan’s document is too heavy, you are welcome to share a summary. N/A
3. If no such document currently exists, is the drafting of an emergency plan currently in the making? There is currently no national emergency plan for the protection of heritage but a policy preparatory study is underway. The study is centred around the following research questions: 
   
   • What are the challenges and obstacles to ensuring that action can be taken in a coordinated, decisive, and efficient manner during a large-scale disaster that exceeds the capacity of the institution’s own level?
   • What steps need to be followed by which entities when a large-scale disaster occurs?
   • What preventive and preparedness measures are required (at an overarching level)?

   We’re expecting the results in June 2025 and will then translate the results into an operational disaster strategy for heritage in Flanders. This will also be the start of an awareness campaign to raise the risk preparedness of the heritage sector and specifically the heritage managers.

Key challenges and expertise 

1. What are the challenges your institution faces in implementing/drafting an emergency plan for heritage protection? (1) One of the main challenges in drafting an emergency plan for heritage in Flanders is the division of competences between the federal and regional levels. Heritage is a regional competence whereas crisis management is coordinated at federal level. Our current research project aims to formulate suggestions for an operational emergency plan. (2) Raising awareness and creating a sense of urgency in the heritage sector. (By means of risk assessments, innovative preventive measures for heritage). (3) Making heritage resilient against long term crises (climate crisis) and embedding climate-adaptive thinking in heritage strategies.
2. Is/are there particular aspects of emergencies in the heritage sector you wish to learn more about or exchange expertise about? We would like to learn more about successful preventive measures for heritage, how to engage local authorities, the general public and the heritage sector in heritage protection and contingency planning.

Concluding questions

1. Are there any other national or international documents that your institution refers to when it comes to emergency situations and that you would like to share with the network? Yes, the the Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict with Regulations for the Execution of the Convention – Legal Affairs and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: What is the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction? | UNDRR
2. Do you have any additional remarks concerning the topic that you wish to share with the network? N/A

National emergency plans & priorities

1. Does your institution have a national or regional emergency plan for the protection of heritage? Yes and no. Projects to create a coastal climate change emergency plan are in place, however cultural heritage is just an aspect of these plans. A tailor-made plan with cultural heritage as the impetus is still being developed. 
2. If so, please share the document or an existing link to the document’s webpage below. Please note that if your national emergency plan’s document is too heavy, you are welcome to share a summary. N/A
3. If no such document currently exists, is the drafting of an emergency plan currently in the making? Yes.

Key challenges and expertise 

1. What are the challenges your institution faces in implementing/drafting an emergency plan for heritage protection? Several ‘owners’: State, Church, Church-State, Private, NGO managed. The Church controls a large amount of cultural heritage assets whilst having complete jurisdiction and superintendence over this aspect of cultural heritage.  Lack of cooperation within state entities, and between private, Church and NGOs. 
2. Is/are there particular aspects of emergencies in the heritage sector you wish to learn more about or exchange expertise about? Natural calamities (such as earthquakes or floods), Fire (natural or arson), and how different types of cultural heritage need to be treated (paper vs wood vs ceramic etc). 

Concluding questions

1. Are there any other national or international documents that your institution refers to when it comes to emergency situations and that you would like to share with the network? N/A
2. Do you have any additional remarks concerning the topic that you wish to share with the network? N/A

National emergency plans & priorities

1. Does your institution have a national or regional emergency plan for the protection of heritage? At the moment, in the Netherlands there are no emergency plans for the protection of heritage specifically. The Netherlands’ Cultural Heritage Agency advocates inclusion of heritage in more general emergency plans instead, both on a national and regional level. On the other hand, many cultural institutions, mainly museums, archives and libraries, have developed emergency plans for protecting their heritage. As a national knowledge institute, our Agency takes an advisory role in preventing heritage being damaged or destroyed by flooding, fire, extreme weather conditions and other hazardous risks.
2. If so, please share the document or an existing link to the document’s webpage below. Please note that if your national emergency plan’s document is too heavy, you are welcome to share a summary. We share online through our corporate website various sources of information on the safeguarding of cultural heritage against specific emergency risks. Unfortunately, most of the information that we produce and tools that we develop, including several documents on large-scale crisis management of national collections, are published in Dutch language only. See: Veilig erfgoed | Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed. Besides, article 2.3 of the Heritage Act calls upon the administrators and users of the so-called State Collection to have sufficient capacities regarding the safety of the collection on loan and have a safety plan themselves ready at hand. The Information and Heritage Inspectorate (part of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science) ensures compliance with the law and promotes improvements to the management and care of cultural heritage. Therefore it is supervising the quality of these safety plans and reports to the Minister of Education, Culture and Science regarding its effectiveness on a regular basis. Check: Heritage Act 2016 | Publication | Cultural Heritage Agency.   
3. If no such document currently exists, is the drafting of an emergency plan currently in the making? Not really. For the Netherlands it is crucial that in November 2024, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science initiated a so-called Task Force at director-level for enhancing resilience of the heritage sector. In this Task Force public and private parties are working together on exchanging information and knowledge about hybrid and military threats in order to prioritise actions that lead to adequate protection of heritage at a national, regional and local level. On a national level there is a so-called strategic security plan and a national security profile, which are coordinated and implemented at a regional level by the so-called security regions. These regions are obliged to prepare regional risk assessment plans concerning vital interests, and to make an analysis of available capacities, a policy plan, and an emergency plan.

Key challenges and expertise 

1. What are the challenges your institution faces in implementing/drafting an emergency plan for heritage protection? As an executive body of central government our Agency is primarily responsible for the protection of cultural heritage on a national level, be it movable, immovable, subterranean, sub-maritime or other. Although built and archaeological monuments, including UNESCO sites, have been properly listed and documented, museum collections have not yet been prioritised for emergency protection (or evacuation). Most regional and local institutions have not yet organised just-in-case support for offering protection to the heritage that they manage by including for instance local government, private enterprises and volunteers. This will change soon.
2. Is/are there particular aspects of emergencies in the heritage sector you wish to learn more about or exchange expertise about? Apart from the fact that many of our larger cultural institution are already under fire of cyber attacks by state actors and non-state actors, and that we need to work on both cyber defence and deterrence, the Netherlands is particularly prone to the risk of flooding (rise of global sea-level and river deltas). Safeguarding heritage from flooding is therefore our top priority that would include emergency evacuation of large quantities of movable cultural heritage objects on land, water and through the air to safe places.

Concluding questions

1. Are there any other national or international documents that your institution refers to when it comes to emergency situations and that you would like to share with the network? Several documents about current threats and the need to respond to them were produced by governmental advisory bodies. However, none of them focuses specifically on heritage. Therefore the workings of the aforementioned Task Force is of immense importance to reduce augmenting hybrid threats our country is facing.
2. Do you have any additional remarks concerning the topic that you wish to share with the network? As we speak, a new geopolitical reality is shaping in which Europe has to take its destiny into its own hands rapidly. In order to succeed in securing our way of living, our culture(s), and values, and freedom, ever more close cooperation between all European countries in safeguarding our common heritage is imperative.

National emergency plans & priorities

The answers below are developed by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage (Riksantikvaren). The Directorate is the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment​’s,  advisory and executive body, and responsible for implementing the national cultural heritage policy.

1. Does your institution have a national or regional emergency plan for the protection of heritage? 

   The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage has not developed a national contingency plan for the protection of cultural heritage in danger.  However, the Directorate is working on strengthening its capacity in terms of preparedness both in the face of climate change risks and other human-induced threats such as war and conflict. In the case of an emergency, a crisis management team within the organisation is activated to give advice in regards to the cultural heritage at risk, within its’ sectoral responsibilities.  

   In 2021 the Directorate launched a strategy on climate change and cultural heritage, focusing on both climate change mitigation and adaptation. An action plan following up on the strategy is updated every year. 

   The ministry of Climate and Environment has commissioned a national climate vulnerability assessment to be prepared by end of 2026. Cultural heritage and environment is one of four main topics.

   In February 2025, the Directorate launched a new guide on risk and vulnerability assessment for cultural heritage. The assessment includes both human-induced crises (such as war, terror and vandalism) and natural disasters. The main target group is managers and owners of heritage sites, particularly municipalities.

   Several counties and municipalities have put into practice the above-mentioned action points and guidelines and are in process of developing regional and local contingency plans. 

   As for a national contingency plan for cultural heritage in war and conflict (human-induced crises), the Directorate holds the national responsibility for the implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention and its 1999 Second Protocol. A comprehensive strategy and action plan under the umbrella of this convention is under planning. This document will build further on the knowledge drawn from the global experiences with human-induced crisis and identify actions that must be taken on both national, regional and local levels in Norway. The above-mentioned work will also build further on the White Paper launched by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security in January 2025, which stated that cultural heritage is an important part of, and contributor to, the resilience of civil society, both in times of peace and in war and conflict 

   The Ministry of Justice and Public Security is responsible for coordinating security and preparedness nationally.  In Norway there are four fundamental principles in regard to the work related to emergency preparedness outlined by the Government: 

    

   1. Responsibility Principle: the authority responsible for a professional area in a normal situation also has the responsibility for necessary emergency preparations and for handling extraordinary events in that area.
   2. Equality Principle: the organisation during a crisis should as similar as possible to in a normal situation.
   3. Proximity Principle: crisis should be managed organisationally at the lowest possible level.
   4. Cooperation Principle: authorities and agencies have a responsibility to ensure the best possible cooperation with relevant actors in the work of prevention, preparedness, and crisis management, across different sectors.

    

   In relation to point three, the municipalities are the level with primary responsibility for coordinating the work with safety and preparedness. This is also stipulated in national legislation including the Act on Municipal Emergency Preparedness, Civil Protection Measures and the Civil Defence (Lov om kommunal beredskapsplikt, sivile beskyttelsestiltak og Sivilforsvaret (sivilbeskyttelsesloven) – Lovdata) and the Regulation on Municipal Preparedness Duty (Forskrift om kommunal beredskapsplikt – Lovdata).

2. If so, please share the document or an existing link to the document’s webpage below. Please note that if your national emergency plan’s document is too heavy, you are welcome to share a summary. The strategy on climate change and cultural heritage: Riksantikvarens klimastrategi for kulturmiljøforvaltning – 2021 til 2030 – Digitalt

   The guide on risk and vulnerability assessment for cultural heritage: 

   Metodeveileder for risiko- og sårbarhetsanalyse av kulturmiljø – Riksantikvaren

   White Paper on Total Preparedness (see chapter 6.4 for cultural heritage as part of civil society): Meld. St. 9 (2024–2025)

   English summary of the White Paper: White paper on total preparedness: Prepared for crisis and war 

3. If no such document currently exists, is the drafting of an emergency plan currently in the making?

   Please, see question 1. 

Key challenges and expertise 

1. What are the challenges your institution faces in implementing/drafting an emergency plan for heritage protection? The main challenges are threefold:
   • In Norway, the management of cultural heritage is shared by two ministries: the above mentioned Ministry for Climate and Environment and the Norwegian Ministry for Culture and Equity with Arts Council Norway as its main advisory directorate. Upholding a comprehensive approach and management of a broad field of cultural heritage is a challenge. 
   • As an advisor for both the national and local levels, the Directorate faces several challenges when it comes to identifying and proposing actions that are sufficiently specific and doable. 
   • Even though the Norwegian civil protection system is based on well-defined responsibilities for each sector and bureaucratic level, several sectors (for instance the defence sector) and societal structures (for instance the municipalities) do not always see their responsibility and thus expect the cultural heritage sector and the state level to deliver final solutions. 
   • Preparedness for cultural heritage specifically can at times disappear in the municipalities’ work in developing general contingency plans and coordinating the work with safety and preparedness, This has also been the case nationally, though a change can be seen with the newest White Paper on Total Preparedness (2024-2025) which includes cultural heritage as an important part of Norway’s civil defence.
2. Is/are there particular aspects of emergencies in the heritage sector you wish to learn more about or exchange expertise about? It would be particularly useful to discuss with other countries how to “convert” knowledge drawn from, for instance, policies and research into practical guidance and solutions. 

   It would be interesting to here other countries experiences with cross-sectoral collaborations to work with safeguarding cultural heritage, including on different levels of governance and policy. 

   Hearing about specific incidents, and how they were handled, in relation to safeguarding cultural heritage from climate risks and/or human-induced crisis could also be useful to identify lessons learned. 

Concluding questions

1. Are there any other national or international documents that your institution refers to when it comes to emergency situations and that you would like to share with the network? English summary of the White Paper: White paper on total preparedness: Prepared for crisis and war

   Guide to Risk Management | ICCROM

2. Do you have any additional remarks concerning the topic that you wish to share with the network? No.

National emergency plans & priorities

1. Does your institution have a national or regional emergency plan for the protection of heritage? No, there is no specific plan developed by our Institute. 

   The meeting in Krakow highlighted that cultural heritage (CH) is part of the national system coordinated by the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (URSZR). In the event of a natural disaster, the Institute has the authority, granted by the Government, to directly assess the damage to cultural heritage. All collected data is recorded in AJDA, the national damage assessment system. This is followed by preparing restoration documents and supervising the implementation of restorations, which are managed operationally through Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning.

   National protection and rescue plans are developed by the above-mentioned Administration, in cooperation with ministries, other state bodies, and relevant professional organizations.

   Cultural heritage is now part of the National Plan for flood protection and disaster relief, adopted in 2024 after the severe floods in Slovenia.

2. If so, please share the document or an existing link to the document’s webpage below. Please note that if your national emergency plan’s document is too heavy, you are welcome to share a summary. Link to the document: https://www.gov.si/assets/organi-v-sestavi/URSZR/Datoteke/Drzavni-nacrti/dn_poplave_azuriran_2024.pdf

   The document specifies the tasks of Ministry of Culture, which directly collaborates with the Heritage Protection Institute. The tasks are as follows:

   • Based on the register of immovable cultural heritage provides data on immovable cultural heritage in flood-prone areas.
   • Gathers and submits data to relevant authorities about damage to cultural heritage. 
   • Participates in organizing and leading efforts to protect and rescue endangered cultural heritage during disasters.
   • Collaborates with the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, as well as with the Government Communication Office, to inform the public about the damage to CH and the necessary actions and measures.
3. If no such document currently exists, is the drafting of an emergency plan currently in the making? N/A

Key challenges and expertise 

1. What are the challenges your institution faces in implementing/drafting an emergency plan for heritage protection? Lack of heritage professionals and financial support for preventive measures, such as architectural and photographic documentation of endangered cultural heritage, as well as developing guidelines for owners and managers.  
2. Is/are there particular aspects of emergencies in the heritage sector you wish to learn more about or exchange expertise about? Are there any preventive measures and plans developed in other countries (CH Institutes)?

   We would like to share information about post-earthquake rehabilitation, and how to ensure seismic safety while preserving the original material integrity. Based on our experience from the recent earthquake in the Soča region, we observed that the structural rehabilitation of buildings was often carried out inappropriately, using excessive amounts of concrete in accordance with EUROCODE.

   How is the funding for first aid interventions provided?

   How do decision-making and leadership hierarchies in various sectors collide during natural disasters?

Concluding questions

1. Are there any other national or international documents that your institution refers to when it comes to emergency situations and that you would like to share with the network? No, but it would be beneficial to have all materials collected on a shared platform, allowing for the exchange of questions and experiences.
2. Do you have any additional remarks concerning the topic that you wish to share with the network? When natural disasters occur, cultural heritage is not the primary concern. However, there is a pressing need for prompt action, which can be time-consuming and requires well-equipped professional services. It is essential to organize a team of professionals dedicated solely to addressing the challenges posed by cultural heritage and climate change.

National emergency plans & priorities

1. Does your institution have a national or regional emergency plan for the protection of heritage? At the state level, the National Plan for Risk and Emergency Management in Cultural Heritage operates. The different autonomous regions may have complementary management instruments.
2. If so, please share the document or an existing link to the document’s webpage below. Please note that if your national emergency plan’s document is too heavy, you are welcome to share a summary.
   • Web: https://www.cultura.gob.es/planes-nacionales/planes-nacionales/gestion-riesgo-y-emergencias.html 

    

   • PDF (updated version in Spanish): https://www.cultura.gob.es/planes-nacionales/en/dam/jcr:7271e79b-5637-4cff-8a51-9baf9aedadc5/13-maquetado-emergencias.pdf

    

   • PDF (2015 foundation text in English): https://www.cultura.gob.es/planes-nacionales/dam/jcr:e57714b1-7a59-4e90-99d4-afb1f4285191/13-emergencias-y-gestion-de-riesgos-eng.pdf 

   
   Here you may also find some sources of interest among which the “Basic Guidelines for the Elaboration of a Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Emergencies Plan” (unfortunately only available in Spanish): https://www.cultura.gob.es/planes-nacionales/dam/jcr:b959be83-91e5-47e5-b6f3-608c13e4632f/guia-b-sica-para-la-elboraci-n-de-un-plan-de-salvaguarda-de-bienes-culturales-versi-n-abril-2022.pdf 

3. If no such document currently exists, is the drafting of an emergency plan currently in the making? N/A

Key challenges and expertise 

1. What are the challenges your institution faces in implementing/drafting an emergency plan for heritage protection? (1) Evolution and worsening of the ways in which climate change manifests itself and the negative effect it has on heritage preservation. (2) Emergence of new technologies, solutions and strategies that are implemented faster than heritage legislation can adapt and that do not always take its preservation into account. (3) Need to adapt to a territorial system with autonomous regions. 
2. Is/are there particular aspects of emergencies in the heritage sector you wish to learn more about or exchange expertise about? (1) Implementation of effective and rapid contingency plans in climate disaster situations. (2) Implementable and functional adaptation methods to the challenges posed by the evolution of climate change. (3) Examples of good practices in territories with similar circumstances.

Concluding questions

1. Are there any other national or international documents that your institution refers to when it comes to emergency situations and that you would like to share with the network? In 2023 the Directorate General for Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts of the Ministry of Culture launched the Green Paper on Sustainable Heritage. This hybrid tool (online and book) aims to provide strategic guidelines for the sustainable management of cultural heritage.
   • • Web available in English: https://www.cultura.gob.es/libro-verde-patrimonio/en/portada.html
     • PDF available in English and French: https://www.cultura.gob.es/libro-verde-patrimonio/descarga-lv.html 

   Regarding the actions taken after the floods we had on Eastern Spain by the end of last year you may find this publication of interest: https://civil-protection-knowledge-network.europa.eu/news/rescuing-cultural-heritage-devastation-valencia-floods  In addition, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts participates as a partner (through the aforementioned National Plan for Risk and Emergency Management in Cultural Heritage) in this project. The project is included in ICCROM’s First Aid and Resilience Programme for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis (FAR) and is called READY. Its main objective is to strengthen capacities to protect all forms of heritage (movable and immovable, tangible and intangible) against extreme risks, including disasters caused by climate change and armed conflicts in Europe and beyond. This will involve the training of a certain number of technicians from each of the participating countries over three phases, the first of which will take place this year and is aimed at the specific training of specialists in movable and intangible heritage. 

2. Do you have any additional remarks concerning the topic that you wish to share with the network? N/A