Press Release - March 26, 1998 A new Secretary General for the International Council of Museums A citizen of the Netherlands, Manus Brinkman, 48 years old, was appointed Secretary General of ICOM by the ICOM Executive Council on March 26, 1998. Mr. Brinkman succeeds a French woman, Elisabeth des Portes, who was Secretary General from 1991 to the end of 1997. With a social and cultural background, including a Doctorandus in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam, Manus Brinkman was director of the Dutch Museums Association since 1990. He worked at the Tropenmuseum for ten years where he was the director of the Children's Museum. His work was notably focused on highly innovative programs concerning developing countries, racial minorities and disadvantaged communities. Manus Brinkman is also very involved in European and international cultural activities. He has worked with NEMO (Network of European Museum Organisations) since its establishment in 1990, and has been its Chairperson since 1995. Since the first debate on the UNIDROIT convention, Manus Brinkman has been an avid promoter of this main tool in the fight against the illicit traffic in cultural property. As head of the ICOM Secretariat, Manus Brinkman will be responsible for managing the 14.000 institutional and individual members of ICOM around the world. One of his first priorities is to manage the most important event in ICOM's calendar: the General Conference which will be held in Melbourne (Australia) on 9-16 October 1998. He will also be in charge of the promotion of museums as "institutions in the service of society and its development" (ICOM Statutes - Art. 2). As ICOM is an organisation of the guardians of our common heritage, Mr Brinkman intends to develop an active and dynamic policy for the promotion of equality of all cultures. Information: Valerie Jullien Tel.: (33.1) 47.34.05.00 Fax: (33.1) 43.06.78.62 Email: [log in to unmask]