ICOM to Reinforce Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals

International Council of Museums (ICOM) announces concrete plans to engage with sustainable development goals

Exciting news in the world of sustainability from ICOM

This week, the International Council of Museums announced they are launching the ICOM Award for Sustainable Development Practice in Museums. Coming on the heels of the creation of two new International Committees, the Committee on Museums and Sustainable Development (SUSTAIN) and the Committee for Social Museology (SOMUS), the ICOM Award is the first global award to recognize initiatives and innovative museum practices in sustainable development. This award is the first to be addressed to all members, and is designed as a learning opportunity and a way of strengthening international engagement towards sustainable development. Entries are judged based on the Sustainable Development goals and Agenda 2030, prioritizing People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership.  

ICOM hopes that the initiative will “reinforce its commitment to Agenda 2030... and inspire an accelerated development of sustainable practices leading to long term changes for the museum sector and our common future”. 

ICOM was also present at COP28 last week, organizing panel discussions on culture and greening education and acting as a civil society representative at the High-Level Ministerial Dialogue, where the body advocated for a framework that recognised culture-based climate action. This framework, the Join Work Decision on Culture and Climate Action, was successfully adopted, although its official adoption will take place at COP29. 

Museums and Societal Collapse will be essential reading for museum professionals working in museums and galleries, as well as for cultural and civil society organizations around the world. It will also be an essential reading for academics and students of Museum and Heritage Studies, Gallery Studies, Heritage Management, and Arts Management.

Follow the links listed for more information on ICOM’s new International Committees, the Sustainable Development Award, and ICOM’s participation in COP28.