24 May 2026

Good morning from Oslo, Norway

My name is Morien Rees and, at present, I am the chair of ICOM SUSTAIN. I am writing to you as you are a voting member of ICOM SUSTAIN. On behalf of the SUSTAIN board, as we move toward becoming a fully fledged ICOM International Committee in 2027, I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to consider becoming an active contributor to the journey we are on.

Before giving some information on what this might entail, I’d like to thank you all for choosing SUSTAIN as your ICOM International Committee (IC). At the time of writing, SUSTAIN has 312 voting members, plus 17 institutions and 1107 individuals who have chosen SUSTAIN as a committee of interest. These combine in a member group numbering 1436.

In the coming months I intend to write to you in more detail on why I would recommend you all to consider becoming more active participants in SUSTAIN, and offer concrete examples of how you might contribute to the present activities of the committee, or influence the choice of new ones. Here, I would like to point to to the examples that our secretary Debra Reid mentioned in the April 2026 newsletter and reiterate her invitation, to write to her for more information if required. Further, note that SUSTAIN is involved in an increasing number of global projects, both within the ICOM organization and outside it, and that each of you have the opportunity to join in these activities too.

The most pressing matter at the time of writing relates to ICOM SUSTAIN’s 2026 Conference. We are looking for members to join the Planning Committee to help shape the conference, and the General Assembly. Both will be held online on November the 19th 2026. More information on the General Assembly and conference call can be found here in English, French, and Spanish. The deadline is 31 May but we can be flexible.

Ben Melham one of the board member developing the conference programme writes:

«This is a great opportunity to contribute to the work of the committee, support the development of the conference, and collaborate with colleagues from across the international museum community. The Conference Planning Committee members would:

• Attend periodic planning calls
• Support the organisation and coordination of the conference
• Review and evaluate proposals and submissions (*careful to ensure no conflict of interest)
• Help shape the direction and quality of our 2026 Conference.

We are keen to bring together a group of ICOM SUSTAIN members with different experiences, perspectives, and areas of expertise connected to sustainability and museums. If you are interested in getting involved send a direct message to our LinkedIn channel or email secretary.sustain@icom.museum  We would greatly value your support in helping strengthen and grow the work of ICOM SUSTAIN».

I’d like to round off this mail by briefly drawing your attention to the importance of the Annual General Assembly to be held in conjunction with the conference, and the matter of governance, both of SUSTAIN and ICOM itself. The link below takes you to the new ICOM Leadership Guide developed by ICOM´s Executive Board. During its presentation, it was underlined that the guide should be made available to all members, although seemingly written for those who either are board members or are considering becoming board members. I would encourage you all to familiarize yourself with its contents.

ICOM-Leadership_Guide-V1_May2026

The publishing of this guide at this time is opportune for SUSTAIN as we move toward the end of the probationary period and prepare for the elections of a new board to take us forward toward 2030 and beyond. Already now, I would suggest that you all consider the possibility of becoming a member of  the SUSTAIN board in the forthcoming elections for the period 2027 – 2030; even in fact, to consider becoming the chair, or one of the other posts that make up SUSTAIN´s administrative group: secretary, treasurer and vice chair. SUSTAIN, in its Action Plan and Bylaws mirrors the organization of ICOM itself: we are member driven. As we move toward becoming a fully fledged ICOM International Committee, this is the governance model that the SUSTAIN has chosen, but for it to succeed we need active members.

SUSTAIN, as mentioned earlier, is in the last year of its three year probationary period. Our inaugural General Assembly was held on the 7th of March 2024 and we will become the 34th ICOM International Committee at our 2027 General Assembly to be held on the 7th of March 2027. On this date, SUSTAIN will announce the result of the elections for a new board, including a new chair, and choose a secretary, treasurer and vice chair from the newly elected board members. The ICOM regulations state that this process must start four months before the election date, and thus the call for nominations will the announced in the first week of November 2026.

As I have written above, in the coming months I will endeavor to convince you all of the advantages that arise when you, individual members, participate actively in the projects and programs of SUSTAIN, either by nominating yourselves for election to the board for the period 2027 to 2030 or simply by becoming involved and assisting in one of the many initiatives of the IC.

If you have any comments or questions after reading the above don’t hesitate to send me an email at chair.sustain@icom.museum. With that I wish you all an enjoyable day wherever you might find yourselves; here in Oslo the sun is shining on that astonishing electric green that heralds the arrival of spring.

Warmest regards,

Morien