UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh Susan Vize has called upon museums, heritage institutions, museum professionals, heritage workers, and the general public to strictly adhere to the International Council of Museums (ICOM) code of ethics in order to safeguard the nation's cultural heritage.
The call was made on Sunday during the inaugural session of a daylong training workshop on museum ethics, jointly organized by the Bangladesh National Museum and the Heritage Foundation.
Addressing the gathering, Vize emphasized that ICOM has formulated comprehensive guidelines governing how museums and cultural institutions should acquire, register, preserve, maintain, research, exhibit, and publish historical artifacts.
Professor Masud Imran of the Department of Archaeology at Jahangirnagar University delivered the keynote paper at the event, which featured Department of Archaeology Director General Sabina Alam as the special guest. Bangladesh National Museum Director General Tanzim Wahab presided over the session, while Heritage Foundation Director General Jahangir Hossain delivered the welcome address. The opening ceremony was conducted by Heritage Foundation Director and former Additional Secretary Alam Ara Begum, with a vote of thanks offered by Bangladesh National Museum Secretary Sadekul Islam.
During the second session of the workshop, the Bengali translation of the ICOM code of ethics was officially presented. Jahangir Hossain, who also serves as the former chairperson of the ICOM Bangladesh National Committee, presented a paper detailing the historical background of the guidelines and the critical importance of their implementation. Following the presentation, participants divided into five separate groups to deliberate and formulate their collective recommendations.
The daylong workshop brought together 73 representatives from prominent institutions, including the Bangladesh National Museum, Bangladesh Military Museum, Liberation War Museum, Asiatic Society Heritage Museum, Department of Archaeology, Jahanara Foundation Museum, Asian Music Museum, Ahsan Manzil Museum, Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, North South University, Independent University Bangladesh, Rabindra Bharati University, and the United Nations Association of Bangladesh.
