| Resolutions
adopted by ICOM's General Assembly 1947 |
|
First
Interim Conference of ICOM
Mexico
City, 8 November 1947
Resolution
No. 1
Resolved:
That the ad hoc committee of the International Council of
Museums, appointed to review the recommendations prepared
by the Secretariat for submission to the Working Party on
Museums of the Second Session of the General Conference of
UNESCO (as contained in Documents 2C/25, 2C/26, 2C/27, and
2C/28) desires to suggest respectfully, in case it is consulted,
that said recommendations be approved in principle by said
Working Party with the proviso that priorities in respect
thereto be established in the following order: (1) Exchange
of information; (2) Exchange of personnel; (3) Exchange of
material; it being understood that problems of museum reconstruction
have general priority in any case.
Resolution No. 2
Resolved:
That it be deemed a prime point that UNESCO must provide the
Museum Section with a suitable professional staff to enable
such Section to cope with the many problems involved and that,
in case the International Council of Museums should be invited
to assume any responsibilities in respect to the implementation
of such a programme or any part thereof, said Council be supplied
by grant or grants from UNESCO with sufficient funds to enable
it to employ competent personnel of high professional quality
to enable it adequately to discharge any responsibilities
that may so be imposed upon it. ICOM on the other hand desires
to assure the Working Party on Museums and the UNESCO staff
that it desires to cooperate in every way possible within
its means of voluntary cooperation to contribute toward the
success of UNESCO's Museum programme.
Resolution No. 3
Resolved:
That ICOM support strongly the project of the publication
of a periodical defined in the letter from the Head of the
Museum Section of UNESCO to the President of ICOM, under date
of 31 October, 1947, provided that the subvention mentioned
in the said letter be made for five years at a minimum, and
be sufficiently large to permit the publication of the said
periodical at a level which shall be considered worthy of
UNESCO and ICOM.
Resolution No. 4
Resolved:
International Exchange of Objects should be encouraged in
accordance with the following points:
1.
We believe that it is of the greatest importance for every
nation that the knowledge of the cultures of the various
countries forming part of one world should be made more
widely known; 2. By these means there will be a broader
ground of mutual understanding, for through exchange of
cultural knowledge there is a common ground for peace;
3.
We believe that in the great museums of the various countries
of the world there should be an adequate and significant
representation of cultures of mankind;
4.
We believe that each country through its museums should
facilitate and implement by all means possible this interchange;
5.
We believe that there are various ways of accomplishing
this purpose:
a.
Permanent loans,
b.
Temporary loans,
c.
Interchange of collections,
d.
Purchase through legal means and where possible under scientific
control;
6.
We declare ourselves strongly opposed to the illegal excavation
and exportation, without the authority of the State, of
objects which are considered of primary importance and of
specific and unique national interest;
7.
We believe that scientific expeditions should be permitted
under proper controls and that in that permission should
be included the idea that there be as generous as possible
distribution of the materials excavated under the legal
controls of each nation;
8.
For those countries which particularly wish to obtain casts
or copies of significant objects, including scientific apparatus
and items of historical value, we believe that every facility
should be given to make this exchange or purchase;
9.
We believe, given the difficulties of monetary exchange,
that where possible this interchange be affected through
international means;
10.
We believe that first priority should be given for aid and
interchange to those countries which have been devastated
by war and to those countries which up to the present time
have not had the facilities or opportunities to complete
their universal collections.
Resolution No. 5
Resolved:
That archaeological, artistic, historical and scientific objects
properly classified as "unica" should be reproduced in some
form and placed in safe keeping, for these reasons:
The
war showed that the riches which make up the common patrimony
of humanity are exposed to destruction. But it is not only
war which threatens them so gravely. Fire (for example the
destruction of the Library of Lima), earthquakes, disasters
of all sorts could tomorrow annihilate unique treasures
for which we are all accountable to posterity. Every unique
object (books, scientific objects, works of art, archives)
should be reproduced by photography, casts, microfilm, reprinting,
facsimile, or other appropriate means and distributed throughout
the world to make sure that, should the originals disappear,
the men of tomorrow shall not be deprived of the irreplaceable
documents. If one had not had the cast of the Sinanthropus
or Pekin skull, this document, essential for the history
of the origin of man, would at present be lost. Preserving
such documents is our essential aim, and UNESCO should find
means to have unica reproduced, either by direct action
or by indirect action in the countries in possession of
treasures indispensable to general culture.
Resolution No. 6
(Submitted
by Mr McCurry on behalf of the National Gallery of Canada)
Whereas
exhibitions in public museums are among the most effective
means of achieving fundamental education and education for
international understanding, and are effective at all age
levels and at all stages of mental development and,
Whereas
the UN has specifically requested UNESCO to assist by all
appropriate means in making the purposes of the UN and UNESCO
more widely known, and Whereas the impact of visual presentation
is the most immediate and the most lasting, and
Whereas
this project can be implemented at once through existing
experienced channels and at minimum of expense:
Therefore
be it resolved that UNESCO be requested to stimulate the
sponsoring and the organization through the facilities of
ICOM of a series of appropriate exhibitions which would
embrace museum material of all suitable types and which
will include visual material suitable for all ages, especially
in those countries hitherto insufficiently privileged in
this respect.
Resolution No. 7
(Presented
by Mr Marius Barbeau of Canada)
Resolved:
That UNESCO take under consideration the project herewith
brought forward by Canada: that means be sought to establish
international archives of the voice, including native songs,
dance and ritual melodies, linguistic and phonetic, for
which there has been a need for many years by research students
and artists. (This proposed project is supported by the
following scientific institutions: National Museum of Canada,
International Folk Music Council (London), American Folklore
Society (New York), the Archives of Folklore (Quebec).)
Resolution No. 8
(Submitted
by the Committee on Training of Museum Personnel)
Whereas:
The members of ICOM discussed the whole question concerning
the training of personnel of museums, with a view to defining
the task to be undertaken by the International Committee
formed for this purpose, they consider this task as being
of capital importance. Resolved: That the Committee be composed
of representatives of different countries, charged with
keeping the Section of Museums of UNESCO informed of its
work, and that it present its first report at the General
Conference of ICOM in 1948.
(ICOM
would be happy if the section of Museums of UNESCO would
take notice of the work of this Committee and take into
consideration the work which it wishes to undertake in the
same field.)
Resolution No. 9
(Submitted
by Mr Gysin and referred to the Executive Committee for further
study.)
a.
The first, formulated by the section of Children's Museums
of ICOM, concerns the organization of meetings of this section,
the exhibitions that it plans, its budget and several related
questions.
b.
The second, a large document presented by the National Institute
of Anthropology and History of the Mexican delegation to
UNESCO, does not emanate from ICOM, but deserves deep study
on the part of the Executive Committee.
Resolution No. 10
(Presented
by Dr Paul Rivet)
Resolved:
That ICOM suggest that UNESCO contribute by what means it
has at its disposal--Press, lectures, radio broadcasts,
etc.--to the creation in the world of public establishments
consecrated to living science, to spread scientific culture
and make known the importance of research and scientific
discoveries and their results on human progress.
Resolution 11
(Presented
by Dr Shaw)
It
is urgent that technical museums of all kinds be inspired
by the new museographical methods in order to bring life
into collections which are often of incomparable richness
but which are not displayed as they deserve.
Resolution No. 12
(Presented
by Mr Locher)
Resolved:
That the Secretariat of UNESCO be asked to publish, when
possible, a book on the needs of museums and galleries of
art in the countries devastated by the war, drawn from studies
made on the spot by groups of experts.
Resolution No. 13
(Presented
by National Parks and other Nature Reserves)
Resolved:
That the Executive Board of ICOM be requested to urge in
every appropriate manner that favourable action be taken,
by the General Conference of UNESCO now in session, on the
following two proposals, they being included in "the programme
of UNESCO for 1948", and being of primary importance to
this committee of ICOM:
1.
Stimulate Member States in an inquiry on national programmes
and policies governing national parks, nature reserves,
and, in general, the conservation of wild nature and landscape
beauty, collecting information on successful experiences,
with a view to a report to a future General Conference.
2.
Sponsor an international technical conference on the protection
of nature, with a view to recommendations, which a later
General Conference would submit to Member States, aiming
at protective legislation, fauna conventions, international
agreements about migratory species, etc. (It is understood
that these proposals are in accordance with the request
of the International Conference on the Protection of Nature,
held at Brunnen, in July 1947, under auspices of the Swiss
League for the Protection of Nature, at which 24 countries
were represented).
Resolution No. 14
Resolved:
That the International Council of Museums does hereby tender
its most heartfelt thanks to the Mexican Committee for International
Cooperation Among Museums for the generous hospitality which
the members of the Council have enjoyed during their stay
in Mexico; and furthermore, be it
Resolved:
That the Council respectfully requests that the Mexico Committee
will convey to the Government and people of Mexico the gratitude
which the members of the Council feel for the privilege
of holding their Conference in a land of ancient and still
continuing artistic splendour and among a people whose penetrating
intelligence and unfailing sympathies have permanently enriched
our memories and our hearts.
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