International Museum Day 2023 to focus on sustainability and well-being

International Museum Day is celebrated annually on May 18.

The theme for the 2023 International Museum Day edition is Museums, Sustainability and Well-being.

Museums are key contributors to the well-being and to the sustainable development of our communities.

It is the day set by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 1977 with the aim of increasing awareness of the importance of museums in developing societies as the living memory of peoples, providing museum professionals with the opportunity to communicate with the public and alert them to the challenges facing museums if they become - as defined by the International Council of Museums - "institutions in the service of society and its development."

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) established the International Museum Day in 1977. The organization chooses a different theme for this day each year, and some topics include globalization, indigenous peoples, bridging cultural gaps, and caring for the environment. 

International Museum Day has become steadily more popular since its inception, with 20,000 museums in more than 90 countries participating in International Museum Day 2009, and in 2012, the number of participating museums jumped to 30,000 in 129 countries.

Today there are more museum visitors worldwide than ever before, due to online visits, and there are now more people studying history at degree level than ever before.

The world, as well as the cultural and archaeological circles, celebrates the International Museum Day on May 18 of each year, with the aim of acquainting the communities with the importance of museums in order to preserve them.

According to the UNESCO website, museums constitute a center for preservation, studies and reflection on heritage and culture. It can no longer remain aloof from the fundamental issues of our time.

The definition of museums changed in the two centuries after their appearance.

Today, it has turned into "permanent, non-profit institutions working to serve and develop society. 

It is open to the public and can possess and preserve material evidence of the population and their environment, conduct research on them, transmit them and display them for purposes of research, education and entertainment."

Collection of objects can be found in most cultures after having long been associated with the taste of European monarchies.

 It highlights a relationship to the past that attaches great value to the tangible monuments left by our ancestors and aims to protect them and make them an essential element of the functioning of human society.

Together with the archaeological heritage, this group constitutes the main part of what is known internationally as World Heritage.

The heritage preserved in museums is considered a factor and tool for dialogue between nations and a common international vision aimed at achieving cultural development. Note that this development may vary greatly in terms of its nature and form, according to the historical and cultural framework.

The primary goal of museums is to preserve and protect the heritage in its entirety. It carries out the necessary scientific studies in order to obtain an understanding and determination of the meaning and ownership of this heritage.

Museums in this regard help to develop a global ethic based on practice with the aim of preserving, protecting and disseminating cultural heritage values.

As for the educational mission undertaken by museums of all kinds, their scientific work is equally important.

The role of museums is also represented in the interaction between culture and nature, with an increasing number of them focusing their attention on science, the natural sciences and technology.

Museums foster development within societies that preserve their evidence and attach importance to their cultural aspirations.

Community museums, through their great interest in their audiences, pay close attention to social and cultural changes and help us define our identity and diversity in an ever-changing world.