What
is ICOM
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The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is an international organisation of museums and museum professionals which is committed to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world's natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible.
Created in 1946, ICOM is a non-governmental organisation maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations' Economic and Social Council.
As a non-profit organisation, ICOM is financed primarily by membership fees and supported by various governmental and other bodies. It carries out part of UNESCO's programme for museums. Based in Paris (France), the ICOM Headquarters houses both the ICOM Secretariat and the UNESCO-ICOM Museum Information Centre.
The 21,000 members of ICOM
in 146 countries participate in the national, regional and international activities
of the organisation: workshops, publications, training, twinning programmes,
and the promotion of museums through International Museum
Day (May 18, annually).
The membership participates in the activities of 115 National
Committees and 30 International Committees.
Some National Committees have also organised on a regional
level to reinforce their action. ICOM is affiliated with 15 international
associations.
The ICOM
Triennial Programme of Activities adopted by the General Assembly is
implemented by the ICOM Secretariat as well as National and International Committees
who contribute to the realisation of ICOM's programmes.
ICOM's activities respond
to the challenges and needs of the museum profession and are focused on the
following themes:
If you are a museum professional and wish to become a member of ICOM, please contact the Membership Service.
A wide variety of documents
about additional aspects of ICOM's organisational history and structure are
available in the Home Page.
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