International council of museums

An international organisation of museums and museum professionals which is committed to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world's natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible. Created in 1946, ICOM is a non-governmental organisation maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations' Economic and Social Council. As a non-profit organisation, ICOM is financed primarily by membership fees and supported by various governmental and other bodies. It carries out part of UNESCO's programme for museums. Based in Paris (France), the ICOM Headquarters houses both the ICOM Secretariat and the UNESCO-ICOM Museum Information Centre.The 17,000 members of ICOM in 140 countries participate in the national, regional and international activities of the organisation: workshops, publications, training, twinning programmes, and the promotion of museums through International Museum Day (May 18, annually). The membership participates in the activities of 115 National Committees and 29 International Committees. Some National Committees have also organised on a regional level to reinforce their action. ICOM is affiliated with 13 international associations.Also see accession, advocacy, architecture, art careers, art conservation, catalogue, collection, curator, deaccession, director, docent, donation, exhibit, gallery, Kunstkabinette, Kunstkammer, museology, registrar, UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, Wunderkabinette, and Wunderkammern.