ICME is dedicated to promoting and safeguarding the human rights of all the peoples of the world, their cultures, societies and environments as well as the tangible and intangible heritage held in museums. Since ICME views identities as dynamic, fluid and multiple rather than essentialist and fixed it is committed to contemporary collecting and collaborative action together with diverse global heritage communities. ICME recognises the colonial histories and the racist and sexist legacies that underpin so many of our traditional ethnographic collections and pro-actively engages with colleagues worldwide to progress intercultural understanding amongst museum audiences as opposed to prejudice and stereotype.

ICME is the international committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) devoted to ethnographic museums and collections from local, national and/or global cultures and societies. Since its creation in 1946, ICME has created an international platform and network for museums of people and culture to discuss issues of common interest. Members meet annually in a different country to discuss issues in their museums and to learn about life in their host country. ICME Working Groups are organized on specific themes and facilitated by members to pursue topics of importance to ICME members. A quarterly newsletter informs ICME members of the activities of the committee and committee members.

ICME AIMS ARE:

• Concerned with the challenges facing ethnographic museums in a changing world, including the safeguarding and interpretation of tangible and intangible heritage collections and contemporary collecting to progress affective representation of diverse peoples, their cultures and societies.
• Providing a forum for communication, co-operation and information exchange, between museums, professional museum workers and others concerned with Museums of Ethnography and Ethnographic Collections that are found in all types of museums – ethnography, art, folk, history, natural history.
•  Contributing to research in fields relevant to Museums of Ethnography and museums with ethnographic collections and disseminating results as widely as possible;
•  Representing the interests of Museums of Ethnography museums with ethnographic collections within ICOM to progress the development and implementation of ICOM’s core values and program;
• Cooperating with National Committees and Regional Alliances of ICOM and with other International Committees and Affiliated Organizations in matters related to ICME’s specific mandate and the broader interests of ICOM.

ICME “What we do” statement