Dubai shortlisted to host the world’s largest museum conference – Dubai Blog

Dubai shortlisted for the 27th^day International Association of Museums (ICOM) Conference 2025, the largest international conference in the museum field.

The virtual meeting of the ICOM Advisory Committee meeting on June 17, 2021 announced the three cities that were shortlisted to host the event. A total of 170 members from 118 countries attended the meeting. ICOM members will vote on the host city in November 2021.

ICOM was founded in 1946 and belongs to the United Nations. It is a global organization composed of museums and museum professionals dedicated to the promotion and protection of cultural heritage. Its members include nearly 50,000 experts from 122 countries and nearly 20,000 museums from all over the world.

In April, ICOM UAE Chapter (ICOM-UAE) and three government entities-Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), Dubai Municipality and Dubai Tourism Authority-submitted the UAE’s application to host the 2025 ICOM Conference in Dubai The theme is “The future of museums in fast-changing communities”. Dubai will compete with Stockholm (Sweden) and Kazan (Russia) in the final round of voting.

His Excellency Hala Badri, Director of the Dubai Bureau of Culture, Said that holding this important conference in Dubai will strengthen the UAE’s global cultural image: “Dubai and the UAE are the main centers of the global cultural landscape, and their museums are considered one of the best in the world. If Dubai wins the bid, it will be the Middle East Cities in the MENA region and North Africa (MENA) have held the ICOM conference for the first time since its establishment in 1946. This event will be held in a mixed format (physical and virtual).

She further stated that the theme statement of the UAE’s bid expresses the complementary relationship between the museum and the rapidly changing community. By reviewing past events and comparing them with the rapid global changes in the past few years, there is an urgent need to emphasize the role of museums and their integration with society in order to achieve a more sustainable future for mankind.

His Excellency Dawoud Al Hajri, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, Said: “The UAE and Dubai were selected to host the 27^day The ICOM 2025 Congress reflects the country’s lofty status in the global cultural field over the years, as well as the quality of its cultural infrastructure and its record of successfully hosting major international events. We are doing our best to make Dubai the first city in the Middle East and North Africa to host an ICOM conference. “

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director of Dubai Tourism, Said: “The visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the city’s strong infrastructure, organizational expertise, and public-private cooperation Driven by the spirit, Dubai has established itself as a world-class destination for business events and the preferred venue for flagship meetings of many international organizations. We look forward to cooperating with our partners in this bidding and cooperating with ICOM decision makers to showcase The city’s ability to successfully host meetings.”

EngRashad Bukhash, Chairman of ICOM-UAESaid that the UAE and Dubai’s shortlisted candidates for the ICOM Conference 2025 testify to the country’s excellence in developing museums. The UAE has excellent international museums, such as the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, as well as national museums such as the Etihad Museum, Al Shindagha Museum and Qasr Al Hosn, as well as several public and private museums that showcase its history, heritage and culture . United Arab Emirates. Bukhas emphasized that the Ministry of Culture and Youth and local government entities in the field of culture and heritage have made extensive efforts to strengthen the country’s cultural infrastructure.

The ICOM conference is held every three years. 25^day The 2019 exhibition in Kyoto, Japan was attended by nearly 4,500 experts in the field of museums from all over the world. 26^day It is scheduled to be held in Prague, Czech Republic in 2022.

The UAE attaches great importance to museums as an important center for knowledge exchange and cultural dialogue and an important cultural building, connecting community members with their rich history and tangible and intangible heritage, consolidating their connection with the country’s past, and enriching the true local values ​​and traditions . they. The UAE has approximately 55 official government museums and approximately 115 private museums, including global and culturally iconic museums such as the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, the Etihad Museum and the Museum of the Future in Dubai.