International Committee of the Blue Shield

The Blue Shield is the symbol that was established in 1956 by the Hague Convention for the protection of the historical sites in case of war situations. It also became the symbol of the International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS) that was formed in 1996 for the protection of the world's cultural heritage against war and natural disasters.

The ICBS covers, with its activities, museums and historical sites, archives and libraries. It is composed of five non-governmental organisations that deal with various fields of our cultural heritage; they unify and take advantage of their knowledge and experience in these fields as well as their international networks. These organisations are the CCAAA (Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations), the ICA (International Council on Archives), ICOM (International Council of Museums), ICOMOS (International Council of Monuments and Sites) and the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions)

The important role of the ICBS has been recognised by the 2nd Protocol of the Hague Convention that was signed in 1999 by 84 countries,including Greece.