UNESCO and ICOM concerned about the situation faced by museums globally
Two separate researches conducted by the UNESCO and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) to celebrate the International Museum Day (May 18) confirm that museums have been especially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 90% of them, meaning more than 85,000 institutions, closing their doors for various periods during the crisis. Moreover, in Africa and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), only 5% of museums managed to provide their audiences with online content. Almost 13% of museums around the world may never reopen.
Both studies involved Member States and museum professional and were aimed at evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on museums and museum institutions. They also had the aim of looking into how the sector had adapted to the pandemic and studying the ways of supporting institutions once it is over.
“Museums play a fundamental role in the resilience of societies. We must help them cope with this crisis and keep them in touch with their audiences,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “This pandemic also reminds us that half of humanity does not have access to digital technologies. We must work to promote access to culture for everyone, especially the most vulnerable and isolated.”
As part of its ResiliArt movement, in mid-May UNESCO launched a series of debates concerning museums. the first three debates, held in partnership with Ibermuseums, will focus on the situation in the Ibero-American region and on exploring strategies to support museums and professionals. the ResiliArt movement aims to support artists during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, as well as to analyse relevant issues through exchange of best practices between international professionals working in the cultural sphere.
The study conducted by ICOM highlights the fact that museums that were left without their visitors will face lower incomes. It could have a serious impact on professions related to museums, their operations and outreach.
“We are fully aware of and confident in the tenacity of museum professionals to meet the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said ICOM President Suay Aksoy. “However, the museum field cannot survive on its own without the support of the public and private sectors. It is imperative to raise emergency relief funds and to put in place policies to protect professionals and self-employed workers on precarious contracts.”
Member States indicated in their responses to UNESCO surveys that key priorities for them are capacity increase, social protection of museum staff, digitization and inventorying of collections, development of online content, technical assistance and equipment of conservation laboratories. All of these require mobilization of resources.
It should be noted that, according to UNESCO, the number of museums around the world has increased by almost 60% since 2012, reaching about 95,000 institutions. This growth indicates that over the past decade, the museum sector has taken an important place in the national cultural policy. However, the study reveals significant disparities, as museums in Africa and small island developing states account for only 1.5% of the total number of museums worldwide.
These findings are aligned with the latest report on the implementation by Member States of the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Protection and Promotion of Museums and Collections, their Diversity and their Role in Society dated December 2019. in this recommendation, UNESCO emphasizes the fundamental role that museums play in education and spreading cultural values in terms of social cohesion as well as supporting local and regional creative economies.
UNESCO and ICOM will soon publish fill results of their research and will continue their cooperation in order to support museums around the world with the assistance of Member States and the networks of museum professionals.
Source: ru.unesco.org