The aims of IC-MEMO are to foster a responsible memory of history and to further cultural cooperation through education and through using knowledge in the interests of peace, which is also a key goal of UNESCO.

The purpose of these Memorial Museums is to conmemorate victims of State, socially determined and ideologically motivated crimes. The institutions are frequently located at the original historic sites, or at places chosen by survivors of such crimes for the purposes of conmemoration. They seek to convey information about historical events in a way which retains a historical perspective while also making strong links to the present.