In recognition of UAE’s leading position in the fields of creativity and innovation, the country has won the bid to host the 27th International Council of Museums (ICOM) General Conference 2025 in Dubai.
This was revealed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in a tweet: “Dubai's victory to host the largest global conference on museums, ICOM 2025, with the attendance of 119 countries, covering 20,000 international museums, gives a strong impetus to the country’s cultural sector.”
“Our international museums in our beloved emirate and our national museums throughout the country will lead the global debate on the future of museums at this huge international conference,” the tweet on his official account said.
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To be held under the theme ‘The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities,’ Dubai will become the first city in the Middle East and North Africa to organize this prestigious international conference since ICOM's establishment in 1946.
The UAE’s bid bagged the most votes, surpassing those of Sweden and Russia.
More than 4,000 professionals from 119 countries will gather during ICOM 2025 to discuss one topic, 'The Future of Museums' in the city of the future, Dubai, tweeted Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai.
The three cities nominated to host ICOM 2025 — Dubai, Stockholm and Kazan — each had made final presentations prior to the voting process that took place electronically.
Dubai's victory came following the voting round that was held at the meeting of ICOM's executive committee on November 18 and 19, with the participation of over 130 members, with the Emirate's bid succeeding in obtaining 68 votes, beating Sweden's Stockholm (34 votes), and Russia's Kazan (20 votes).
The efforts of the UAE’s chapter of ICOM (ICOM-UAE), in cooperation with Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), Dubai Municipality, and the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), resulted in presenting the city and its capabilities to earn it the bid.
ICOM General Conference is held once every three years. Its 25th edition was held in 2019 in Kyoto, Japan, and the 26th edition is scheduled to be held in Prague, Czech Republic in 2022.
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