The 2023 International Museum Day edition (May 18) theme is Museums, Sustainability, and well-being.
Museums are key contributors to our communities’ well-being and sustainable development. As trusted institutions and important threads in our shared social fabric, they are uniquely placed to create a cascading effect to foster positive change. There are many ways museums can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: from supporting climate action and fostering inclusivity, to tackling social isolation and improving mental health.

As highlighted in the ICOM Resolution “On sustainability and the implementation of Agenda 2030, Transforming our World” (Kyoto, 2019), all museums have a role to play in shaping and creating sustainable futures, and they can do this through educational programs, exhibitions, community outreach, and research.

Each year since 2020, International Museum Day supports a set of Goals from the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. In 2023, we will focus on:

• Goal 3 Global Health and Wellbeing: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, in particular concerning mental health and social isolation.
• Goal 13 Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, adopting low-carbon practices in the Global North and mitigation strategies in the Global South.
• Goal 15 Life on Land: Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, amplifying the voices of indigenous leaders and raising awareness on the loss of biodiversity.

On May 18th, we encourage all members of civil society to come together and realize the full transformative potential that museums have for sustainable development and well-being!