The speaker will present the background for The First European Conference on Voluntary Organisations in the Field of Cultural Heritage, which to place in Oslo 21 – 24 September 2000. This was a result of a process within the Cultural Heritage Committee of the Council of Europe. The choice of Oslo as venue was based on the fact that The Norwegian Society for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments has been continuously active since 1844. Norway also has a very clear political consensus on the importance voluntary organisations have for consolidating democracy as a governing principle. The results of the Oslo conference were used to draft a declaration on the role of voluntary organisations in the field of cultural heritage, which was adopted by the Vth Council of Europe conference for ministers responsible for cultural heritage in Portoroz in Slovenia in 2001.