Dear colleagues, dear members of ICMEMOHRI,

It is a great honor for me to take on the role of Chair of the International Committee of Memorial and Human Rights Museums. I do so with gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, and with deep respect for the responsibility that unites us as a committee within ICOM.
Before looking ahead, I would like to acknowledge and thank all previous Chairs of ICMEMOHRI. It is thanks to their vision, commitment, and sustained work that this committee was founded, shaped, and brought to where it is today. They helped establish ICMEMOHRI as a respected forum within ICOM and as a meaningful space for institutions and professionals engaged with the memory of public crimes and the defense of human rights. I step into this role fully aware that I am building on their work.
ICMEMOHRI exists for a reason that goes far beyond institutional frameworks. We are bound by a shared responsibility to safeguard the memory of public crimes and to insist that museums are not neutral spaces when human dignity, justice, and democratic values are at stake. Memorial and human rights museums do not merely preserve the past; they intervene in the present. They challenge silence, confront denial, and create spaces for reflection, dialogue, and accountability.
As Chair, I do not see myself above this committee, but within it. My understanding of this role is shaped by nearly four decades of active work as an exhibition maker and curator in and for memorial museums, and by the conviction that meaningful leadership in our field must be collaborative, reflective, and accountable. I see myself as one among equals — a facilitator, listener, and connector.
I am committed to a democratic, egalitarian, and fair mode of leadership: transparent in its decisions, attentive to different voices and global contexts, and grounded in mutual respect. Our diversity — of histories, geographies, institutional realities, and lived experiences — is our greatest strength, and it deserves to be actively heard and supported.
I warmly invite all members to bring forward not only ideas and initiatives, but also concerns, questions, and problems. A committee like ours can only develop if challenges are named openly and ideas are shared generously. ICMEMOHRI should be a space where constructive criticism is welcome and where new approaches can emerge through dialogue and collaboration.
I would like our committee to function even more clearly as a global think tank: a space for ethical debate, shared research, and collective learning, firmly anchored in the ICOM Code of Ethics and in the understanding of museums as active agents in defending human rights and democratic values.
Let me conclude with a conviction that guides my approach to this role: a committee is only as strong, as relevant, and as courageous as its members. I look forward to working with you — listening, learning, and shaping the future of ICMEMOHRI together.

Thank you, and I look forward to our shared work ahead,

Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek