The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to UNESCO, has released its second worldwide report on cultural heritage sites which it views as ‘in danger’. Compiled from more than 70 independent cultural heritage audits, the report’s collated statistics are what ICOMOS describes as ‘an urgent appeal to the world public to commit itself to saving our cultural heritage, more than ever before.’ In a statement, the organisation notes that the first report, released in 2000, ‘already showed in many cases that the need to influence owners, investors, organisations and corporations, the public and governments about heritage at risk, is a most important factor in achieving successful conservation results for heritage places.’ ‘As a non-governmental organisation, ICOMOS can identify monuments in danger from a strictly preservation-based perspective without political considerations, can bluntly address the absolutely desperate situation facing the historic heritage in many countries of the world, and can detect dangerous trends at an early stage,’ states the 2001/2002 report. The document identifies key ongoing factors threatening cultural heritage such as globalisation, political change and poor protective heritage legislation, as well as the displacement and forced migration of people. Established in 1999, the ‘Heritage at Risk’ program is co-ordinated by a taskforce of colleagues from Australia, Canada and Germany, and produces its annual report available in both hard and digital formats. The new report is available online at: www.international.icomos.org/risk/2001/index.html