SUSTAIN Session A-1 and B-1 (12 November) and Workshop C-1 (13 November) during ICOM

Session A: 12th November 2025, 14:30-16:00, Dubai World Trade Centre

Digital Media and Sustainability: Developments from the perspectives of AVICOM and SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN partnered with AVICOM which took the lead in planning this session with the goal of assessing the production and use of digital media in light of the United Nations’ declared Sustainable Development Goals. As AVICOM explains it: This interdisciplinary session aims to analyze developments from the perspectives of AVICOM, the committee for media, and SUSTAIN, the committee for sustainability. It will identify problems, shortcomings, and demands, while also presenting best-practice examples. Fundamentally, this session will also address the question of which digital initiatives and engagements are meaningful, unnecessary, or should be rejected in light of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Speakers and topics include:

• Divyeshkumar Gameti, Science Centre Surat, India: Meaningful Media: Evaluating Digital Engagements in Light of the UN SDGs
• Linda Neruba, Uganda Museum, Uganda: Navigating the Digital Shift: The Uganda Museum’s Journey in Safeguarding Cultural Heritage through Emerging Technologies
• Zhao Jing, Capital Museum, China: Accessibility and Inclusiveness of Digital Information: The Barrier-free Design of Capital Museum’s Official Website
• Alessandra Frontini , Romina Nespeca, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy: The Dark Side of Cultural Heritage Digitalization
• Sharon Pisani, University of St Andrews, U.K.: The HERALD Framework: Embedding the Sustainable Development Goals in Digital Heritage Practice
• Monica Bruzzone, University of Genoa, Italy: When Education Becomes Heritage. Empowering Museums through the Digital Skills of New Professionals. A Case Study at the University of Genoa

Session B: 12th November 2025, 16:30-18:00, Dubai World Trade Centre

How sustainable is the future in light of the rapidly changing environmental and social effects on communities?

ICOM-SUSTAIN, in partnership with NATHIST  developed a panel discussion that explores the intersection of social and environmental sustainability with sustainable development practices in museums, climate action, and environmental justice. The conversation will reflect on how the 2030 UN Agenda incorporates intangible heritage as part of the solutions for sustainable futures, and how museums can foster positive changes through community knowledge and collaboration. Three guest speakers will share their experiences, alongside insights from ICOM SUSTAIN and NATHIST regarding sustainable development and climate justice through museum initiatives.

Panelists include:

• Juan Pablo Zamora Rodríguez, Policy Advocacy Coordinator inMarViva Foundation
• Ms. Sheena Khan, Head of the Environmental Program of TERRA
• Ms. Peng Jen-Yi (Caroline), Assistant Researcher of Lanyang Museum
• Moderators:
  María Auxiliadora (Dora) Llamas Márquez, chair ICOM Spain, board member of ICOM SUSTAIN
  Phaedra Hui-Shih Fang, Secretary of ICOM NATHIST

Session C: 13th November 2025, 14:30-16:00, Dubai World Trade Centre

Why We Talk About Sustainable Communities (digital and online) and their Importance in the Cultural Sector (Workshop)

SUSTAIN has partnered with AVICOM to offer this workshop, led by SUSTAIN board member Michela Rota. The workshop addresses the concept of Sustainable Community and the transition in museums from Audience to Community. Rota bases the approach on standards articulated during the 2005 Faro Convention (aka Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society). The workshop aims to share results from a survey of IC members conducted by SUSTAIN and AVICOM during October 2025, and feature examples of how to build and nurture an online community (concerning for sure the tools and how to use them).

Speakers include:

• Francisca Listopad, Researcher, Museum Studies, Instituto de História da Arte – FCSH, Lisbon, Portugal: The 2030 Agenda and Culture: How museums foster Sustainability through digital and online offerings
• Nataliia Tolstaia, Far Eastern Art Museum Khabarovsk, Russia: ADIT – an association and annual conferences. 30 years of the IT community in the changing conditions in Russia
• Moderator and Workshop Lead:  Dr. Michela Rota, Italy, board member of ICOM SUSTAIN