PIMA’s Code of Ethics
PIMA Media Release
5 February 2006
A new Code of Ethics for Pacific Islands Museums and Cultural Centres
Participants at the Pacific Museums in Sustainable Heritage Development workshop held at the Australian National University in Canberra from 29 January – 4 February 2006, contributed to the creation of a new Code of Ethics for Pacific Islands Museums and Cultural Centres.
The Pacific Code was developed through the expert facilitation of PIMA Executive Board Members, Lawrence Foana’ota (Director, Solomon Islands National Museum) and Ralph Regenvanu (Director, Vanuatu Cultural Centre) with the assistance of Bernice Murphy, (Chair, ICOM Ethics Committee) and Professor Amareswar Galla (Director of Graduate Studies in Sustainable Heritage Development, Australian National University, and Vice President, ICOM.)
Issues discussed in the Pacific Code include repatriation, the valuation of collections, the promotion of research policies for museums, relationships and obligations to the communities museums serve, and the training of staff, amongst other topics.
This new specialised Pacific Code of Ethics caters for professional museum work and is particularly adapted to the values of Pacific Islands museums and cultural centres
The document was developed in direct response to the newly published (revised) version of the International Council of Museum (ICOM) Code of Professional Ethics (Paris, 2006), and represents the first region-specific ethics code taking its springboard from the new version of the ICOM Code.
PIMA has been an Affiliated Organisation of ICOM since 1998 and PIMA and its members fully endorse and support the ICOM Code of Ethics. ICOM considers the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums as the cornerstone of the organisation. It sets minimum standards of professional practice and performance for museums and their staff. In joining the organisation, ICOM members undertake to abide by this Code.
This new specialised Pacific Code caters for professional museum work and is particularly adapted to the values of Pacific Islands museums and cultural centres.
Download a copy of the PIMA Code of Ethics here: