LIVINGSTONE, Zambia, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Museum directors at an international conference called for solutions to address the challenges confronting museums, particularly regarding management and sustainability amid climate change and other global issues.
The five-day conference, organized by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), concluded on Tuesday in Livingstone, Zambia's tourist city. It attracted 90 participants from 25 countries and focused on four thematic areas: digitalization, climate change, strategic planning, and museum management.
Participants noted the conference has provided an important opportunity for museum heads to develop solutions to the challenges confronting these heritage institutions.
"We have looked at where we are, where we are coming from, and where we are going. The conference has unveiled issues that are to be dealt with by governments and society as a whole," said Emmanuel Hamatwi, president of ICOM Zambia.
Museums serve as a library of society, acting as a bridge between the past and the future, Hamatwi said, emphasizing that "museums are keepers of memories. In museums, people are able to see real objects of the past and look forward to a better future."
He also noted that this marks the third time ICOM has held a conference in Africa, with the first occurring in Rwanda earlier this year.
His remarks were echoed by ICOM Russia President Vasily Pankratov, who stressed the need for museums to enhance their funding capabilities, describing this as crucial for their survival and for attracting more visitors.
"Funding of museums might be seen like a minor issue in some places but it's a great matter for those museums in small towns and low-income places. We need to implement ideas from this conference to help museums that maybe struggling financially," Pankratov said.
Directors of museums from various countries also praised ICOM for investing in the conference, saying that the ideas shared during the meeting would help enhance museum operations worldwide.
"Through this conference, we were able to share best practices and also explored the possibility of exchange programs which I believe could help strengthen colloborations," Artyom Silkin, director of Museum-Reserve in the island town of Sviyazhsk, Russia.
Victoria Chitungu, director of Livingstone Museum, observed that ICOM plays a crucial role in ensuring that museums respond to contemporary society's needs and remain relevant by addressing climate change and utilizing digital spaces to advance their missions. ■
