Interim Activity Report of the ICOM Secretariat May 2001 - March 2002

CONTENTS

I. Administration and Finances
II. Membership Service
III. Programme Activities
IV. Communication and Publications
V. UNESCO-ICOM Information Centre

I. ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCES

1. General Secretariat

1.1. ICOM Committee meeting

• ICOM-Latvia
  The Secretary General attended the Conference "Museums of the 21st Century; missions and economic model" on the invitation of the National Committee of Latvia in Tukums, Latvia from 13-15 October 2001. He addressed the conference and facilitated working groups. The Conference was sponsored by ICOM.

1.2. Relations with ICOM partners

• ICRROM
  ICOM was represented by its Secretary General at the General Assembly of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in Rome, Italy from 21 -24 November 2001.
  
  
• UNESCO
  The Secretary General took part in a UNESCO meeting on Illicit Traffic for the Arab Region in Beirut, Lebanon from 11-14 February 2002. He informed the participants on ICOM's actions and chaired a session.

1.3. Other meeting

• IBA
  The Secretary General took part in a special workshop on the legal aspects of Illicit Traffic of Cultural Objects of the International Bar Association (IBA) in Cancun, Mexico from 28 October - 1 November 2001. He addressed the meeting and chaired some sessions.

2. Finances

Camila González Gou, Treasurer of ICOM, will present the 2001 balance sheet during the 63rd Session of the Advisory Committee and the 101st Session of the Executive Council to be held from 3 to 7 June 2002 in Paris (France). The 2001 balance has been sent by mail to the members of the Advisory Committee in May 2002. The 2002 budget will be presented to the Advisory Committee in June 2002.

3. Personnel

The ICOM Secretariat has a permanent staff of 13. However, in view of the increasing number of activities undertaken by the Organisation (increasing membership, preparation of the General Conference, organisation of workshops in the framework of the 2001-2007 Strategic Plan, development of new publications), the personnel has been extended by new temporary recruitments as well as internships:

II. MEMBERSHIP SERVICE

This report covers the period of the Organization's General Conference and Assembly in Barcelona, Spain (July 2001) and notes the beginning of action in line with the objectives of the Strategic Plan adopted by the General Assembly for the next two triennial periods.

Administration

In the management of its tasks and activities, the Unit (presently composed of two permanent staff members) avails of temporary assistance from one part-time clerk who is hired under a French government-assisted "consolidated" contract. Moreover it had to hire a temporary bilingual secretary for 11 months (from October 2001) to replace one part-time staff member who had been assigned to take over the tasks of the Administrative Officer (presently on extended maternity leave).

Membership

At report's writing (19 March 2002), the Unit ensured that services and benefits were rendered to more than 16,500 active members resident or located in 142 countries. It lapsed members who did not pay 2001 dues; for these unpaid members, all benefits including publications were suspended.

In 2001 and during the first two-and-a-half months of 2002 (at report's writing), the Unit registered 2602 new members of which 2388 were individuals. However during the same period, 2522 members were suspended mainly because of non-payment of annual dues.

The following is a résumé of membership figures at March 19, 2002:

• 16500+ active members in 142 countries
• 108 National Committees of which 46 enjoy regular membership subsidies and 3 have special subsidies for 2002
• 34 countries where members are resident but national committees do not exist
• 28 International Committees
• 14 Affiliated Associations
• 6 Regional Organizations
• 2602 new members registered
• 2522 members lapsed
• 15,351 payments received & recorded for 2001
• 1072 membership applications processed and forwarded to International Committees

The tables in Section 3 of this report give membership statistics by categories, by geographical region and by selected country.

The active National & International Committees, Affiliated Associations and Regional Organizations are listed in the Directory in ICOM News. Moreover, the names and addresses (including telephone, fax and email if available) of the National Committees' Chairs and Membership Secretaries are now listed and regularly updated on ICOM's Website.

The Unit is in direct contact with 200 members (not belonging to national committees) regarding their payments, renewals and other services.

1. National Committees

1.1. Establishment of New Committees

During its sessions held in Barcelona (July 2001) and in Paris (December 2001), ICOM's Executive Council officially approved the creation of the National Committees in Jamaica, Nepal and Malta.

1.2. Reorganised National Committees

The following Committees regularized their membership situation during the period and are again considered active: Kyrgyz Republic, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

1.3. Committees Under Reorganization

The following National Committees did not remit the minimum annual dues for 2001 nor did they communicate to the Secretariat; they are therefore considered inactive and services suspended: Burundi, Central African Republic. In accordance with membership policy, letters were sent to each member of these Committees (copies furnished to Chairs & Secretaries) encouraging them to continue their membership directly with the Secretariat and to regularize the situation of their Committee. However, services are no longer rendered to the unpaid members of these Committees.

1.4. Special Membership Subsidies

Council approved requests from three National Committees for special membership subsidies for the year 2002: Argentina, Botswana and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. These Committees are authorized to remit € 23 (or $ 27) for each individual member for 2002.

1.5. Regular Membership Subsidies

Council approved the inclusion of Vietnam in the Organization's list of countries where the individual members enjoy membership subsidies. This revised list (see appendix page) presently has 98 countries. Forty-six (46) of these 98 countries have active National Committees.

1.6. ICOM Fund

Contributors to the Fund in 2001 were France and Switzerland.

Council approved financial assistance from the Fund for members resident in the following countries: Mali and Bosnia & Herzegovina for 2001; Vietnam for 2002.

1.7. Meetings of National Committees

The Membership Officer attended a meeting of the German National Committee held in conjunction with the Belgian National Committee in Brussels (December 2001). At the same time, she also attended a special meeting of CEICOM Chairpersons convened under the auspices of the German Committee. Chairs & other delegates from the following National Committees attended: Austria, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia, Czech Rep., Slovakia. The Membership Officer attended the General Assembly of the French National Committee at the newly-renovated Musée des Arts & Métiers in Paris (October 2001).

2. International Committees

During the period, a new committee was established and officially approved by Council: the International Committee of Memorial Museums for the Remembrance of the Victims of Public Crimes (IC MEMO). Another international committee on City Museums was provisionally approved but is not yet fully operational.

The status of the International Assn. of Museums of Arms & Military History (IAMAM) as an official International Committee (to be called ICOMAM) is held in abeyance until its membership formally approves its new status at its general assembly scheduled for June 2002. At report's writing therefore, IAMAM is still considered as an affiliated association of the Organisation.

As noted in this report's preface, the Unit processed 1072 new applications for membership during the period. Further, the Unit continues to furnish the Committees' secretariats with their updated membership lists and newly-processed application forms on a quarterly basis; sticky labels and lists on electronic format are also furnished upon request.

2.1. Regular annual subsidies

Council approved the subsidies to International Committees as based on their active voting membership. This list (doc. EZ/CF/01/32) was drawn up on November 30, 2001 (see appendix page). International Committees are entitled to receive € 6.40 for each active voting member.

2.2. Meetings

The Chairs of ICFA, CIMUSET and NATHIST visited the Secretariat during the period and met with the Membership Officer.

3. Membership Statistics

The following tables show the membership situation for the period: number of paid-up members by category, by region and by selected country for 2001 & 2000 (Numbers are valid at March 19, 2002).

TABLE I

TABLE II

Comments:

• Reminders regarding unpaid dues were sent to the Committees in October and November 2001, and again early in 2002, but many replies to these reminders (sent by electronic or regular airmail) came late in 2001 or in 2002.
• Although the Unit was informed by several National Committees that payments were to be remitted, several payments and corresponding lists of paid-up membership were received late, thereby causing a delay in the processing of the dues.
• Membership data for 2001 is still due from Hungary.
• Shortfalls for 2001 are still due from the following Committees: Rep. of Korea, Romania, Spain, U.K., Togo, Mauritania and Ukraine.
• Most of the Arab States are included in the rubric for Africa, a few are included in the European region. North America is composed of the United States & Canada. Mexico is included with Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Programme activities in the two regions targeted for the period (Asia/Pacific, Latin America & the Caribbean) did not automatically translate to increase in membership.
• The experimental monthly renewal system used by the American Committee from 1999 did not lead to any increase in its membership.

TABLE III

Thirteen Largest National Committees

The 13 largest National Committees, in terms of their registered paid-up membership for 2001 (received by the Secretariat at March 19, 2002) are the following: (The numbers in parentheses are the paid-up members recorded for 2000.).

5. Regional Organisations

In close collaboration with the Projects Officer, the Unit's staff assisted with the extraordinary one-day meeting of ICOM Arab held in UNESCO House on February 1, 2002. The following National Committees were officially represented: Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan. Vacancies in the Organization's Board were completed during the meeting.

6. ICOM Foundation

The Unit manages the supporting memberships of the ICOM Foundation (37 active individuals at March 19, 2002). It collects annual dues from these members and in return ensures that services are rendered to them (ICOM cards, publications, documents.)

7. Honorary Members

Mr. Sid Ahmed Baghli (Algeria) was nominated as an honorary member at the General Assembly in Barcelona. The Organization presently counts ten (10) honorary members from the following countries: Algeria, Brazil, Czech Republic, France (2), Israel, Italy, Nigeria, Russia, United Kingdom. The Unit ensures that services are automatically rendered to them (ICOM cards, publications).

8. ICOM News

The Membership Unit handles subscriptions to ICOM News (invoices, renewals, payments, distribution) from non-members (approximately 50). The Unit also ensures complementary dissemination of the newsletter to a selective mailing list (comprising mainly of key UNESCO staff members, UNESCO National Commissions, Permanent Delegations to UNESCO, National Libraries and Documentation Centres). At March 19, 2002, this list had 500 names and addresses.

9. Strategic Action Plan

In line with the Strategic Action Plan, the following actions were taken:

A core Membership Policy was drawn up by the Membership Officer. This draft policy was submitted to Council at its December 2001 session.

In close collaboration with key communication staff, research onto a feasible and viable on-line directory of members was conducted by the membership staff. A report will be submitted to Council (and Advisory) for consideration.

The Officer evaluated the use of Spanish in the Unit as a communication tool with National Committees; a memo was submitted to the Secretary General.

10. UNESCO General Conference/NGOs Liaison Committee

At the request of the President of the Advisory Committee and the Secretary General, the Membership Officer attended several sessions of the Administrative Commission of UNESCO's 31st General Conference as well as several plenary sessions (October-November 2001). She also attended the information sessions of the NGOs Liaison Committee and its International Conference (December 2001). The Officer (with the Secretary General) attended several meetings of the Liaison Committee devoted to a proposed move of the Secretariat's offices from the Miollis premises to another building. Reports and memos were submitted to the Secretary General regarding these meetings. At the request of UNESCO, the Membership Officer vacated her office in November 2001.

11. Other matters

Official documents

The Officer reviewed and revised official documents for dissemination to newly-elected officers of National and International Committees: Manual of Administrative Procedures for the Component Bodies of ICOM (August 2001), For More Information (August 2001) and parties interested in establishing national committees in their countries: Membership Kit (November 2001).

Appendix:

III. PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES SERVICE

The Strategic Plan 2001 - 2007 adopted by the ICOM General Assembly on Friday, 6th July 2001, in Barcelona, Spain, contains three major objectives for the period 2001-2007. During the period covered by this report, the Programme Activities Sector has undertaken the following activities towards the implementation of these objectives.

OBJECTIVE 1: ICOM is recognised as the international leader in the museum field, and a respected voice on issues affecting protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage.

1.1. Programme for the Protection of Latin-American Cultural Heritage. Red List of Endangered Latin-American Cultural Property

At the time of writing this report, ICOM, together with the Ministry of Culture of Colombia is organising the Third Regional Workshop for the Fight Against Illicit Traffic of Cultural Property, in Bogota, Colombia, from 23 to 26 April 2002.

The conference, funded by the Prince Claus Fund, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will reinforce the action that ICOM has already taken in the fight against illicit traffic throughout the world. It will focus on establishing regional co-operation, strengthening security in museums, and developing public awareness, policies and actions to protect the region's heritage.

Within the Workshop, a Working Group composed of a selection of some 40 participants, mostly from Latin-American countries, but also from other parts of the world, will meet in parallel sessions to the main conference on the afternoon of the 24th and all day on the 25th, and the morning of the 26th, to draft a Red List of categories of objects most affected by looting and theft in Latin America. As with ICOM's Red List of African archaeological objects which has been instrumental in protecting these objects, this Latin-American Red List will be largely diffused world-wide.

A preparatory meeting for the Workshop was held in Barcelona in July 2001 on the occasion of ICOM's General Conference, with the former president and other representatives of the ICOM Colombian Committee, together with the Programme Activities and the Communication sectors, in order to define the role of the local national committee and advance the content and organisational aspects of the project. Estimated prices for the local expenses were also fixed.

Thereafter, the Programme Activities Sector made contact with Ministry of Culture of Colombia, the representatives of the Colombian National Committee, and the Regional Organisation of ICOM for Latin America and the Caribbean to set the dates, and to co-ordinate the programme. It then carried out in-depth research and consultations to establish a list of proposed specialists to participate in the workshop for drawing up the Red List of most endangered Latin-American cultural heritage objects. Specialists from all the Latin-American countries have been invited by ICOM, as well as two persons from Africa who were instrumental in drawing up the African Red List, and other specialists from the market countries.

During the week of 15-21 February 2002, the Programme Activities Officer, together with Lucia Astudillo who was designated Regional Coordinator for the meeting, travelled to Bogota to meet with the representatives of the Ministry of Culture of Columbia, the Colombian National Committee of ICOM, and members of the Colombian Coordination Unit for meetings and discussions on the division of tasks, the programme and agendas for the conference and workshop, the participants to be invited by Colombia, and those invited by ICOM specifically to work on the Red List, logistics and finances. Meetings were held with the Minister of Culture, representatives of the Convenio Andrés Bello and the USA Embassy. Television and press interviews were given, and others were planned for the April meetings. At the end of March, the list of Red List working group participants was finalised, and arrangements made for their travels to Bogota and participation in the workshop. The next phase of this activity will be the publication and diffusion of the Red List of Latin-American Cultural Heritage.

1.2. Protection of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan

In view of the grave situation which has prevailed in Afghanistan over the past years, ICOM has been repeatedly contacted to initiate activities and publications for the safeguard of the Afghan heritage. Together with UNESCO, it has studied ways to produce an issue of the "One Hundred Missing Objects" series on "Looting at the Kabul Museum". However, due to the difficult legal situation surrounding the objects, a decision on the form and format of a publication has proven difficult. A meeting was thus organised on 26 November 2001 with international experts on the subject, functionaries of UNESCO, and the Direction des Musées de France, in order to discuss the way forward. The official and legal situation is still in flux within Afghanistan, and discussions are still ongoing with ICOM's partner organisations as to how we might proceed.

1.3. Museums Emergency Programme - Preparedness and Response in Emergency Situations

The aim of this long-term six-year programme is to advance understanding and awareness of the nature of disasters phenomena and how to limit and contain damage by using preventive conservation measures and rapid interventions in order to safeguard cultural heritage. The programme can be considered within the framework of the concerns of the International Committee of the Blue Shield which was set up to facilitate international response to threats or emergencies through co-operation at global level. It is divided into modules which include surveys, training workshops, conferences, production of support material, etc. some of which can be implemented in parallel.

This programme was presented to possible partners in Barcelona in July 2001 on the occasion of the General Conference. A meeting was organised by the Programme Activities Sector with the Getty Conservation Institute, ICCROM, ICOM-CC and ICMS representatives in order to explain the aim of the programme and the possible implication of the partners. The representatives present confirmed that there is a need for such a programme in the museum and conservation community, and that they will be glad to collaborate and help as much as possible towards its successful implementation.

Additional meetings were held at the ICOM Secretariat: in November 2001 with three persons from the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) who will be active in the Programme; in December 2001 with the Director General of ICCROM; and in February 2002 with a programme officer of ICCROM to discuss the possible implications of the institutions. Cristina Menegazzi also presented the programme to the ICOM-CC board on the occasion of their meeting in Ottawa (Canada), in December 2001. The ICOM-CC board members are disposed to active involvement in the programme especially by publicising it, by identifying regional institutions for closer collaboration and by suggesting key persons who could help in collecting information and be directly implicated in the programme.
An article on the programme will be published in the ICOM-CC Newsletter in order to present the programme to the conservation community.
A poster presenting the programme will be prepared and presented in occasion of the ICOM-CC Triennial Meeting in Rio, in September 2002.
Apart from the module concerning the Training Workshops, for which the GCI has promised to finance the travel, room and board of the participants and to provide human resources, finances are not secured as yet for the rest of the programme, which has been submitted to the Sida and the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs for financial support.

1.4. International Committee of the Blue Shield

The meeting of 1st of October 2001 produced the following results:
ICOM was given the task of producing the new ICBS leaflet which has now been printed. IFLA is in charge of the ICBS web site under construction.
Status of partners, such as UNESCO and ICCROM: It was agreed that UNESCO has a working relationship with ICBS, and that ICCROM is an organisation with consultative status with ICBS. The requirements for the creation of National Committees of the Blue Shield were approved and are now available.
The newly established British and Irish National Committee of the Blue Shield was presented together with its web site and its survey on risk preparedness.
Mrs. Christiane Logie, an ICOM member from Belgium, was designated ICBS Secretary.

At another Blue Shield meeting held on 28 January 2002, the new leaflet was distributed. The possible involvement of the four NGOs concerning the Afghanistan situation and the possible actions to undertake were discussed, as well as general policy on dealing with individual countries and events, the ICBS Web Site, and the ICCROM experience in Arequipa emergency response. The next meeting is planned for the 29 April 2002.

1.5. Workshop on Museums, Intangible Heritage and Globalisation -- Asia Pacific Approaches, and Workshop on the Protection of Cultural Heritage in South Asia

The Sida has recently pledged funding for these two activities which will be organised in collaboration with ICOM-ASPAC.

The former, a Workshop on Museums, Intangible Heritage and Globalisation, will be held in conjunction with the Regional Assembly of ASPAC, in Shanghai, China, from 20 to 24 October 2002.

During the past twenty years ICOM has been fostering a more inclusive professional practice in heritage management that brings together tangible and intangible heritage. During the proceedings of the ICOM general assembly in Barcelona, July 2001, several meetings emphasised the need to develop diverse approaches to identify, train and manage resources that are intangible along with tangible resources.

ICOM membership commitment to protecting the vulnerable intangible heritage is so great that the theme of ICOM's General Assembly and General Conference of 2004 is Intangible Heritage. However, the current level of professional dialogue needs to be grounded in a regional context of the Asia Pacific. This is even more important in the face of globalisation that poses the greatest threat to the continuity of intangible heritage in diverse cultural situations. It is this concern that has led the ICOM Asia Pacific Organisation to identify a focussed workshop on intangible heritage as a preparatory activity, the outcomes of which would inform the ICOM 2004 General Assembly in Seoul. In order to assist countries of the region to take better advantage of participation in the Seoul meeting, the workshop will be facilitated in October 2002.

For the preparation, implementation and follow-up of this Workshop, ICOM will collaborate closely with ICOM-ASPAC and with the ICOM National Committee of China.

The second activity, a Workshop on the Protection of Cultural Heritage in South Asia, is planned to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh towards the end of 2003. In the wake of the success of the Workshop organised in Hanoi, Vietnam, in April 2001, on the same subject for Southeast Asia, the need has been felt to provide assistance to the South Asian region particularly affected by theft and looting, to initiate heritage protection actions for the museum professionals of the region and to inform people of the efforts the professionals of this region are undertaking. Thus, in close collaboration with ICOM-ASPAC and the ICOM National Committee of Bangladesh, a five-day workshop will be organised for professionals (heritage, police, customs, ministries…) from the entire South Asian region and other countries of the world. The overall aim of the workshop is to establish a new approach to the problems by increasing regional co-operation, and developing new strategies to sensitise decision makers, police and customs, local populations and the general public world-wide.

1.6. And finally, a project on Museums, Communities and Cultural Tourism: Towards a Universal Charter on Cultural Tourism, has been presented to The Ford Foundation. This project proposes two workshops, one in Asia and one in Africa (which would be organised in association with AFRICOM) to enhance and complete actions already taken in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Arab States, to draw up elements for a Universal Charter on Cultural Tourism which will include the moveable heritage.

OBJECTIVE 2: ICOM advances the sharing of professional knowledge and museum practice internationally through mutual assistance, and actively encourages new models of collaboration.

2.1. Museum Education Project of Africa, Phase II -- Bringing communities closer to the museum.

Under contract with UNESCO's Dakar Office, the first phase of the Museum Education Project of Africa (MEPOA) consisted in a Workshop on Museum Outreach Activities, held in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, in June 1999. There, innovative education programme concepts for museums in Africa were presented and discussed, and a pilot project was proposed. This project was designed to promote and highlight the importance of the work carried out by women within the community -- in this case, the production of pottery by the village women -- and to thus forge closer inks between local people and museums. The idea was to design a pilot project which could be transported to other African countries to build bridges between museums and village communities, to provide an opportunity for the people living in such communities to find out about their own heritage and to help them realise that it is through their activities that heritage is kept alive. The activity was carried out in Burkina Faso in two time frames: 3 to 20 March 2001, and 26 May to 15 June 2001 in collaboration with the Directorate of Cultural Heritage, and an international expert working with the communities and the Museum of Civilisations of Poni, in the province of Gaoua. It enabled the production of an itinerant exhibition on pottery, and the development of a kit containing a video, a cassette, slides and a brochure on mounting an exhibition. This kit will be available at the ICOM Secretariat and/or AFRICOM Headquarters, to enable the implementation of similar activities in other countries of Africa.

2.2. Museums and Communities: towards the creation of a Mayan Network

The Programme Activities Sector is collaborating with the Culture Heritage Division of UNESCO in structuring the project: Museums and Communities: towards the creation of a Mayan Network, and in particular in the "Survey of the relationship between museums and communities in five Central American Countries" (Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico). This survey is being undertaken in the framework of the Programme and Budget of UNESCO approved at the 31st Session of the General Conference in November 2001. It concerns the protection of tangible heritage, and is an initiative of the Division of Cultural Heritage in collaboration with ICOM, ICCROM, and UNESCO's Field Offices. Its aim is to encourage co-operation between museum professionals and indigenous people, in particular Mayan communities. The ultimate goal is to encourage cultural diversity and foster cultural activities that contribute to the development of the Mayan communities.

A representing member of each partner institution met in February 2002 at UNESCO Headquarters to prepare the questionnaires which will be distributed amongst local communities and national institutions, government departments, research institutes, museums which either host Mayan artefacts in their collections or are situated in areas where Mayan communities are located. The results of this survey will serve to prepare a long-term pilot project for improving conservation, management and training capacities of selected museums and their Mayan communities, to enable them to jointly design and implement cultural projects that contribute to local development. A reference glossary for the survey has been defined.

2.3. The Museum Forum - Community involvement in Conservation

The Programme Activities Service is working very closely with ICOM-CC on this project to integrate the regular programme of ICOM-CC's 13th Triennial Meeting, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in September 2002, with the support of and the knowledge and skills of local communities especially of Latin America and other parts of the world in the field of conservation.

The participants invited to the Museum Forum will participate actively in the plenary sessions and in the working groups throughout the entire Meeting, in order to contribute to the discussion with their specific knowledge and to raise awareness on the role of conservation and the needs of their region in this domain. A publication with the written contributions to the Museum Forum and plenary sessions of the Triennial Meeting of ICOM-CC is also foreseen.

  The Museum Forum project proposal was presented to the ICOM-CC board in Ottawa in December 2001 and was greatly appreciated, especially as ICOM-CC wishes to work more closely with the ICOM Secretariat .
The general programme of the ICOM-CC Triennial Meeting will include a full day - Wednesday 25 September - dedicated to the Museum Forum: Community Involvement in Conservation and will illustrate collaboration between conservation professionals and local communities in order to preserve Latin America's cultural heritage, with the aims to strengthen the network of individuals and to share the experience of community involvement in conservation, something of relevance to the profession and the entire museum community.
Some case studies on conservation and community involvement from other regions of the world (Pacific, Africa, Asia, Europe…) will be presented.
Financial support has been granted to ICOM from the Getty Grant Programme in order to cover the participation costs of 10 conservation professionals from Latin America and 16 conservation professionals from developing countries of Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Islands; and the costs of 15 community representatives involved in conservation issues, 10 coming from Latin America and 5 from other regions of the world.
Additional funds must be raised for the Museum Forum especially in order to cover other participation, the publication of the proceedings of the plenary sessions of the ICOM-CC Triennial Meeting and some secretariat expenses. Funding requests have been sent to UNESCO (Cultural Heritage Division) and to the Convenio Andrés Bello, a private non-profit Institution based in Bogota, which is very active with regard to Latin-American communities. Consulates which are based in Rio will also be contacted to ask them to finance the participation of persons coming from their countries and also to contribute for the simultaneous translations, local transportation, official dinners, publication or other.

2.4. Collaboration with sister organisations on the African continent

The Programme Activities Sector continues to provide support to AFRICOM Headquarters in Nairobi, in particular in the way of information, advice on programme activities and documents. It has sent shipments of all the AFRICOM publications to be held and distributed by Nairobi Headquarters, as well as copies of pertinent activity reports and other information.

In the context of the establishment of a Regional Museology Training Centre at the Nubia Museum, ICOM has been requested by UNESCO to send a questionnaire to the Arab States and the African countries in order to establish a database on the general situation of museums in the regions, and to determine their training needs in view of setting up and providing appropriate training programmes. So as not to overlap with the questionnaire that the Programme for Museum Development in Africa (PMDA) is sending to English-speaking African countries, ICOM is collaborating with the PMDA for the sharing of results of its respective questionnaires. AFRICOM has offered to distribute ICOM's questionnaires for the French-speaking African countries, which will also contain a call for expertise and CVs of competent persons who could be called upon for contractual services. All persons and institutions replying to the questionnaire will receive the results of the survey, which will be shared with the PMDA and the Ecole de Patrimoine Africain in Benin.

2.5. Training sessions at the Nubia Museum

In the context of UNESCO's International Campaign for the Establishment of the Nubia Museum in Aswan and the Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in Cairo, ICOM has been instrumental and active in finalising the training for the senior staff members of the Nubia Museum that had begun in 1993.
Under contract with UNESCO, three workshops were recently organised at the Nubia Museum to complement the Nubia Museum staff training, and to build their capacity to assume the role of local trainers.

From 3 to 13 November 2001, two training sessions were held. They were devoted to Museology Training for Trainers and Museum Management, with a total of approximately 50 participants.
A third session, on Collections Management, with approximately 30 students, was given from 19 to 29 December 2001.

2.6. Development of the Regional Training Centre for Museology and Conservation of the Nubia Museum

The wish of the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation for the Nubia Museum to become a Regional Training Centre for Museology and Conservation has become a reality. ICOM, under contract with UNESCO, has been requested to provide publications and translations of important publications into Arabic for the Documentation/Research Centre, and to advise on necessary additional equipment and materials.

The publications and equipment have been selected and costed. The equipment will be purchased in Cairo, and the publications, a selection of which will be translated into Arabic, will be purchased by ICOM and dispatched to the Nubia Museum.

In order to determine training needs in view of setting up and providing appropriate training programmes at the new Regional Centre in Nubia, a questionnaire is being sent to the Arab States and Africa. In obtaining results from the sub-Saharan English-speaking countries, ICOM will collaborate with the PMDA which is sending a training needs assessment questionnaire to those countries. As concerns the French-speaking African countries, ICOM will collaborate with AFRICOM in distributing the questionnaire. The results obtained, for the entire African continent and the Arab States, will be entered into a database and analysed, and a regional strategy of training in different domains of museum studies and a detailed training programme will be developed and proposed to UNESCO and the Executive Committee for the Egyptian museums.

Along with the request to fill in the questionnaire, a call for expertise is being made in order to establish a database of experts able to undertake consultancies in the different museum fields.

During the meetings of the Bureau (June 2001) and the Executive Committee (January 2002) and of the International Campaign for the Egyptian museums, ICOM has also been following very closely the progress in the construction of the Nubia Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in Cairo, for which it had already presented a training programme similar to the one implemented by ICOM for the personnel of the Nubia Museum. In view of the specificities of this new museum, ICOM is in contact with UNESCO and the international mission team to develop this programme in relation to the specificities of the museum.

2.7. Extraordinary Meeting of ICOM-ARAB, UNESCO House, 1 February 2002

In order to reactivate the ICOM Regional Organisation for the Arab States, an extraordinary meeting of ICOM-Arab was held at UNESCO on 1st February 2002, with the active participation of the Cultural Heritage Officer of ALECSO, the Assistant Director General for Culture and personnel from the Cultural Heritage Division of UNESCO. More than 30 participants from 14 Arab States attended this meeting, which enabled an update on ICOM National Committees in the Region, the election of the Vice-Presidents, Treasurer and Deputies of ICOM-Arab to complete the Board elected during the last ICOM General Conference in Barcelona, and the establishment of a programme of activities with specific persons designated to ensure their implementation. The comprehensive Minutes of this Extraordinary Session of ICOM-ARAB are available at the ICOM Programme Activities Sector.

OBJECTIVE 3: ICOM achieves a dynamic, supple and consistent framework for communications and advocacy on behalf of museums internationally.

3.1. Workshop on the Use of New Technologies for Museums, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, 22 to 25 August 2001.

This workshop, organised within in the framework of ICOM's Framework Agreement with UNESCO, and in collaboration with the Museums Association of the Caribbean (MAC), was ICOM's first activity in the Caribbean region.
The aim of the workshop was to assist museums in this relatively geographically isolated region, to make better use of the Internet to enable them to fill their communication gap.
Prior to the workshop, in order to assess the situation in the Caribbean region concerning the use of new technologies with special regard to the Internet, and possible needs for training, questionnaires were sent to 90 different institutions on all islands of the region. 33 were filled in and returned to ICOM Secretariat.
20 participants from 16 islands of the Caribbean region attended the Workshop --people of different cultures and museological profiles. Manus Brinkman and Cristina Menegazzi ensured ICOM Secretariat participation and coordination.
The workshop lasted 4 days, with participants, divided into pairs, working on real Web site projects throughout the Workshop.
At the end of the Workshop the Web sites created by the participants were presented, and follow up activities were identified and discussed by the participants. A discussion list for the Caribbean museums will probably be developed and managed at local level, and details of the Workshop can be found on the ICOM Web page.
Two other workshops on the same subject are planned for the Pacific Islands and Central Asia. The projects outlines have been submitted through UNESCO to the Japanese Government for funding under the Japan Funds-in-trust for the Preservation of the World Cultural Heritage.

IV. COMMUNICATION AND PUBLICATIONS SERVICE

The tasks of the service are:

• to promote ICOM within the museum community and among the partners of the organisation;
• to support the activities of ICOM in general and to participate in programmes to raise awareness and to fight against the illicit traffic of cultural property in particular;
• to organise the dissemination of information inside and outside the organisation;
• to develop information tools and manage the institutional communication media;
• to manage and circulate the publications of the Secretariat and assist the Committees in creating and producing publications.

Human resources:
The team is composed of three people:

• The head of the team: Valérie Jullien
• An editorial assistant: Saskia Brown
• An Internet assistant: Carla Bonomi

During the period May 2001-March 2002, the team was assisted by temporary staff. Miss Aude Leguennec and Mrs. Caroline Taylor-Bouché collaborated in the activities of the Service. Miss Guénaëlle Marquis also contributed to the work of the Service as an intern.

Financial resources:

• For promotional activities: An operating budget for regular activities is allocated every year. It covers mainly:
  • - the production or reproduction of promotional and institutional documents (leaflets, brochures, reports, etc);
  • - the International Museum Day.

• For publications: The budget covers the production and distribution of ICOM News and the Study Series. Occasional publications are financed through fundraising.
  
  
• For electronic activities and the Internet site: The budget only takes into account the operating costs (server, maintenance, etc).

Collaboration with the other Services of the Secretariat
The Communication and Publications Service collaborates closely with all the other Services of the Secretariat. It develops joint activities with the Information Centre, the Programme Activities Service and the Membership Service.

ACTIVITIES

OBJECTIVE 1: ICOM is recognised as the international leader in the museum field, and a respected voice on issues affecting protection and conservation of the world's cultural and natural heritage.

1.1. Promoting awareness of the need to protect world heritage and fight against the illicit traffic of cultural goods

• Looting in Europe: promotional campaign
  The publication of Looting in Europe (the 4th volume in the series "One Hundred Missing Objects") was backed by an extensive international press campaign, organised in collaboration with the Heritage Departments and National Committees of the countries concerned. Press conferences and professional presentations of the book were organised in Prague (Czech Republic) in March 2001, Budapest (Hungary) in May 2001, Rome (Italy) in June 2001 and Paris (France) in October 2001.
  
  The documents for the press were prepared in English and French, as well as in the languages of the countries concerned. The authors and institutions participating in the editing of the book attended all the presentations. Each event received financial support from the host country and institution. A press review was compiled at the end of the campaign.
  
  Thanks to this active promotional campaign, the project increased awareness of the fight against illicit traffic among professionals, governments and the press. It also contributed to strengthening ICOM's position as a leader in this sphere. Finally, the project helped heritage experts to reinforce their own national policies on this issue.
  
  In more concrete terms, the distribution of the book and the awareness campaigns have resulted in the return of two objects in the Czech Republic.
  
  
• The Red List: press release on restitutions
  Following the publication of the Red List (January 2000) and the positions adopted by ICOM and its Committees on the presence of objects on this list in museums and private collections, a press release was issued in March 2002 on recent developments between France and Nigeria, and the return of an object to Burkina Faso by a German collector. The purpose of these press releases is to inform members and the press of the success achieved by the Red List and the action taken by ICOM in this field. They also serve as a reminder of the position adopted by ICOM on the restitution of objects and the ethics of acquisitions.
  
  
• Looting in Angkor: restitution by the Honolulu Academy of Art
  Published in 1994, Looting in Angkor led to the restitution of many objects from the Angkor site. The Honolulu Academy of Art returned another two objects to Cambodia in April 2002. The President of ICOM was invited to the official handing over ceremony. In addition, a representative of the Honolulu Academy of Art was invited to participate in the annual meeting of AAM/ICOM to talk about this restitution. In this way, American members of ICOM were informed of the activities of the organisation in this field.
  
  
• Session on the ethics of acquisitions
  In collaboration with the Ethics Committee, the Service organised a session on the ethics of acquisitions during the ICOM General Conference held in Barcelona in July 2001. Geoffrey Lewis (Chairperson of the Ethics Committee) chaired this session. Three speakers participated and presented their institution's policies on acquisitions: R. Anderson, British Museum; Pavel Jirasek, Department of Cultural Property Heritage, Czech Republic; and Lorenz Homberger, Rietberg Museum, Switzerland.
  
  
• Preparation of the Latin American Red List and the Bogota Conference (April 2002)
  The Communication and Publications Service has been collaborating closely with the Programme Activities Service in the conception and organisation of the Bogota Conference relating to the preparation of the Latin American Red List.
  
  
• Miscellaneous
  ICOM's institutional communication media (ICOM News, Web site and ICOM-L) help to disseminate information about the protection of world heritage in general and the activities of ICOM in this sphere in particular. ICOM uses its communication media to publish information on these topics and it also regularly provides opportunities for its partners and members to disseminate their own information.
  
  The Service is the focal point for the press on such matters. The Committees and members of ICOM, as well as other institutions, frequently turn to the Service for information relating to the fight against the illicit traffic of cultural property.

OBJECTIVE 2: ICOM advances the sharing of professional knowledge and museum practice internationally through mutual assistance, and actively encourages new models of collaboration.

2.1. The fight against the illicit traffic of cultural property

In order to reinforce its action to protect cultural heritage, ICOM has strengthened its collaboration with other institutions involved in this field. ICOM has, in this way, become an invaluable partner of INTERPOL and the World Customs Organisation. It works closely and on a daily basis with UNESCO on such matters. The organisation has also recently forged close links with the Illicit Antiquities Research Center, the Leiden Network and the Museum Security Network.

ICOM is also interested in developing ties with national institutions, especially with a view to promoting international Agreements and respect for professional ethics. Finally, ICOM has fostered close collaboration between members of ICOM and the Committees over the production of the publication Looting in Europe.

2.2. Dissemination and sharing of knowledge

• ICOM News
  • Thematic file "Focus"
    The objective of ICOM News, the main communication tool between ICOM and its members, is to give full reports on the activities of the organisation and its bodies. The contents of ICOM News were recently enriched by a thematic file entitled "Focus", on topics that are the subject of debate within organisation or connected with current developments relating to museums. These files are created in collaboration with the Information Centre and are aimed at conveying the reflections, experiences and analyses of museum professionals to all members of ICOM. The themes discussed during this period were:
    - the Spoliation of Jewish Property (No. /2001);
    - museums and Globalisation (No. 1/2002);
    - the Autonomy of Museums (No. 2/2002).
    
    In order to circulate these themes as widely as possible and to analyse them in greater depth, these files are also available in a fuller and longer version on the ICOM Web site.

   

• Museums of the World
  The section "Museums of the World" in ICOM News, which introduces museum institutions all over the world, is now organised according to the type or specialisation of museums. This section can be produced in liaison with an International Committee (No. 4/2001: Memorial Museums with ICMEMO; No. 2/2002: Money Museums with ICOMON).
  
  
• Special General Conference Issue (No. 3/2001)
  In order to provide a report on the Barcelona Conference, issue No. 3/2001 (published in October 2001) of ICOM News, was entirely devoted to the General Conference. The number of pages was doubled. The addresses of four speakers were published in full. Reports on parallel sessions and round tables were also included. As a reference document, this special issue of ICOM News (also available on sale) enabled all ICOM members to have access to the General Conference debates within a very short period.
  
  
• Study Series
  The Study Series was launched in 1995 in order to circulate the work carried out by the International Committees to all members of ICOM. The Study Series, a bilingual English/French publication, provides a review of the knowledge of a given discipline, as well as the debates conducted by the Committees and their working groups.
  
  On the request of the International Committees responsible for scientific publications, two issues were published during this period: April 2001 - ICMAH, and April 2002 - ICTOP.
  
  It should be noted that following a decision taken by the General Assembly in July 2001, Spanish is now included in the Study Series. The layout for No. 10 (ICTOP) was slightly changed in order to include articles and summaries in Spanish.
  
  
• Translation and reproduction of publications
  In order to encourage the dissemination of knowledge, the Service made efforts to fulfil requests for permission to translate or re-publish a number of ICOM publications:
  • Reproduction
    - Articles from Study Series No. 9 devoted to historical and archaeological museums (in Mexican Museums Gazette);
    - Articles from ICOM News No. 3/2001, special issue (in the context of a seminar entitled "Diversity, Leadership, Museums" organised by the Smithsonian Centre for Education and Museum Studies).
  • Translations
    - ICEE Budgeting an Exhibition was published in Chinese (February 2002);
    - ICMS Museum Security and Protection is currently being translated into Italian;
    - Museum Basic was translated into Latvian.

   

2.3. Access to professional information: the ICOM Web site

In addition to the pages on the organisation, its activities, functioning and Committees, the objective of the Web site is also to provide professional information about museums. The following pages have been introduced under the heading Information Centre:

• the Guidelines and Standards of ICOM for Museums. This page gives access to certain documents produced by ICOM and its Committees, for example the Directives on Loan Agreements, the Documentary Standards of CIDOC and the Curricula Guidelines for Museum Professional Development;
• the thematic files from ICOM News ("Focus") are published in a long version with, in particular, an extensive bibliography;
• a section entitled Museum Training Courses, Centres and Useful Resources in Museum Studies developed jointly with ICTOP.

At the same time, steps have also been taken to provide access to other platforms, sites and professional associations relating to museums:

• a list of discussion forums and distribution lists relating to museums;
• a list of Museum Documentation Centres compiled in collaboration with CIDOC;
• a list of National and Regional Museum Associations as well as a list of Specialised Associations.

2.4. MuseDoma

The Service assisted in circulating press releases on the <.museum> project. Furthermore, members were regularly informed of the developments of <.museum> through ICOM News. Finally, information on MuseDoma and <.museum> has been made available in several languages on the ICOM Web site.

2.5. Electronic publications

An on-line publication project was submitted to the Executive Council in December 2001. The project, which was initiated by Gary Edson and the Centre for Publishing Studies (Stirling University, UK), is aimed at creating a section on the Internet and the ICOM site to enable members of ICOM to publish their contributions on topics relating to the policies and activities of ICOM.

The subjects on which members could contribute are those linked to ICOM's International Committees, to the themes of the International Museum Day, and the resolutions and strategic plan of ICOM for the period 2001-2004. Contributions should be submitted in one of the three official languages of ICOM (and if technically possible, in the national language of the author).

An Editorial Committee, appointed by the Executive Council, will verify that the contributions are in keeping with the mission and ethics of ICOM. This project has been approved by the Executive Council. It is at present in its preparatory phase and will hopefully be implemented by the end of 2002.

OBJECTIVE 3: ICOM achieves a dynamic, supple and consistent framework for communications and advocacy on behalf of museums internationally.

3.1. Policy on communications

A document on the communication policy pursued by ICOM was submitted to the Executive Council in July 2001 and in December 2001.

3.2. Use of languages

A report on the use of languages, especially in the communication documents and publications of ICOM, was submitted to the Secretary General of ICOM in January 2001 for inclusion in his report to the Executive Council.

3.3. Information media and communication tools

• Institutional information leaflets and tools
  A new version of the ICOM leaflet was reprinted for the General Conference, in accordance with the recommendations of the Reform Task Force. In February 2002, this bilingual leaflet was again rewritten and reprinted. A Spanish version was also published.
  
  Posters/panels were also created to decorate the ICOM Stand in Barcelona.
  
  The Publications List (on sale or distributed free by ICOM) was reprinted to meet the needs of the General Conference. The Communication and Publications Service is currently revising and updating the Publications List, together with a list of all the members or institutions that distribute the publications of ICOM and its Committees.
  
  The files of the Red List were reprinted.
  
  
• Press relations
  The Service replies to questions from journalists, organises interviews and collects press cuttings. The following press releases were distributed for the purpose of promoting the activities of the organisation:
  - The Red List of ICOM - NOK and SOKOTO objects - Recognition of the ownership of Nigeria - 5 March 2002;
  - Museums and Globalisation, International Museum Day 2002 - December 2001;
  - The name of the domain <.museum> will accept requests for registration as of 30 June - 29 June 2001;
  - Looting in Europe. The Illicit Traffic of Cultural Property - 1 June 2001.
  
  The Service also assisted the Organising Committee of the ICOM'2001 Barcelona Conference by preparing documents for the press and organising interviews during the General Conference.
  
  Press Conferences were organised to launch the publication Looting in Europe (See Objective No. 1, Section 1).
  
  
• ICOM-L and Adcom-L
  The two ICOM distribution lists are used regularly by the Communication and Publications Service and the Administration of the ICOM Secretariat to disseminate institutional information. The Service also encourages members to use these lists to circulate information about their Committees or to participate in the discussions of the organisation.
  
  
• The ICOM Web site: development of its contents and restructuring
  The Web site has become a vital tool for communicating and disseminating information about the organisation. It is also an instrument enabling members of ICOM and its Committees to participate actively in the life of the organisation. Since November 2000, thanks to the creation of the post for a person in charge of the Internet, the ICOM site has been completely restructured both in content and in form.
  
  At present, the site provides access to four major categories of information:
  1. institutional information about the organisation and its activities;
  2. administrative information (reports and agendas of the executive and advisory meetings);
  3. information for members (advantages, membership forms, list of Committees and Chairpersons, links to the sites of the Committees);
  4. professional information (see Objective 2, Section 3).
  
  Between May 2001 and March 2002, several pages were developed in French and in English (see Appendix).
  
  Awareness of members on the use of the Web site
  During this period, members were encouraged to consult the Web site through ICOM News, especially the "Focus" column, which is also available on the Web site in a fuller and more detailed version. Members are regularly informed, through ICOM News and the ICOM-L list, about new pages on the Web site. Finally, during the General Conference, the Web site could be consulted at the ICOM stand.
  
  A growing interest in the Web site
  The latest statistics show a growing interest in the information available on ICOM's home page. In earlier years, 96% of the hits were for the Virtual Library Museum Pages (VLMP), and 4% for the rest of the home page. From 1999 to 2001, the percentage in search of information other than VLMP rose to 20%. Furthermore, traffic on ICOM's home page increased by a total of 13.5% in 2001.
  
  The Code of Professional Ethics, the Statutes, the Calendar, the List of Publications, information about International Committees as well as the Red List, the Resolutions and the Activity Report, are the most regularly visited items.
  
  Recent figures reveal that the more practical approach to supplying tools for facilitating communications between members and sharing knowledge was highly appreciated. Among the recently included columns, particular interest has been shown in the list of National Museum Associations, the list of discussion forums on subjects relating to museums and the section on Guidelines and Standards for Museums.
  
  The aim of the Service during the next few years is to develop the site as a tool that will be considered increasingly as the reference portal in the world of museum professionals.
  
  
• ICOM News: a new graphic formula and a change in the contents
  Number 1/2002 of ICOM News was published in a new graphic form and with a few changes in its contents. The main reason for these changes was to give the newsletter a new and dynamic image. The objectives for changing the layout were:
  
  The form: to make it more readable and clearer and also to revise the organisation and arrangement of the titles. It was important to have a more academic layout. (Time helped to develop the January 1997 project in a positive manner but it had also disorganised the original graphic principles.)
  
  The content: changing the layout did not imply a total transformation of the editorial content. However, in order to live up to the expectations of members of ICOM, a few changes were introduced to the contents, in particular, the frequency of appearance of certain columns and their headings.
  
  Production and costs: changes in the layout were needed in order to revise and improve the production of the newsletter in terms of costs as well as efficiency and speed (cast-off of the texts, style sheet for the preparation of the manuscript).
  
  A competition was organised among several agencies and graphic designers to select a new graphics team. The agency "Atelier Fabrizi" was chosen as a result of this competition.
  
  The first issue of the year 2002 was published in the revised form. Members appreciated the new cover bearing a photo, the headings, texts and a clearer table of contents, as well as a more practical index.
  
  In terms of contents, the major changes were:
  • an editorial to highlight the policy or the opinion of ICOM on current cultural and museum events throughout the world;
  • a thematic file entitled "Focus" is developed in each issue in collaboration with the Information Centre. The theme selected is connected with the resolutions and decisions of the organisation or current museum developments;
  • a column entitled "Solidarity" was created to launch appeals on behalf of museums in difficulty or those facing emergencies, and to report on acts of solidarity by members of ICOM's committees;
  • the column "Stolen Objects", which used to present four or five objects stolen from museums, has been transformed into "Heritage in Danger". This new column will deal more broadly with the dangers threatening certain types of heritage;
  • the headings of certain columns were changed. For example, "Museum News" has become "Museums of the World", and the heading "Committees" has been changed to "Committee Platform";
  • the former column on "Activities" has been divided into two new ones: "Decisions and Guidelines" relating to the reports and decisions of the various bodies of ICOM, and "Acting on Behalf of the Museum World" relating to projects carried out by ICOM or in collaboration with other organisations.

   

• Electronic directory of members
  The possibility of putting the directory of ICOM members on line (with reserved access) is currently being studied, in collaboration with the Membership Service and the Secretary General. The aim of this electronic service would be to facilitate an exchange of information and contacts between members, and to offer them a new advantage. Making this directory of members available on line would also facilitate the tasks of the Committees and Membership Service of the ICOM Secretariat.

3.4. Communications

• The ICOM'2001 General Conference
  The General Conference is a major event in the life of ICOM. It is an occasion to raise the awareness of members, as well as the profession in general, on the organisation and activities of ICOM. The Communication and Publications Service helped the local Organising Committee to prepare press files, contact the media and organise on-the-spot interviews.
  
  The General Conference also provides an opportunity for the Secretariat to communicate with its members and to enable them to learn more about the organisation. An ICOM "stand" was set up during the General Conference. The stand not only served as an exhibition area for ICOM publications but also as an ideal meeting place for members of ICOM. Leaflets, Publications Catalogues, Reports and Press Releases were widely distributed at the stand.
  
  To meet the needs of the Conference, the Service also ensured the production of the Triennial Report of Activities and the Power Point presentatio