Position on the situation in Ukraine
Representatives of ICOM Slovakia, ICOM Czech Republic, ICOM Poland, ICOM Estonia, ICOM Romania, ICOM Moldova, ICOM Austria, ICOM Lithuania and ICOM Hungary express our immense support and solidarity with Ukraine and its citizens. We wish all members of the Ukrainian ICOM association and all museum professionals from Ukrainian museums and galleries courage and strength!
Museums preserve history and show examples from the dark times of our history so that they do not have to be repeated. Our core values are freedom and democracy. Russia and Belarus, with their invasions of Ukraine, directly attack and trample on these values.
We firmly stand with the Ukrainians and are ready to offer support to our colleagues in museums in Ukraine in saving their cultural heritage, their identity and freedom.
Position of national committees
Position of ICOM (Paris) (original here: https://icom.museum/en/news/statement-russia-invasion-into-ukraine/)
On 24.2.2022, Russian military units attacked Ukraine. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) strongly condemns this violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. ICOM is particularly concerned about the risks faced by museum workers as well as the threat to cultural heritage due to this armed conflict. ICOM expects both countries, as contracting parties to the Hague Convention of 1954 on the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict and its First Protocol, to respect their international legal obligations regarding the protection of cultural heritage.
The conflict itself is deeply concerning and is likely to lead to unacceptable loss of life. ICOM therefore calls for urgent measures, immediate mediation of peace agreements between the warring parties, and coordinated efforts to ensure the safety of individuals in museums and the protection of cultural heritage. In times of conflict and uncertainty like these, ICOM must also express its deep concern about the consequences that this uncertainty will have on safety and protection.
After ensuring their own safety, ICOM urges all its members to consider their professional obligations arising from the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums regarding the preservation, maintenance, and promotion of heritage and ensuring the protection of museums and collections from all kinds of risks, including conflicts. In addition, ICOM reminds all stakeholders that there are several accessible free online tools that can help in crises like this, including, but not limited to: ICOM and UNESCO Museum Security and Disaster Preparedness in Museum Operations: A Practical Guide, ICCROM First Aid for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis – Toolkit, or UNESCO and ICCROM Threatened Heritage: Emergency Evacuation of Cultural Heritage Collections.
Furthermore, ICOM calls on members of civil society to reach out to local museums and assist them, if possible, in any way to protect their buildings and collections. It is important for local communities to support their museums as vital centres of education, research and entertainment – key reference points for local communities.
Finally, outside the immediate area of conflict, this crisis will provide opportunities for unscrupulous individuals to profit from the threat to cultural heritage. ICOM warns all stakeholders to be vigilant against the possible increase in the trafficking of cultural materials originating from the region, and ICOM reminds all national authorities in the region of their international legal obligations to protect movable cultural heritage under the UNESCO Convention of 1970 on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and the UNIDROIT Convention of 1995 on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, not to mention other international cultural agreements to protect the common cultural heritage of the humanities.
ICOM is working closely with its international partners and stakeholders in the region and monitoring the situation’s development. ICOM will continue to offer any support it can to mitigate any potential threats that Ukrainian heritage may face in the coming uncertain days and weeks.