Our Global Vision - Strategic Plan 2008-2010

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Our Global Vision - Strategic Plan 2008-2010

MISSION STATEMENT

ICOM is the international organisation of museums and museum professionals that is committed to the conservation, continuity, and communication to society of the world’s diverse natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible

VISION

ICOM, the global network of museum and heritage professionals committed to the world’s natural and cultural heritage

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VALUES

ICOM values human creativity and its contribution to understanding the past, shaping the present, and mapping the future

ICOM believes heritage has a humanistic value

ICOM values global dialogue based on intellectual, cultural and social diversity

ICOM values transparent dialogue including cross-cultural understanding of human rights

ICOM recognizes museums' responsibility to society through their engagement with public issues of social change.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN

Provides the context for the Strategic Plan 2008- 2010, including opportunities and challenges

ICOM’s External Environment

Museums are recognised as integral partners in sustainable development, advocating a greater respect and understanding of the importance of heritage to the source communities. This understanding of the importance of cultural diversity leads to strategies for its protection and promotion.

Many societies are media driven and the Internet acts as a contributor to greater popular understanding of museums.

Museums participate in our changing society with an emphasis on global cultural cross-fertilisation in urban and rural areas, which presupposes flexible working systems.

Deteriorating living conditions worldwide lead to political and social

upheaval, and insufficient commitment to the developing world at all levels, including limitations on global travel.

There will be a volatile financial environment and museums will need to adapt to market realities

Global warming and the effects of climate change will touch everyone.

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ICOM’s Internal Environment

Effective internal and external communications are in place, with an information platform operational.

A reconfigured Secretariat to effectively meet ICOM’s needs is located under one roof.

There is flexibility in human resource utilisation throughout ICOM’s network. Synergies with other natural and cultural heritage partners are in place.

Diversifying and expanding revenue sources is a priority for the network.

Some countries may perceive that they are excluded; there may be tension between national and global interests.

ICOM’s dependence on the web may not coincide with the lower priority given to web access in many areas.

Strategic Objective 1

Strengthen ICOM’s global impact

Anticipated result by 2010

1 Effective and frequent communication throughout the network and about the network

Actions

1 Identify and develop the tools required to communicate across ICOM’s geographically diverse constituencies about the full range of work and issues being pursued

2 Wherever and whenever there are meetings, Executive Council, Advisory Committee, international and national committees, regional alliances, the content and the format must reflect full spectrum of ICOM’s diversity

3 Expand on the use of electronic platforms, including dotMuseum, bulletin boards and web site technologies, to facilitate interactive communication across and within the network

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2 ICOM’s reconceptualised approach to its activities and their delivery captures the diversity of its members

Actions

1 Facilitate ways of working throughout the network which ensure that all activities capture the reach and diversity of ICOM

members

2 Develop systems for ensuring the ongoing commitment to a diversity approach

3 Use the meetings of the Advisory Committee to showcase and debate the substantive work and capacities of the International Committees and National Committees

4 Effectively use multiple communication tools, such as

dotMuseum, electronic platforms, web-based technologies and electronic publishing, to present the substantive work of the International Committees, especially in relation to elements of the Strategic Plan

3 Museums are part of global fora for exploring provocative contemporary issues through interaction with non-traditional partners

Actions

1 Explore the role and function of museums as civic and social space beyond the maintenance and presentation of collections through planned presentation and discussion at ICOM and ICOM-related venues

2 Explore the role of museums as stimuli for broader community social and economic development in partnership with

international heritage and culture organizations such as IUCN, UNESCO, ICOMOS and ICCROM

3 Design ICOM programming initiatives to demonstrate how museums act as an institutional place and space for civic engagement by promoting reconciliation on cultural and social issues

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4 Active strategic partnerships that are committed to global intervention and involvement

Actions

1 Intensify partnerships with international heritage and culture organizations, such as UNESCO and UN development agencies that reflect aspects of the ICOM strategic Plan and its

relationship to broader issues of social and economic development

2 Make specific efforts to establish strategic alliances with organizations and institutions in geographic areas where ICOM is underrepresented, such as Latin-America and Africa

3 Search through ICOM’s whole network for active collaboration with unexpected partners from local to global including grass- roots organisations

4 Increase knowledge about the extent and work of ICOM’s network among international heritage and culture organizations

5 New collaborative networks for development and dissemination of ICOM’s activities

Actions

1 Actively link with international heritage and cultural

organizations to ensure cross-fertilization in ICOM’s activities, such as publications and projects

2 Link to electronically generated sources of knowledge to encourage and stimulate cross- fertilization through the website and dotMuseum

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Provide leadership in advocating the value of heritage

1 Collaborative communication systems to stimulate understanding of how heritage affects everyday life

Actions

1 Establish and promote a database of research that explore the links between conservation of objects and their social and economic context

2 Collaborate on a framework for action with heritage agencies and NGO’s

3 Expand on the use of Internationalized Domain Names (IDN ) in dotMuseum

4 Establish knowledge partnerships with cultural and heritage development agencies, such as UNESCO, UNDP, World Bank, through brainstorming sessions, publications and collaborative projects

5 ICOM seeks accreditation and active participation in

international fora including global summits of importance, such as the Davos Forum, the Social Development Forum

2 Diversified innovative approaches to the application of Code of Ethics

Actions

1 Establish a platform for dialogue among key actors (national museums) to foster access to and sharing of museum objects and data

2 Promote the importance of Code of Ethics to Funding Agencies with the view to linking ethics with development

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3 Identified as the most effective spokesperson for advancing heritage

Actions

1 Launch and publicize series of high profile multi-partnership symposia on current key issues, such as social inequity, intangible heritage, digital memory, illicit traffic

2 Recognise innovative work and work of excellence in practical applications demonstrating the value and diversity of heritage in human development through community- inclusive projects

3 Promote cross-fertilisation, hot-topics and exchanges on common themes and diverse interpretation, such as International Museum Day

Champion effectiveness and high standards in museums

1 Benchmarks reflecting various environments have been developed and applied

Actions

1 Define the various environments, as identified in ICOM’s values and in the environmental scan

2 Collect examples of standards from ICOM’s network, museums associations and pan-international organisations, and carry out comparative research

3 Communicate findings through the network, make use of electronic communication media (ICOM-L, website, etc) and standard agenda point for every Advisory Committee meeting, to establish a flexible set of benchmarks

4 Ensure that the standards as developed are always current 5 Develop interactive approaches to application of standards

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2 Communicated case studies demonstrating effective implementation of good practices

Actions

1 Define good practice according to the Code of Ethics and benchmarks

2 Commission case studies that indicate priority themes, such as current issues and challenges facing museums, from national and international committees, key museum professionals.

(Possible to use INTERCOM case study series as a model)

3 Publish case studies on best practice through innovative means and ensure monitored discussion and debate online and through all options

Anticipated results by 2010

3 The development of ICOM’s expanding network requires an awareness of ethical values

Actions

1 Make work of the Ethics Committee accessible through multiple means

2 Ensure that all international and national committees have a link to the Code of Ethics on their websites (homepage link)

3 Ensure sessions on ethics and related development issues at meetings of Executive Council, Advisory Committee and General Conference

4 Introduce diversified and innovative approaches to the application of Code of Ethics

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4 Collections are acquired, used and presented in diverse ways that stimulate dialogue

Actions

1 Ensure the links between the maintenance of heritage and provisions in the ICOM Code of Ethics regarding collections acquisition, use, and presentation, in the activities within and without ICOM

2 Embed ICOM’s cross-cultural approach locally and globally, through promotion of cultural diversity of collections and expressions of knowledge

Ensure the resources required to effectively implement the Strategic Plan

Anticipated results by 2010

1 There is evidence of improved ownership and understanding of the plan throughout the network

2 ICOM’s Secretariat has been reconfigured based on the Strategic Plan

3 ICOM’s Secretariat is housed under one roof

4 ICOM’s diversification of its revenue sources has produced

income that begins to exceed budgetary and program needs

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Actions

1

Redefine the Advisory Committee and Executive Council’s ways of working to ensure strategic focus and good governance

2 Link fund-raising and the allocation of membership revenue to the directions established by the Strategic Plan

3 Frequently review, evaluate and communicate the results for the Plan throughout the network

4 Thoroughly integrate the National and International Committees into the process for developing the 2011 - 2013 Strategic Plan

5 Set the policy and longer term targets for Development [fundraising, funding and self-generated revenue]

6 Consolidate the criteria for selecting the ICOM Secretariat’s office; research options and establish minimal/maximum time line

7 Continue and expand on the transparency and accountability of all aspects of ICOM’s financial reporting to all its members