COMOS (Council on Monuments and Sites) India, a registered body under the Indian Societies Registration Act of 1860, is a non-governmental, non-profit organization. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between COMOS and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments & Sites) on 5th day of May 2013. COMOS India is thereby the National Committee of ICOMOS. Thus, COMOS India is mandated to imbibe and practice the principles upheld by ICOMOS through its doctrinal texts, recommendations and guidelines within the Indian legal framework.
ICOMOS, an advisory body to UNESCO, is an association of professionals that currently brings together over 10,500 members throughout the world, dedicated to the conservation of the world’s cultural heritage. ICOMOS works globally through its national committees. It carries out its mandate through 110 national committees and 28 International Scientific Committees (ISC). The National Committees (NCs) represent interests of ICOMOS at the of the national committees to the international network. National Committees provide a platform for individual specialists in each country to take part in activities of ICOMOS international.
The membership of COMOS India currently consists of 354 members and 21 NSCs administered by an Executive Committee of 11 elected representatives from within the membership elected for a term of three years. The membership is a mix of conservation architects, historians, archaeologists, art historians, art restorers, museologists, engineers, urban planners, material conservators, ethnologists, heritage managers and other professions directly engaged in conservation of sites & monuments, to promote a multi-disciplinary discourse on matters impacting cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible through activities at national, regional and local level. COMOS India is represented on the international platform through participation of members in various International Scientific Committees (ISCs) as ordinary, expert & voting members.
