Unlocking the power of Museums for Sustainable Development

ICCROM and NEMO are happy to invite you to the online training “Unlocking the power of Museums for Sustainable Development”. José Luiz Pederzoli Jr., ICCROM, and Henry McGhie, Curating Tomorrow, will lead the four-part training session. 

The UN Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are set out as an invitation to all parts of society to take part in creating a better future. Museums can play many roles in this, through caring for and providing access to collections, education, public participation, creating jobs, training, partnerships, research and more. They also need to manage their negative impacts, for example heavy use of natural resources, and where they marginalise and exclude people. Sustainable development approaches help us to "do more good and do less harm", focusing on addressing the big challenges facing people and nature locally and globally.

For this training, NEMO and ICCROM are collaborating to develop capacity in museum professionals to fully understand sustainable development and the SDGs, to formulate key SDG-oriented challenges or aspirations to be addressed through their collections-based work, and to make and successfully implement a plan to put their ideas into practice. The workshop will draw on resources created by ICCROM’s Our Collections Matter initiative, notably the online Toolkit, an open-access resource including over 400 practical tools gathered from the heritage sector and beyond.

Outline of workshop programme:

1. Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals: how they relate to the work of museums. Understanding national and local challenges; recognizing how your organisation contributes positively and negatively to sustainable development.
2. Deciding on your sustainable development challenge/aspiration: setting goals and developing plans, using the Sustainable Development Goal targets.
3. Finding useful tools to support your project: exploring the Our Collections Matter Toolkit. Identifying relevant actors from your context to engage with.
4. What you are going to do: consolidate and share your commitments and plans.

Practical information

Selected participants are expected to join each of the four sessions on 7, 14, 21 and 28 September 2023 that all will take place from 10:00-12:30 CEST. People connected to NEMO member organisations are given priority and participate in the online training free of charge. Other people working within the museum sector are eligible to participate to a fee of 100 euro.

• Apply by sending a statement of motivation (max 1 page) and CV stating your role. Members also need to include proof of membership in NEMO.
• Find more information in the call for applications.
• Deadline to apply: 31 July 2023.

Meet the facilitators