September 10, 2026
Program Release: ICOM-SUSTAIN 2026 Conference Conference, SUSTAIN Activity Reports

ICOM-SUSTAIN is pleased to announce details about the 2026 online conference, Museums for Our Futures: Sustain, Adapt, Regenerate.
The conference begins at 08:00 UTC on 19 November 2026 and continues to 20:00 UTC. See the “Location and Local Time” chart at the bottom of this page to help you plan your personal attendance at the online gathering.
SUSTAIN also encourages formation of local watch groups. For details, please consult this file: Host-A-Hub-WatchGroups
ICOM SUSTAIN will use EventBrite as the registration system for this FREE offering and will livestream the event via ZOOM.
The Schedule-at-a-Glance follows:
Block 1 (3 hours) 8:00 – 11:00 UTC
| Adapt | UTC |
| Opening | 08:00–08:10 |
| Keynote (40 min)
Melissa Malu, Head of Pasifika Collections and Engagement, Australian Museum, Sydney |
08:10–08:50 |
| Panel (55 min)
Caroline Markiewicz & Aurelia Weritz (Germany): The Cheerleader Model: Motivation, Data, and the Art of Persistence / of Keeping Going / of Going On Julia Rajacic (Italy): MUSE – The Energy for Tomorrow: Radical Climate Leadership through the World’s First Zero-Energy Digital Exhibition Salsabilla Sakinah (Indonesia): From the museums into the wider world: tracing museums’ staging of climate crisis exhibitions, visitors’ responses, and the remnants of the visits beyond the museum walls |
08:50–09:45 |
| Break | 09:45–09:55 |
| Lightning Round 1 (25 min / 3 min each)
9:55-10:00: Antonia Carver, Ichraq Bouzidi, Daniya Jawwad (United Arab Emirates): Adapting Standards in Practice: Collection Care, Climate Control, and Local Materials in the Gulf 10:00-10:05: Hoang Le (Vietnam): Adaptive Cultural Infrastructure: The Vu Dan Tan Museum as a Contemporary Case from Vietnam 10:05-10:10: Dr. Laura Johanna Noll (Switzerland): How Are Leading Museums Organising the Institutional Transformation Toward Sustainability? On Governance Models, Sustainability Roles, and Required Competencies 10:10-10:15: Nicola Urbino, PhD (Italy): Italian Museums and Climate Change: Assessing Current Engagement, Best Practices and Operational Policy Gaps in an International Perspective 10:15-10:20: Riyazul Samad Binmohammad, Wahaj Akhtar Abedeen, and Rummana Khanam, PhD (India): Reimagining the Riverine Museum: Curating Urban Flood Management and Biocultural Heritage along the Yamuna River |
09:55–10:20 |
| Lightning Round 2 (25 min / 3 min each)
10:30-10:35: Melanie Appleby and Claudia Ruane (United Kingdom): Closing the Loop: A Circular Approach to Reuse in Sustainable Exhibition Practice 10:35-10:40: Dr Maria Shehade (presenting) and Dr Panagiotis Ntzeremes (Cyprus): Adapting Museums to Climate Change: Results from the First National Survey of Museum Climate Resilience in Cyprus 10:40-10:45: Yanni Chen (United Kingdom): A Diagnostic Framework for Sustainability-Oriented Art-Science Collaboration in Museums and Cultural Institutions 10:45-10:50: Guido Guarino (Italy): Reconnecting with Nature through Language: Good Practices from Vesuvius National Park, Italy 10:50-10:55: Elena N. Mironenko (Russia): The Junction of Science and Art as a Synergy for Regenerating Public Space: The ATOM Museum Model |
10:30–10:55 |
| Closing | 10:55–11:00 |
GENERAL ASSEMBLY (90 min)
SUSTAIN will livestream the General Assembly. Members (and those interested in attending) should register for the General Assembly through EventBrite (details coming soon). Only SUSTAIN members can vote but all are welcome to attend to learn more about SUSTAIN.
| UTC | Agenda / Speakers | |
| General Assembly | 12:00–13:30 | ICOM International Committee Business
ICOM SUSTAIN Board & Members |
Block 2 (3 hours) — 14:00 – 17:00 UTC
| Regenerate | UTC |
| Opening | 14:00–14:10 |
| Keynote (40 min)
Fábio Scarano, Professor of Ecology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and UNESCO Chair on Futures Literacy at the Museum of Tomorrow (Instituto de Desenvolvimento e Gestão) — Brazil |
14:10–14:50 |
| Panel (55 min)
Justine Boussard (United Kingdom): The Amateur Ancestor Project: Raising the ambition for sustainability through museum collections Carolina Quintero Agámez (Colombia): Caminos de Agua | Diiggalmala | Baydo Õ | Banyã Õ. Memories, Practices, and Resistances from the Darién Kirsty Robertson & Heather Igloliorte (Canada): Objects as Temporal Entities and As It Melts as Regenerative Engagement with the Arts |
14:50–15:45 |
| Break | 15:45–15:55 |
| Lightning Round 1 (25 min / 3 min each)
15:55-16:00: Gabrielle Cardoso Meneses (Brazil): Rethinking Collections and Collecting Practices in Dialogue with Indigenous Knowledge 16:00-16:05: Oli Beeby Maglaque and Kitt Peacock (The Netherlands): Activating Institutional Mineral Collections Through Digital Storytelling 16:05-16:10: Richard Piacentini and Sonja Bochart (United States): Regenerative Futures for Cultural Institutions (The Climate Toolkit) 16:10-16:15: Hsin-lin WEN (Tiawan): Regenerating Woodcraft Heritage through Education and Collaboration: The Role of the Daxi Wood Art Ecomuseum, Taiwan 16:15-16:20: Eric Thrift, PhD (Canada): Indigenous Environmentalism in the Museum: Reflections on a Sturgeon Skin Jar 16:20-16:25: Lucimara Letelier (Brazil): From Climate Anxiety to Active Hope: Regenerative Museums reimagining the Future |
15:55–16:25 |
| Lightning Round 2 (25 min / 3 min each)
16:30-16:35: Tara Brahme (Germany): “Is This Also My History?”: The Conflictorium as a Living Archive in a Divided City [Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India] 16:35-16:40: Carlos Arturo Rojas Pérez (Colombia): EXPOSICIÓN Terca Esperanza Un espacio para la memoria en Bogotá 16:40-16:45: Sebastián Vivanco (Chile): So We Do Not Lose Memory: Museo Semilla as a Regenerative Community Practice 16:45-16:50: Dr. Yrine MATCHINDA (Western Cameroon): Displaying Objects, Representing Cultures: Rethinking Sacred Heritage in Museum Futures between Cameroon and Germany 16:50-16:55: Oksana Bondarenko (Russia): De la remise à garage au lieu de rassemblement : régénérer le lien social par le patrimoine industriel – le cas du Musée des Transports de Moscou |
16:30–16:55 |
| Closing | 16:55–17:00 |
Block 3 (3 hours) – 17:00-20:00 UTC
| Sustain | UTC |
| Opening | 17:00-17:10 |
| Keynote (40 min)
Prossy Nanyondo, Manager, Railway Museum at The Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda, Jinja-Kampala |
17:10–17:50 |
| Panel (55 min)
Altea Bondioni (Italy): Co-creation: The Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) as a Multidimensional Evaluation Methodology Juliana De Lucca (Brazil): From Assessment to Action: Developing the MAC USP Sustainability Plan Based on the Ibermuseus Guide Yumiko Tachibana (Japan): Sustaining Inclusive Museums: Audience Data, Museum Governance, and Evidence-Based Practice in Japan (Awaiting confirmation) |
17:50–18:45 |
| Break | 18:45–18:55 |
| Lightning Round 1 (25 min / 3 min each)
18:55-19:00: Marije Remigius and Femke Bijlsma (The Netherlands): Designing for Circularity from Day One: How Circu leren and Kossmann de Jong embedded Sustainability into the Naturalis Exhibition 19:00-19:05: Claudia Roberta Lima Carvalho e Lima and Tânia Cristina Azevedo, PhD (Brazil): Urban sustainability in museums: a study in the municipality of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil 19:05-19:10: Kekelwa Mundia (Zambia): Preserving the Kuomboka Spirit: Sustainable Heritage and CommunityLed Ecology at the Nayuma Museum 19:10-19:15: Rocío del Pozo Sánchez (Spain): Circular Museums: Creativity and Networks for Sustainability in Spanish Museums 19:15-19:20: Narges Esfahani (Iran): Goran Living Museum of Wooden Dhows |
18:55–19:20 |
| Lightning Round 2 (25 min / 3 min each)
19:30-19:35: Dr. Marwa Mahmoud Mohamed Hendi (Egypt): Digital Synthesis of Art History: The Role of Scientific Exploratory Centers in Sustaining Archaeological Heritage 19:35-19:40: Shanice Martin (Jamaica) Resilient Communities, Resilient Heritage: Museums, Climate Change, and Social Sustainability in a Changing World 19:40-19:45: Päivi Nieppola (Finland): Embedding Sustainability in Museum Practice: Lessons from ISO 14001 at Serlachius 19:45-19:50: India Golding with Dr Scott Allan Orr, Dr Sung Min Hong, and Dr Gemma Moore (United Kingdom): When Carbon Is Not the Driver: Governing Environmental Sustainability in Museums 19:50-19:55: TBD |
19:30–19:55 |
| Closing | 19:55–20:00 |
LOCATION AND LOCAL TIME CHART
| Location | Local Time | Time Zone | UTC Offset |
| Corresponding UTC (London, GMT) | Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 08:00:00 | ||
| Paris (France) / Lagos (Nigeria) | Thursday 9:00:00 am | CET / WAT | UTC+1 |
| Kampala (Uganda) | Thursday 11:00:00 noon | EAT | UTC+3 |
| Dubai (United Arab Emirates) | Thursday 12:00:00 noon | GST | UTC+4 |
| Delhi (India) | Thursday 1:30:00 pm | IST | UTC+5:30 |
| Beijing (China) / Hong Kong | Thursday 4:00:00 pm | CST / HKT | UTC+8 |
| Tokyo (Japan) | Thursday 5:00:00 pm | JST | UTC+9 |
| Sydney (Australia) | Thursday 7:00:00 pm | AEDT | UTC+11 |
| Buenos Aires (Argentina) | Thursday 5:00:00 am | ART | UTC-3 |
| New York (USA) | Thursday 3:00:00 am | EST | UTC-5 |
| Winnipeg (Canada) | Thursday 2:00:00 am | CST | UTC-6 |