NEMO wants to inspire museums to lead the way and become key players in creating a sustainable and equitable future and planet. The conference illustrates how museums can do so by incorporating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in their work. Museums are perfect partners for making the SDGs accessible since they already are familiar with translating processes of change and communicating concepts from global to local level in an understandable way.
Julia Pagel, NEMO Secretary General, adds that the European museum networks NEMO “advocates for the instrumental role of museums in providing opportunities for decent work, poverty reduction, social resilience, gender equality and other aspects of the SDGs; and illustrates how museums contribute to the realisation of the SDG targets in providing solutions in urban and rural, European national and local contexts.”
215 museum professionals, culture professionals and policy makers from 38 countries are getting inspired by 33 speakers from 17 different countries. Within the larger agenda of creating a better future, the conference puts a certain focus on SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities and SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions. To encourage others, four courageous museum projects that have been fighting for what they believe in will be given the stage in the European Project Slam: Courageous Museums.
NEMO also encourages museums to get out on the streets, join the movement and show that they are #MuseumsforFuture. Museums are capable of making people challenge old patterns, question habits and inspire new ways of living. They can inspire by leading the way and set an example. 10 simple actions for museums to support climate action and the global climate strike on 29 November 2019 was released with the #MuseumsforFuture campaign.
More information about the conference can be found on www.europeanmuseumconference.org
