On August 19, 2019, the ICOM Canada Board of Directors sent the following proposal to Ms. Suay Aksoy (President, ICOM) and Mr. Peter Keller (Director General, ICOM). The proposal echoes and supports other invitations to postpone the Extraordinary General Assembly, namely calls from the ICOM Europe Regional Alliance.
RE: ICOM Canada Board of Directors Proposal for Postponement of ICOM Extraordinary General Assembly, September 7, 2019.
WHEREAS, ICOM MUSEUMS MUSÉES CANADA (ICOM Canada) represents a dedicated group of Canadian museum professionals and scholars who are passionate about museums and international networking;
WHEREAS, the ICOM Kyoto 2019 General Conference plans to adopt a new museum definition at an Extraordinary General Assembly scheduled for September 7, 2019;
WHEREAS, many national and international ICOM Committees have put forward an invitation to postpone the ICOM Extraordinary General Assembly in order to continue, with the National and International Committees, the reflection on a new museum definition;
WHEREAS the proposed definition to be adopted does not reflect work done by National Committees, including Canada;
ICOM Canada Board of Directors at the meeting on August 15, 2019, therefore:
- ENDORSES the invitation to postpone the Extraordinary General Assembly;
- DECLARES that if the ICOM Extraordinary General Assembly was held and the new definition put to a vote, ICOM Canada will feel obliged to vote against that proposal.
The proposal was signed by Marie Lalonde, President, ICOM Canada on behalf of the ICOM Canada Board of Directors.
The ICOM Extraordinary General Assembly scheduled for September 7, 2019 as part of the Kyoto 2019 General Conference is to vote on a proposed new definition of museums, which was released on July 22, 2019. Learn more about the process by visiting ICOM’s website here.
For questions about ICOM Canada’s stance on the museum definition vote, or for more information on the museum definition question, please contact us.