ICOM UK reveals full programme for 2026 Annual Conference

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) has released the full programme for the ICOM UK 2026 Annual Conference, Museum Diplomacy in Action, which will be held in Oxford from 16 to 17 April.

The event, which is the UK’s foremost museum and heritage conference, will explore how museums are increasingly acting as cultural diplomats.

ICOM UK has created a program involving speakers from museums, culture, policy, and the creative industries both in the UK and internationally. It is co-curated by Dr. Sascha Priewe, president of ICOM Canada and co-editor of Museum Diplomacy: How Cultural Institutions Shape Global Engagement.

The conference will be hosted by five of Oxford’s most iconic museums: the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the Ashmolean Museum, the Museum of Oxford, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the History of Science Museum.

Day one

The conference begins on 16 April, with a welcome address from Dr Christian Baars, co-chair of ICOM UK; Dr Gavin Svenson, director of the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History; and Katie Colombus, director of audiences at Art Fund.

This will be followed by a keynote address by Priewe, who will deliver his session, Liberation Day for Museum Diplomacy?, virtually. He will explore why museum diplomacy must evolve with the shifting world order and advocate for a stronger, institution-driven model.

The first session of the day is titled Advancing Global Partnerships Through Museum Diplomacy.

Delegates will hear from Laura Frampton, associate director of global engagement at Science Museum Group; Gregory Houston, president and CEO of International Arts & Artists (USA); and Sunghee Cho, curator at the National Asian Culture Center, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea.

Session two is Museums Connecting Communities Internationally Through Equitable Cross-Cultural Exchange.

This features insights from Sabnam Balouch, a preventive conservation officer at Leighton House Museum; Gabriel Matesun, a curator at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria's Department of Archaeology and Anthropology; and Mattie Reynolds, chair and associate professor of Museum Studies at the Institute of American Indians Arts.

The Ashmolean Museum

In the afternoon, Dr Laura Van Broekhoven presents a keynote entitled Do we need Museum Diplomacy or Museum Solidarity? This explores how concepts such as “cultural diplomacy,” “soft power,” and “Global Britain” have influenced the UK’s post-Brexit rebranding, as well as the intricate role museums play within this agenda.

Session three, Sustaining Museum Diplomacy and International Relationships in a Rapidly Changing World, features speakers Jamie Allan Brown, research fellow at the University of St Andrews; Dr Shreen Amin, curator at the Egyptian Museum; and Stephanie Grant, director of the Cultural Protection Fund at the British Council.

Finally, session four is Conflict to Recovery - The role of Museums in Conflict, Reconciliation and Peace Building.

Attendees will hear from Mikaël Mohamed, director of international relations at Mucem in France; Roshan Mishra, director and curator at Taragaon Next in Nepal; and Yuliia Hnat, ecosystem projects and development director, and co-founder at NGO Museum of Contemporary Art in Ukraine.

The day wraps up with another keynote, yet to be announced, as well as closing remarks and then an evening reception at The Ashmolean.

Day two

The second day of the conference begins with the ICOM UK Annual General Meeting. Then, attendees can choose from a selection of workshops, walking tours and museum tours.

Workshops include an interactive session called Collective Intelligence in Action: Lessons from the Bizot Green Protocol, led by Culture Connect Ltd; Museum Bridge: Overcoming Barriers to International Working at the Pitt Rivers Museum; and The Art of Long-Lasting Cross-Cultural Collaboration, delivered by Oxford Cultural Leaders.

Museum tours include An Introduction to Oxford’s Past at the Museum of Oxford, or Multaka Tours With these Hands: Crafting a shared Humanity at Pitt Rivers Museum and Captured in Light: A Journey Through Photography at the History of Science Museum.

There is also a walking tour, Oxford’s Radicals & Rebels.

The Pitt Rivers Museum

Afternoon options include a workshop called Museum Diplomacy as Organisational Development: From International Exchange to Institutional Change, led by the German Agency for International Museum Cooperation, and Community-Led Engagement: Building a Programme for People Seeking Refuge, delivered by the Roman Baths & Pump Room.

Alternatively, delegates can choose the workshop Developing New Environmental Tools for the Sector, led by the Design Museum with Metal and UP Projects; museum tours The Oxford Story at the Museum of Oxford or In Bloom at the Ashmolean; or a walking tour around Oxford's Queer History.

The second afternoon session includes a choice of workshops, such as The Role of Museums in Cultural Resilience and Identity: International Collaboration with Ramallah Refugee Camp and Multaka Oxford, The Right to Disagree- Radical Listening and Intercultural Dialogue’ with ICOM UK, and Strategic Planning for Disaster; Blue Shield UK Perspectives.

Museum tours include An Oxford Night Out at The Museum of Oxford, or In Bloom at The Ashmolean, or a walking tour entitled Shakespeare and Oxford.

For more information and to register, please click here.