Participation in ICOMOS Scientific Symposium 2025 in Lumbini, and Joint Survey on Preservation and Utilization of a Historic House in Kirtipur, Nepal, Part 5

　The ICOMOS Scientific Symposium 2025 was held at Lumbini Buddhist University in Nepal from 15th to 19th October, with the participation of the author from the Japan Centre for International Cooperation in Conservation.

　In Nepal, in September 2025, political unrest had suddenly arisen, and as protests against the government escalated, central governmental buildings and foreign-owned luxury hotels were set on fire. However, the establishment of an interim government brought early stabilisation of the situation, and the ICOMOS annual general assembly and scientific symposium proceeded as scheduled in Nepal.

　The ICOMOS Scientific Symposium 2025 was composed of three main sub-theme sessions, Conflict, Disaster, and Peace, with participants from various countries giving presentations. In the session on Conflict, participants from regions with ongoing conflict made presentations reporting the destructive damage to cultural heritage. Additionally, this year marked 10 years since the Gorkha earthquake, and events related to post-earthquake reconstruction were organised in Kathmandu. While the issues surrounding cultural heritage are becoming more complex and expanding, the importance of having such an international communication platform for expert exchange was strongly stressed, especially for regions facing difficult situations that cannot be resolved within their own communities alone.

　During this trip, discussions regarding the joint survey for the preservation and utilization of historic houses in Kirtipur were also carried out. This joint survey aims to explore various methods and to establish processes for the preservation of historic houses in Old Kirtipur, and a pilot case study of a historic house and a comprehensive survey for taking inventory of existing historic houses in Old Kirtipur were conducted so far.

　In Kirtipur as well, the municipality faced a severe situation during the protests in September; the city hall was set on fire and valuables such as office computers became targets of plunder. While the outlook remains uncertain until the country regains its administrative functions, we, survey team members, the mayor of Kirtipur, and local communities held dialogues on what we can do during such political unrest. On the other hand, through our survey activities so far, the connections among the Nepalese experts, who have shown willingness to conserve and preserve historic houses, are expanding, which is bringing the emergence of a new network that seeks to begin taking action independently rather than waiting for administrative support.