Founded in 1965 following the international adoption of the Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites in Venice during the previous year, ICOMOS is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to the conservation of the world's historic monuments and sites. Today the organisation has National Committees in over 107 countries. ICOMOS is UNESCO's principal advisor in matters concerning the conservation and protection of monuments and sites. Together with the World Conservation Union (IUCN), ICOMOS has an international role under the World Heritage Convention to advise the World Heritage Committee and UNESCO on the nomination of ew sites to the World Heritage List. Through its 21 International Scientific Committees of experts from around the world, and through its triennial General Assembly, ICOMOS seeks to establish international standards for the preservation, restoration, and management of the cultural environment. Many of these standards have been promulgated as Charters by the organisation as a result of adoption by the ICOMOS General Assembly. The Council runs a large Documentation Centre (which in 1986 became a partner in the Conservation Information Network) providing all researchers with direct access to the ICOMOS database.