The second state museums meeting, organised by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts of the Ministry of Culture, is taking place from 21 to 23 October at the Museum of Almería. This event has brought together museum professionals, including those directly managed by the Ministry of Culture and those managed by the Autonomous Communities, as well as other cultural agents, museum sector associations, and representatives from state and regional security forces.
Although the Foral Community of Navarra does not have any state-owned museums, it participates in this professional forum each year. This year, the head of the Museums Section and technical staff from the Museum of Navarra, along with a representative from the Foral Police, are in attendance.
The theme of this second meeting responds to the increasing incidence of thefts in museum institutions across Europe. In light of this shared challenge, cooperation between institutions is more crucial than ever to ensure two main objectives: the proper preservation and protection of our common heritage, and the opening of museums to the public as spaces for welcome, reflection, and engagement.
To address these pertinent issues for the entire museum community, the agenda includes roundtable discussions centred on three key areas:
- Protecting the essentials: people, collections, and heritage
- Anticipating risks: spaces, technologies, and new threats
- Responding and recovering: from emergency to recovery
In addition to museum and cultural institution representatives, the meeting features the presence of the Security Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the Historical Heritage Brigade of the National Police, the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, and the Foral Police of Navarra, along with participation from the Unit for the Illicit Traffic of Cultural Goods and the processes of return and restitution of UNESCO.
