The training is organized on the occasion of the International Museum Day, which is celebrated annually since 1977 on 18 May in more than 150 countries around the world. The theme for this year’s International Museum Day is "Museums and contested histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums". Compared with exhibits, storage of museum collections is a relatively “unspoken” and unnoticed side of museum operation; however, it is the basis for all kinds of eventual exhibitions and deserves close attention and expertise. Collections are the defining attribute of the museum. Preservation and management of different natural and cultural properties, both tangible and intangible, is one of the primary functions of any museum’s operations.

As Director-General of UNESCO Ms Irina Bokova has put it, “Museums are not merely places where our common heritage is preserved – they are key spaces of education, inspiration and dialogue. They play an essential role in social cohesion and sharing collective references. They hold up a mirror to society, introduce visitors to alternative visions of the world and provide opportunities to foster creativity, imagination and respect for self and others. As the economic hub for an industry and diverse professions in architecture, urban planning, cultural mediation and tourism, museums are also spaces that perfectly embody the link between culture and sustainable development”. That is why UNESCO has always placed museums at the very heart of its mandate.

The main purpose of this training is to strengthen national capacity among museum specialists. The meeting will bring together the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, cultural institutions and museum specialists in the field of museum storage.

In the course of the training closer attention will be paid to the issues related to best practice and standards in museums, latest practices in electronic registration of objects and data security, importance of conservation and restoration of the museum’s collections, as well as storage of museum artifacts as one of the most important ‘hidden’ essentials in a museum.

The training will be conducted by Mr Stuart Gibson (USA), UNESCO international museum and cultural policy expert with over 20 years’ experience working with cultural and government organizations.