Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:
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Economic and Social:
Citizenship and Governance
Culture
Education
Environment
Governance
Human Rights
Indigenous Peoples
Justice
Migration
Minority Rights
New Global Institutions
Peace and Security
Refugees
Torture
Violence
Youth
Population:
International migration
Social Development:
Conflict
Indigenous issues
Information and Communications Technologies
Social policy
Youth
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| Geographic scope: |
International
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| Country of activity: |
Haiti
Belgium
Liberia
Jordan
Nepal
Tunisia
Argentina
Romania
Sierra Leone
South Africa
India
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Portugal
Paraguay
Philippines
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ireland
North Macedonia
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
France
Honduras
Ukraine
Bangladesh
Uruguay
Russian Federation
Thailand
Timor-Leste
United States of America
Kenya
Germany
Mexico
Cambodia
Croatia
Peru
Austria
Poland
Chile
Hungary
Canada
Colombia
Czechia
China
Italy
El Salvador
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Dominican Republic
Spain
Pakistan
Lebanon
Brazil
Ecuador
Türkiye
Guatemala
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| Millennium Development Goals: |
Develop global partnership for development
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| Mission statement: |
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| Year established: |
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| Year of registration: |
2006 |
| Organizational structure: |
The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience is a worldwide network of “Sites of Conscience” - historic sites dedicated to remembering past struggles for justice and addressing their contemporary legacies. Since 1999, the Coalition’s membership has grown from a founding group of 9 sites to a thriving Coalition of over 250 members in 44 countries led by 17 Accredited Sites of Conscience, and a communications network of more than 3,000 individuals from nearly 60 countries. The Coalition works to build the capacity of historic sites around the world to foster dialogue on pressing social issues and promote democratic and humanitarian values. It seeks to change the role of historic sites in civic life from passive places to dynamic places for communities to have ongoing dialogues about the meaning of their past and the shape of their future and to build lasting cultures of human rights. What is a Site of Conscience? A Site of Conscious is a place of memory – such as a historic site, place-based museum, or memorial – that confronts both the history of what happened there and its contemporary implications. All over the world, historic places – large and small – are transforming themselves into venues for civic engagement and public dialogue, expanding their interpretation to include multiple perspectives, and exploring the present-day implications of their histories. Through interpretation, curriculum-based education, and other public programming, historic sites can connect the heritage of a community to its contemporary environmental, social, and cultural issues. The Coalition’s goal is to provide every community with a place to confront their pasts, however difficult, and identify how they can act to prevent injustice from recurring. Supporting each other, we have the opportunity to open the social and political space for Sites of Conscience, present and future, to flourish. These hundreds of new centers for ordinary people to connect memory to action can form a strong bulwark against the suppression of human rights. What does the Coalition do? Connecting sites from Memoria Abierta in Argentina to the Gulag Museum at Perm-36 in Russia to the District Six Museum in South Africa, the Coalition supports Sites of Conscience by providing sites with direct funding for civic engagement programs; organizing peer learning exchanges ranging from one-on-one collaborations to international conferences; and conducting strategic advocacy for individual sites and the Sites of Conscience movement as a whole. Support for Program Innovation: The Coalition’s project support fund provides financial and technical assistance to members to develop and implement new programs that foster public dialogue on contemporary social issues. Regional/Thematic Networks: Members build local networks of Sites of Conscience that collaborate to address common contemporary issues. Our current Regional/Thematic Networks are: • African Sites of Conscience: Using Histories of Citizen Action to Develop Post-Colonial and Post-Conflict Democracies • Asian Sites of Conscience: Promoting Cultures of Peace and Pluralism in the Wake of Ethnic and Religious Conflict • European Sites of Conscience: Encouraging Active Citizenship and Public Dialogue on Issues of Discrimination and Exclusion • Immigration Sites of Conscience: Stimulating Conversation on Immigration and Related Issues • Russian Sites of Conscience: Building an Anti-Totalitarian Culture • South American Sites of Conscience: Promoting Debate through the Construction of Memory of the Recent Past |
| Number and type of members: |
We are an international coalition of over 250 museums, historical sites, places of memory, individuals and initiatives in 44 countries. Our members are committed to using the power of place to inspire the public to learn from past struggles for justice in order to begin to play a role in shaping a rights-based future. Sites of Conscience are places that: • interpret history through historic sites; • engage in programs that stimulate dialogue on pressing social issues; • promote humanitarian and democratic values as a primary function; and • share opportunities for public involvement in issues raised at the site |
| Funding structure: |
Membership fees or dues
Donations and grants from domestic sources
Foreign and international grants
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Quadrennial report due? Read more on our updated page.
Questions on applications, reports, or other inquiries
Applying for ECOSOC Consultative Status?
Obtaining a UN Grounds Pass
Registering for a UN Conference?