Statement by the United States National Committee of the International Council of Museum pertaining to the expanding armed conflict in Ukraine

February 25, 2022 

Statement by the United States National Committee of the International Council of Museum pertaining to the expanding armed conflict in Ukraine:

We watch today, as do so many people of conscience around the world, fearful for the fate of those embroiled in the invasion in Ukraine. As members of ICOM we belong to a global network of professionals known for their resilience and determination in the face of great challenges. What contrast there is between the strength and vigor of our colleagues with the vulnerability and silence of the collections we steward, with our museums whose impacts are so easily muted and whose very structures are so readily crushed by acts of war. We have seen in the past the devastating effects of war on collections, colleagues, and institutions.

This situation is dynamic, catastrophic, and rapidly changing. We reiterate our support of the statements offered by the Blue Shield coalition—dated 27 February 2014, at the outset of these incursions eight years ago—calling for the greatest care possible to be exerted by all parties to ensure “the safeguarding and protection of the country’s invaluable cultural and historical heritage, as well as the institutions that house them and the people that care for them.” We are one community, one ecosystem of professionals dedicated to the collaborative stewardship of global heritage. We stand ready as the United States National Committee of ICOM to assist when called upon by our colleagues worldwide.