UNESCO used International Museum Day 2026 to praise the Fiji Museum and its partners for helping safeguard the country’s cultural heritage, while warning that climate change and natural disasters are increasing the pressure on museums across the Pacific.
With this year’s theme, “Museums Uniting a Divided World,” the Regional Director of UNESCO, Sara Garcia de Ugarte, said museums are needed now more than ever.
“At a time when societies around the world are experiencing increasing polarisation and uncertainty, museums have an essential role to play.
“Museums create opportunities for people to encounter different perspectives and stories.”
She added that they strengthen mutual understanding and remind us that cultural diversity is a source of wealth and connection.
UNESCO also noted the growing global importance of museums, saying the number has risen from about 22,000 in 1975 to roughly 104,000 today.
In the Pacific, the Ugarte said, museum and cultural institutions are increasingly linked through regional networks that support cooperation and exchange.
She placed particular emphasis on Fiji’s cultural landscape, describing it as rich in voyaging history, oral traditions, craftsmanship, languages and living heritage. Institutions such as the Fiji Museum need to ensure those stories remain visible, accessible and relevant to younger generations.
But her address also warned that museums in the region face real threats.
“Climate change, cyclones, flooding and earthquakes are putting collections and cultural institutions at risk.
“Strengthening museums today, therefore, also means strengthening their resilience,” she said.
Ugarte said UNESCO had spent the past year supporting the Fiji Museum through a project focused on safety, security and digital infrastructure, alongside preparedness and risk-management training.
“That effort, the representative said, was meant to help protect thousands of irreplaceable cultural artefacts and keep the museum resilient for the future.
“Today’s celebration is not really only about protecting the past. It’s really about shaping the future.”
She thanked the Fiji Museum for hosting the event and called the institution a key guardian of national memory.
“We’re grateful particularly for the strong partnership that we’ve been building over the years and the commitment that we’re sharing to protecting heritage.
“Museums are not just repositories of old objects, but as active public institutions that help societies stay connected.”
About International Museum Day
Each year since 1977, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has organised International Museum Day, which represents a unique moment for the international museum community.
The objective of International Museum Day (IMD) is to raise awareness about the fact that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.”
Organised on 18 May each year or around this date, the events and activities planned to celebrate International Museum Day can last a day, a weekend, or an entire week. All around the world, more and more museums participate in International Museum Day.
