Reseña

Re-connections. ICOM LAC Regional Alliance Meeting: Museums heading to Dubai 2025, held from October 21 to 24, 2024, in Santiago, Chile, brought
together representatives of the National Committees of the International
Council of Museums of Latin America and the Caribbean (hereinafter
ICOM LAC), and experts, professionals, and key players in the museum
sector, who reflected on the progress and challenges facing museums in
the region. In this context, the ICOM LAC Board of Directors proposed
fundamental topics that were addressed in depth together with the participants of the meeting: collaborative governance, sustainability, the
link between museums and Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development
(hereinafter, Agenda 2030), museum training, and community
participation. The importance of promoting contextualized, participatory,
and adaptable cultural policies to strengthen transparency in management
and consolidate strategic alliances between the public, private,
and community sectors was recognized. Likewise, the role of ICOM as a
mediator and promoter of international standards for ethics, autonomy,
and professionalization of museums was emphasized.

Museums in Latin America and the Caribbean are essential actors
in the preservation of heritage, the promotion of identities and collective
memory, as well as spaces for education, inclusion, and social transformation. In the face of regional scenarios of democratic and political
fragility, scarcity of resources, and environmental, social, and economic
changes, it is imperative to strengthen governance, sustainability,
and regional integration in these institutions.

In this regard, the participants in the meeting reaffirmed their commitment
to ethical codes and the construction of a more dynamic, adaptable,
creative, inclusive, fair, and sustainable museum sector, aligned
with principles designed locally in line with Agenda 2030. Through
critical reflection, plural dialogue, and regional cooperation, the aim is
to consolidate museums as agents of social and cultural change, capable
of responding to the challenges of the 21st century and contributing to
the well-being of communities and the planet.

This document is the outcome of discussions and consensus reached
during the meeting and lays the foundations for the ICOM LAC 2025 Declaration: Museums, Governance, and Sustainability in Latin America
and the Caribbean. In addition, it is expected that this document will
serve as a guide for the visions, orientations, and commitments of museums in Latin America and the Caribbean within the framework of the
27th ICO M General Conference in Dubai in 2025, in accordance with the
motto of International Museum Day 2025: “The Future of Museums in
Changing Communities,” and far beyond.