ACTIONS
- Protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage
- Learning and educational opportunities
- Cultural participation/social inclusion
- Sustainable tourism
- Support research
- Employment (recruiting, training, safety)
- Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions
- Waste management and reduction
- Transport (forms of, energy use)
- Commercial activities including copyright and IP
- Governance and management
- Security, disaster preparedness, risk reduction
- External partnerships and collaborations
- Publication/report
- Toolkit/framework/roadmap
- Case studies
Care of Human Remains in Museums and Collections Guidelines
Intended Audience
Anyone working with collections that include human remains
- German Museums Association Working Group, E. Halealoha Ayau of Pana‘ewa, M. Pickering, A. Mekondjo Nankela, J. Silvester
- German Museums Association
“Guidelines offer recommendations for the care of all human remains held by collections. They take into account the heterogeneity of the remains themselves as well as the varied contexts in which they were acquired. The Guidelines particularly seek to create an awareness of the ethical dimension of the care of human remains – a dimension which affects every aspect of museum and collection work.” (p. 4)
“The practical guidance answers relevant questions concerning human remains in the context of the museums’ main tasks – collecting, preserving, researching, exhibiting and educating as well as repatriation.” (p. 8)
Avaiable in
- English
- French
- German
SDGs LINKAGES
Implementing the resource supports a number of SDG targets relating to the care, use and research on human remains. These include SDG targets relating to the rule of law and ownership of cultural property, including 1.4 (access, ownership and, including over inheritance, IP rights), 10.2 (promoting universal social, economic and political inclusion of all), 10.3 (eliminating discriminatory policies and practices), 11.4 (strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage), 16.3 (support the rule of law). Returning stolen or illegally held property supports 16.4 (combat illicit flows, strengthen recovery of stolen assets), 16.6 (effective, accountable and transparent institutions), as well as 16.10 (support fundamental freedoms, in line with human rights, including the right to information), 16.B (uphold and promote laws and policies for sustainable development) and 17.14 (policy coherence for sustainable development).
Ensuring a safe working environment supports 8.8 (protecting labour rights).
Close partnership working with source communities supports 16.7 (inclusive decision making), 17.16 (global and international partnerships) and 17.17 (cross-sector, local and national partnerships for sustainable development).
The section on research on human remains can contribute to SDGs 9.1 (sustainable infrastructure for wellbeing) and 9.5 (support scientific research).
The section on education and exhibitions can contribute to SDG 4.7 (education for sustainable development).
Click on the SDG Target to discover Our Collections Matter indicators
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers and proportions of people from particular groups using collections in comparison with demographics in broader society.
- Numbers of people accessing collections.
- Number of targeted programmes that aim to enhance access to collections by disadvantaged groups.
- Sustainable tourism that enhances local communities’ access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property (including cultural and natural heritage), as well as to technology and markets.
- Involvement of people from disadvantaged groups in decision-making activities and processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers of people in each type of programme drawing on collections from different demographic groups.
- Increases in numbers of people in each type of programme from different demographic groups.
- Proportion of people involved in such programmes in relation to overall audience size.
- Evidence that learners have acquired knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportions of staff working with collections in safe and secure working environments.
- Number of accidents and other health and safety incidents reported.
- Training and support provided for staff to ensure their wellbeing, health and safety.
- Education, awareness-raising and partnership programmes drawing on collections that address labour rights, notably those of migrant workers and others in precarious employment.
- Reduction of numbers and proportions of staff on short-term or zero-hours contracts.
- Fair pay policies and procedures in place to prevent exploitation.
- Procurement policies that ensure that collecting institutions make use of people who are in decent employment, and that avoid exploitation throughout the supply chain.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Development of research-useful collections to support reliable, sustainable and resilient use by researchers and others.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that support economic development and human well-being.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that provide affordable and equitable access for all.
- Investment in collections facilities.
- Inclusion of collections information in regional and transborder initiatives, notably via digital access for discoverability.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of collections facilities that effectively support research and researchers.
- Number and proportion of staff who are appropriately skilled to undertake and support collections-based research.
- Expenditure on initiatives to enhance and upgrade collections facilities.
- Numbers of staff engaged in supporting and developing research use based on collections.
- Number of initiatives to encourage innovation drawing on collections.
- Increase in number of research and development workers per 1 million people.
- Increase in public and private research and development spending being used to develop and make use of collections.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development to ensure that collections effectively meet the needs of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
- Number and proportion of educational and participatory programmes that promote participation irrespective of social or other status.
- Numbers and proportions of people making use of collections in relation to the demographic of the local population.
- Numbers and proportions of people involved in focused programmes aimed at promoting social, economic and political inclusion.
- Numbers and proportions of people from different demographic groups involved in decision-making processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
- Number and types of partnerships that build relationships with marginalized groups, individuals and communities.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Identification of discriminatory policies and practices, with clear plans to address these, to ensure equal opportunity for all and reduce inequalities of outcome.
- Collections development to uphold and promote legislation and anti-discriminatory perspectives, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Education and participatory programmes that promote anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Research that supports anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Participation in partnerships that promote anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Total expenditure (public and private) per capita spent on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by type of heritage.
- Plans, policies and procedures in place for the safe use of collections for a variety of purposes, protecting and safeguarding both collections and those who use them.
- Plans, policies and procedures in place for the identification, safeguarding and protection of cultural and natural heritage at risk.
- Collecting programmes in place to protect, safeguard and make use of cultural and natural heritage, addressing the needs of communities and stakeholders, and ensuring that collections can be an effective resource for sustainable development.
- Number and diversity of educational, awareness-raising, research programmes, and partnerships that aim to strengthen protection of cultural and natural heritage.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development that relates to the rule of law, equality before the law, and justice for all.
- Number of activities drawing on collections, for example educational, research and partnership activities, that promote the rule of law at national and international levels, and that promote a culture of lawfulness, and the right of all to justice.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Identification of stolen assets, return of stolen assets.
- Collections development, education, awareness-raising and partnership activities relating to organized crime, with a view to combatting organized crime everywhere.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of the population [audience/users/non-users] satisfied with their last experience of public services.
- Access to information, and accountability policies and mechanisms, in place.
- Effective institutional arrangements, both for own working and for working in partnership with other sectors, in place.
- Plans and arrangements in place for extraordinary circumstances such as natural and human-caused disasters.
- Effective arrangements in place to fulfil legal and social obligations and responsibilities.
- Effective arrangements in place for transparent communication and reporting of institutional performance.
- Effective arrangements in place for transparent decision-making and accountability.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportions of positions (by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups) in public institutions (national and local legislatures, public service, and judiciary) compared to national distributions.
- Proportion of population [audience/users/non-users] who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive, by sex, age, disability and population group.
- Decision-making addresses societal, environmental and economic challenges related to the community, considering short-term and long-term risks and opportunities.
- Decision-making draws on diverse backgrounds, viewpoints and interests, reflecting a broad base of stakeholders, and working to promote inclusion and provide effective services for all of society.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information.
- Plans in place, and plans implemented to enhance public access to information relating to collections.
- Plans in place, and plans implemented to support fundamental freedoms, in line with human rights, national and international agreements and legislation.
- Plans and procedures in place for public access to information relating to the operation and management of collections-based institutions.
- Complaint mechanism in place for public to use where public access to information and fundamental freedoms not supported or fulfilled.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of population [audience/users/non-users] reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law.
- Number and proportion of policies that incorporate sustainable development considerations, in the full sense of recognizing all three of social, economic and environmental considerations.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of policies that incorporate sustainable development considerations, linking to SDGs and targets.
- Incorporation of policy considerations from outside the collections sector into policies of collections-based institutions, to facilitate partnerships and effectiveness.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of global and international multi-stakeholder partnerships that share collection-related knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to address the SDGs, or that otherwise involve collections-based organisations and institutions.
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of global and international multi-stakeholder partnerships involving developing countries that share collection-related knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to address the SDGs.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private and civil society partnerships.
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of local, national and regional multi-stakeholder (public, public-private and civil society) partnerships that address the SDGs drawing on collections, or that otherwise involve collections-based organisations and institutions.