Federation of Human Rights Museums (FIHRM) launched

In 2010 National Museums Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum will coordinate the establishment of a new international initiative called the Federation of Human Rights Museums (FIHRM).

The Federation enables museums which deal with sensitive and controversial subjects such as transatlantic slavery, the Holocaust and the fight for human rights to work together and share new thinking and initiatives in a supportive environment. The ethos underpinning the initiative is that all types of museums within this area of work share similar challenges when dealing with difficult subjects. 

The Federation is about sharing and working together, but it is also about being proactive - looking at the ways institutions challenge contemporary forms of racism, discrimination and human rights abuses. We believe that these issues are best confronted collectively rather than individually. We hope that the world’s leading museums and institutions within these fields will support the initiative and that this will encourage museums with fewer resources to join together in this international collaboration.

“I believe this to be a really significant moment in the development of the role of museums, worldwide. It is becoming clear that museums can play an important role in encouraging people to reject racist and other anti-human rights beliefs and attitudes. It is time that museums shared their experience and expertise so that we can ever more effective in fighting for equal rights and opportunity for all”. David Fleming, Director, National Museums Liverpool.
The FIHRM Council currently includes founding partners Kate Craddy, Director of Galicia Jewish Museum in Poland and Tracy Puklowski, General Manager of National Services at Te Papa in New Zealand. Further council members will be announced shortly.

Conference
The inaugural FIHRM conference will be held at the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, UK from 15-16 September 2010.

The conference will be an opportunity for interested museums and institutions to have input into the development of FIHRM as well as focusing on some urgent issues and debates.
Over two days, the conference will explore, through presentations, workshops and debates how museums can be active to combat prejudice and promote human rights and social justice for all.

We are also hoping to secure bursaries to enable museum professionals to attend who are unable to do so due to lack of funding.

We would like to invite you to submit your expressions of interest to attend and or speak at the conference under one of the following key themes:
- Active Communities
- Exhibiting Sensitive Histories
- Museums as Active Campaigners
- Children, Young People and Human Rights
The deadline for submission is 31 March 2010.
For more details, please go to http://www.fihrm.org or email Francoise McClafferty at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Francoise McClafferty
Coordinator
FIHRM - Federation of International Human Rights Museums
http://www.fihrm.org