About ICOM

Created in 1946 as a non-governmental organization, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) was initially founded by a few museums professionals - archaeologists, art historians, museologists, conservators etc...- who were concerned about the future of the world's cultural heritage after the disasters of the Second World War.

UNESCO decided from the beginning to support ICOM by giving it shelter in its Headquarters in Paris. In 1951, they started together the program "Crusades of the Museums" that contributed significantly to the recognition of the educational role of Museums. Following similar preoccupations, in 1977, the 18th of May started being celebrated as the International Museum Day.

The main concern of ICOM is the notification and the confrontation of the problems related to museums andmuseum professionals, as well as the development of the field of Museology. To achieve that the above-mentioned goal, 30 international committees have been created, each devoted to the study of a particular type of museum or to a specific museum-related discipline, such as the architecture of museums, conservation, country museums, education etc; they are composed of ICOM members who request membership.. These committees have contributed to the compilation of essential manuals like, for instance, the Code of Ethics that was adopted in 1986.

ICOM publishes for its members the periodical edition ICOM News (Nouvelles de l'ICOM) and the Study Series (Cahiers d' Etudes), as well as the magazine MUSEUM International for the wide public-it is edited in collaboration with UNESCO in English and French andis available online.

The battle given against the illegal traffic of cultural tangible property is strongly supported by ICOM which publishes regularly special editions that concern the desecration of archaeological objects and works of art. Its main goal is to achieve a harmonious cohabitation between the museums and the societies that the latter serve. Therefore, it has drawn very soon its attention to great sociological problems and has associated its activities with general initiatives that have been taken on these subjects at an international level. Some subjects that can be mentioned are: the battle against racism (1961), the International Year for the Rights of Children (1979), the International Decade of Cultural Evolution of the United NAtionas (1988-1997) and the problems of persons with disabilities (1992)

ICOM has also been heavily preoccupied with the disasters that have taken place against cultural property in countries affected by war (Lebanon, Persian Golf, former Yugoslavia, Iraq etc...). In 1996, alongside with five more other non-governmental organisations (CCAAA, ICA, ICOM, ICOMOS, IFLA), it has contributed to the creation of the International Committee of the "Blue Shield" (ICBS) , whose main concern is the protection of the world's cultural heritage in cases of war or natural disasters. Since the 1960s, ICOM also offers scientific and technical help to museums of developing countries . At present, ICOM counts almost 22 000 members globally and is active in 145 countries.