The Philippines is set to welcome more than 200 culture
and museum leaders and experts of the Asia Pacific region this first week of
December for the International Council of Museum- Asia Pacific 2015 Conference
and General Assembly dubbed as ICOM ASPAC 2015. The event is slated on December
3 to 7 at the newly opened Iloilo Convention Center, Iloilo City.
ICOM is a global network of more than 35,000 culture and
museum institutions and professionals that work together to achieve its mission
of conserving, continuing, and communicating to society the world’s natural and
cultural heritage. Its Philippine National Committee, the ICOM-Philippines
headed by its Chair, Gina V. Barte is tasked to host this year’s annual event.
The ICOM President, Hans-Martin HInz, will address the event together with the
ICOM-ASPAC Chair, Dr. Song Xinchao, Chair of ICOM-China and Deputy Director of
the Directorate of State Cultural Heritage of the Peoples’ Republic of China.
This year’s theme, ‘Pathways for Museums for a Sustainable Society,’ promotes
ICOM’s response to changes in today’s social environment and represents ICOM’s
contribution to societal development, particularly in the domain of culture and
museum building. This is part of ICOM’s response to the global call of uniting
its partners in culture and development to create the greatest impact in
becoming a cultural driving force towards sustainable development.
The link between sustainable development issues and the
core function of museums to safeguard and promote and educate the public about
their cultural heritage is becoming more pronounced in recent years. The world
is increasingly torn by conflicts and violence, where museums and cultural
heritage sites have become targets of destruction or end up as collateral
damage, in situations of terrorism and war. Calamities and disasters resulting
from extreme weather conditions continue to endanger museums and collections
that represent irreplaceable culture and heritage. Poverty and growing
population have led to neglect in some countries, making museums and cultural
objects to pillage and theft.
In this event, the ICOM-ASPAC will be able to gather the
key leaders of culture and museums in the region as well as other countries
outside of it as one community in an effort to recognize its role in defining,
promoting, and implementing sustainable practices. It will explore take off
points that will bring forth significant and new knowledge about the framework
and best practices of each of the 24 ICOM-ASPAC member countries. The goal is
to create pathways that puts culture and museums at the core of sustainable
development in the countries/regions where the ICOM-ASPAC is present, including
Australia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam (observer),
China, Cambodia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, Khyrghyztan, Korea, Malaysia,
Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Shri Lanka, Taiwan,
Thailand, Vietnam, New Zealand. They will be joined by Palau representing the
Pacific rim countries and middle east countries, the Republic of Iran.
“As the country host, the ICOM-Philippines is looking
forward to having our colleagues and our sustainable development allies, learn
from the plenary discussions and workshop sessions but most of all, discover
our own cultural treasures through the study tours of significant cultural
sites, museums, and exhibits and other activities lined up for the event,”
enthuses Barte.
She also added that the Philippine hosting of this year’s
ICOM event comes at an opportune time as the government, through the Department
of Tourism, has identified the role of cultural tourism as one of the driving
forces in the development of Philippine tourism. The event is also a testament
that the country, and especially Iloilo, is now ready to be globally
competitive in hosting international events like ICOM.
DOT follows the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP),
which also supports the direction of the United Nations World Tourism
Organization (UNTWO), as its strategic framework in the development of the
tourism section. Under the NTDP, opportunities for the country to develop and
market competitive destinations and products has been identified. Part of this
is cultural tourism as well as promoting the Philippines as a competitive venue
for global Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE)
activities.
ICOM ASPAC 2015 event will be attended by museums and
culture professionals, culture and tourism planners, entrepreneurs, policy
makers, advocates, academics, partners from the business sectors and civil
societies, other stakeholders from the Philippines and members from the global
ICOM network. If you want to know more about ICOM,visit
http://icom.museum/. To know
more about the event, visit
http://network.icom.museum/icom-philippines/.
For additional queries, contact the Secretariat at
icomph.secretariat@gmail.com, +632550-2218 or +63927-812-2335 (PR)
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