Report of the ICOM Working Group on Decolonisation Now Available

The Working Group on Decolonisation (WGD) is pleased to announce the publication of its report, which represents the culmination of the work carried out during its mandate (2023-2025).

The WGD was appointed to advise the Executive Board on how ICOM, as the global voice of museum professionals and an international NGO, can address key issues related to decolonisation and promote exemplary institutional practice grounded in equity and social inclusion.

Drawing on extensive input the WGD gathered from within and outside the ICOM network, the report brings together a set of recommendations outlining how ICOM can engage with and advance these issues. It also offers insight into how decolonisation practices are currently being implemented across museums worldwide, highlighting a diversity of approaches and experiences.

In addition, the report undertakes the complex task of articulating what decolonisation means in the context of ICOM and museums, while acknowledging and addressing the debates and sensitivities the term encompasses. A glossary accompanies the report to support readers in understanding key concepts, as well as the terminology choices made by the Working Group in the drafting process. Like the report itself, the glossary is intended to be a living document.

Together, these elements mark an important step in ICOM's ongoing engagement with decolonisation. The report aims to support continued dialogue, learning and action, while recognising decolonisation as an evolving and collective process for museums worldwide.

Read the report in English in your member space

Members of the WGD (2023-2025)

Chair:

Hanna PENNOCK (ICOM Netherlands)

Members:

Isabel BEIRIGO, ICOM Netherlands ; Catherine C. COLE, ICOM Canada ; Carly DEGBELO, ICOM Benin ; Abeer ELADANY, ICOM UK ; Phaedra FANG, ICOM NATHIST ; Suy Lan HOPMANN, ICOM Germany ; Asma IBRAHIM, ICOM Pakistan ; prachi, ICOM India ; Natalie MCGUIRE, ICOM Barbados ; Camila OPAZO, ICOM Spain ; Ishola Chinedu OZUEIGBO, ICOM Nigeria

Ex-officio EB members (2023-2025):

Terry NYAMBE, Marília BONAS, Karin WEIL, Rachelle DOUCET