Paraguay Updates

ICOM-MPR’s Museum Leadership in Climate Action Conference takes place 15-17 November 2023 in Hernandarias, Paraguay.

Our outstanding hosts ITAIPU Binacional and ICOM Paraguay have closed the on-site registration. If you are interested in getting on the waiting list or in participating online, write to pyicomconference2023@gmail.com

Here is a summary of updates as of 25 October:

General information 

This conference focuses on inspiring insights and opening conversations on how museums can be part of the solution and identify where they can contribute to climate action and sustainability. 

For details about the venue, transportation and logistics, visas, and more, check the website: https://www.icomparaguay.org/conferencia-internacional-2023

The program 

Here is the most recent conference program in English (download) and Spanish (descargar). 

Please notice this is a joint conference bridging together four International Committees of ICOM: ICMAH, INTERCOM, ICTOP and MPR.  

Our keynote speaker 

George Jacob, President and CEO of BayEcotarium Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, California, is the MPR keynote speaker at the conference. He will speak on Climate Awareness to Action. He brings his extensive global expertise and forward-looking vision to the conference. Learn more about BayEcotarium here: https://bayecotarium.org/

MPR Presenters

Eleven MPR speakers will present either on-site or online. Refer to the program document for details about their presentations and times. They include: Ayelet Aldouby and Dominique Paul (Canada), Nicolas Rojas Inostroza (Chile), Peter McFarren (USA) and Mac Margolis (Brazil), Niveen Al-Gharbawy (Egypt), Katrina Orsini (USA), Antonio Machado (Canada), Carolyn Mwenda (Kenya), Sergio Servellon (Belgium), and Nouran Khaled (Egypt). Their articles or papers will also be included in the conference publication.

Workshops

The conference offers a fine selection of workshops you can apply here. James Heaton (USA) and Luis Marcelo Mendes (Brazil) will lead the MPR workshop: Climate protestors are about to knock on your museum doors: Are you ready? Learning how to manage communication, PR, and social media crises in museums.

Travel grantees 

Bringing people together is a mission and also a great pleasure for MPR. We opened a call to encourage MPR members to participate in our annual conference. Of those who applied for the MPR Member Travel Grant 2023, we selected a fantastic group including three members from African countries (Burkina Faso and Kenya) and three from Latin America (Brazil, Chile and México):

Alassane Ouedraogo, Museum Curator, Ministry of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: “A museum curator by profession, I have been interested for more than a decade in the role of museums in nature conservation and sustainable development. It all started in 2012, when, as part of a project on sustainable tourism in the province of TAPOA in Burkina Faso, the Italian NGO ACRA (Association for Rural Cooperation in Africa and Latin America) launched a call for the recruitment of a sub-project manager for the realization in Diapaga of an Eco-Museum, a museum whose objective is focused on the preservation of the environment and sustainable development. I was selected and with my collaborators, we designed and implemented the Eco Museum”. 

Andrea Lombardi, Strategic Governance & International Development Advisor, Museu do Amanhã /Institute for Development and Management, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: “My professional trajectory in the field of cultural management and institutional relations in museums has provided me with a valuable opportunity to work at the Museum of Tomorrow, a unique space committed to the environment and sustainability. Through my current position as Strategic Governance and International Development Advisor, I have had the privilege of being involved in projects and activities that directly focus on climate emergencies”.

Carolyn Akariza Mwenda, Head of Marketing, National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi: “Climate change is one of the most critical challenges facing our planet today, and its impacts are felt across the globe. Museums, as important cultural institutions, have a unique role in addressing this global crisis. By attending this conference, I aim to gain a deeper understanding of the strategies, best practices, and innovative approaches museums can adopt to effectively lead climate action”.

Cyrose Mbithe Mathendy, Communications and Public Relations Officer, National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi: “As a Public Relations officer, I have participated in educating the public on the causes, effects and mitigation actions to climate change. The Museum has stepped up efforts to engage different stakeholders in the mitigation actions. I believe that from this conference, I will be able to gain different perspectives from fellow museum professionals on their coping mechanisms to avert and strengthen resilience to climate-induced impacts. It will also give me an opportunity to share and exchange knowledge on the best practices used globally as regards climate action”. 

Maria Teresa Moya Malfavò, Director, Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli: “Accessing solutions and strategies through the meeting will allow us to harmonize art, creation, and correct use of spaces. I am convinced that our participation in this meeting will enrich the contemporary approach that defines us, enabling us to acquire the tools to align our mission with that of ICOM in this field”.

Nicolás Rojas Inostroza, a journalist from Santiago, Chile: “I have worked in the cultural sector since my student years. I am passionate about museums, culture and heritage. I firmly believe that these spaces can offer solutions to the problems we are going through as societies (mental health, climate change, reduction of inequalities, sustainable development, among many others that we have in the region).

We look forward to hearing about their experiences and the knowledge they gain at the conference that they can share with their museums and communities when they return home.

Questions? Send a message to secretary.mpr@icom.museum

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