ICOM UK (the UK National Committee of the International Council of Museums) has been following with interest the formation of the UK Soft Power Council. Soft power seeks to build on a nation’s strengths in areas such as culture, sport, education, music and the arts, using them to build influence on the global stage.
Initiatives like this are particularly important in today’s increasingly unpredictable and volatile world. When conflicts reverberate beyond national borders and when political interventions are no longer a guarantee of sustainable peace, soft power is an important tool to strengthen and heal potentially strained international relationships.
As the UK’s only museum alliance with a specific international remit, ICOM UK welcomes the Government’s recognition of the importance of soft power under the visionary direction of Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. It is positive that the museum sector will be represented on the board through the inclusion of Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum and – at a tangent – through Scott McDonald, CEO of the British Council.
It is worth pointing out that the British Council has been representing UK soft power for almost 100 years, by creating friendly partnerships and cultural exchange mechanisms between the people of the UK and other countries. ICOM’s mission – leadership of a diplomatic forum for museums around the world – very much aligns with the British Council’s goal to ‘create connections to build a more prosperous and peaceful world’. ICOM was founded in the aftermath of the second World War to promote and protect natural and cultural heritage. The British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund has awarded around £50million in grants to safeguard global cultural heritage at risk. The two organisations have a longstanding and mutually supportive relationship, having collaborated over the years on a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening international relations.
In terms of cultural diplomacy – a form of soft power that wields influence through collaborations and the exchange of ideas, knowledge and skills – museums have quietly been leading the way for many decades. As well as championing diversity and inclusivity, museums have the ability to redress inequalities and communicate powerful messages to their audiences.
With almost 60,000 members across 120 National Committees, ICOM has a unique reach into the heart of local communities globally. Through international committees and working groups, ICOM helps to develop essential intercultural skills fit for the 21st century, welcoming multiple perspectives, challenging stereotypes, fostering creative thinking and promoting tolerance. Museums play a continuing role in international reconciliation and understanding. They can maintain respectful relationships where more formal channels of communication prove challenging.
The ICOM UK 2024 conference in Belfast (Common Ground) highlighted that museums are uniquely placed to create opportunities for difficult conversations between divided communities. The 2025 conference (Regenerative Museums for Sustainable Futures on 1 and 2 May 2025) puts cultural heritage at the heart of climate action. Projects such as ICOM’s Red Lists of Cultural Objects at Risk demonstrate the effectiveness of international collaboration. Sometimes, museums are among the few organisations able to bring people to the table, and there are many examples of trust and reconciliation being successfully negotiated through the help of museums.
Museums generate positive reputations by contributing towards placemaking, transforming reputation and perceived image. This may be through exhibits representing the cultural heritage of a city or nation, and symbolic values such as fashion, design and music. Museums, and culture more widely, can represent the ideal context for public diplomacy initiatives such as the 2021 G7 meeting in Liverpool, when the Museum of Liverpool was the main location for talks. Liverpool had been chosen due to its history as an iconic port city with a global outlook, strong ties around the world and a thriving cultural, musical and sporting heritage.
‘In an increasingly connected world, we should no longer think of culture as subordinate to politics.’ This is truer now than when John Holden of the think-tank Demos wrote these words 20 years ago.
ICOM UK remains committed to supporting existing and new instruments of cultural diplomacy. In light of its recently reported financial challenges, we sincerely hope that the long and distinguished work of the British Council will be strengthened by this new government body. The success of UK cultural diplomacy overseas relies largely on being seen as independent from the government, as is the case of both the British Council and ICOM UK.
Christian Baars and Maria Blyzinsky, Co-Chairs, ICOM UK
April 2025
