I. General Provisions
The International Alliance of Museums of the Silk Road (IAMS) is a non-governmental, non-profit and open international cooperation mechanism and communication platform in the field of museums for countries and regions along the Silk Road. The IAMS advocates internationalization, openness and democracy. Its members should respect each other’s traditional customs and comply with laws and regulations.
II. Mission
The IAMS is committed to actively exploring thematic exhibitions, information sharing, joint research, professional exchanges and personnel training in the field of cultural heritage in countries and regions along the Silk Road, promoting international cooperation among museums in countries and regions along the Silk Road, and strengthening contact and cooperation with international institutions and organizations related to these museums. It is also dedicated to improving the society’s attention to and participation in cross-cultural exchanges and cooperation, thus forging a bond of friendships for all people on the Silk Road.
Its mission includes:
A. Enhancing mutual understanding and friendships by implementing cooperation and exchanges in museum-related services such as exhibitions, professionals and cultural heritage protection;
B. Exploring the feasibility of an information sharing website of the IAMS in countries and regions along the Silk Road through cooperation in the digital field;
C. Spreading extensively to the world the rich histories and cultures of countries and regions along the Silk Road through regular IAMS Conferences;
D. Encouraging members to cooperate in the following areas:
1. Holding the IAMS Conference on a regular basis;
2. Presenting joint exhibitions to accompany the IAMS Conference;
3. Organizing museum directors’ forums to accompany the IAMS Conference;
4. Having exhibition exchanges among IAMS members;
5. Having professional exchanges and trainings among IAMS members;
6. Having exchanges and cooperation in the field of cultural heritage protection among IAMS members;
7. Carrying out cooperation in digitization and exploring the feasibility of an information sharing website of the IAMS in countries and regions along the Silk Road; and
8. Carrying out other museum-related exchanges and cooperation.
III. Members
The IAMS now has 157 members, including 47 international institutions and 110 Chinese institutions.
A. Member application and withdrawal procedures
In the spirit of openness, the IAMS is growing its members.
The member admission procedures are as follows:
1. Submitting an application for membership;
2. Discussed and approved by the Executive Council; and
3. A membership certificate issued by the Secretariat.
The withdrawal of a member from the IAMS shall be notified to the Secretariat in written form. The membership shall be automatically cancelled if a member fails to participate in activities of the IAMS for five consecutive years.
B. Membership eligibility
1. Supporting the initiative of establishing the IAMS and the Statutes;
2. Having the will to join the IAMS;
3. Having a certain impact in the museum circle; and
4. Obeying the leadership of the IAMS and actively participating in activities organized by the IAMS.
C. Rights of members
1. Sharing resources of the IAMS in accordance with the Statutes and related agreements;
2. Organizing or supporting activities in the name of the IAMS with the approval from the Executive Council; and
3. Joining or withdrawing from the IAMS voluntarily.
D. Obligations of members
1. Complying with the Statutes, rules and regulations, and implementing resolutions of the IAMS;
2. Actively participating in activities organized by the IAMS, providing resource support, and striving to contribute to the building and development of the IAMS;
3. Safeguarding the interests and legitimate rights of the IAMS; and
4. Receiving supervision and inspection of the IAMS regarding projects that are applied for or undertaken in the name of the IAMS, and performing the contract as agreed.
IV. Organization
The organization consists of the Executive Council and the Secretariat.
A. Executive Council
The Executive Council consists of the President, Secretary General and Vice Presidents. Now it has ten members and the total number of members shall not exceed 21.
1. Members of the Executive Council are as follows:
a) President - Director of the National Museum of China
b) Secretary General - Deputy Director of the National Museum of China
c) Vice President - Secretary General of the Chinese Museums Association
d) Vice President - Director of the China National Silk Museum
e) Vice President - Director of the Fujian Museum
f) Vice President - Director of the Tang West Market Museum
g) Vice President - Director of the National Museum of Myanmar(Yangon)
h) Vice President - Director of the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan
i) Vice President - Director of the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan
j) Vice President - Director of the National Museum in Belgrade, Serbia
2. Tenure
If a member of the Executive Council is no longer in the position of his/her unit due to retirement or resignation, and is replaced by another person, the name of the successor shall be notified to the Secretariat in time and confirmed by the Executive Council Meeting.
3. President’s authority
The President has the right to convene the Executive Council Meeting.
4. President’s responsibility
The President is responsible for notifying the members of the decisions made at the Executive Council Meeting.
5. Secretary General’s duties
a) Managing daily work of the Secretariat and organizing the implementation of the annual work plan; and
b) Handling other daily tasks.
B. Secretariat
The Secretariat is based at the National Museum of China (located at the east side of the Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China)
1. Head of the General Office of the Secretariat - Head of the International Department of the National Museum of China
2. Deputy Head of the General Office of the Secretariat - Deputy Secretary General of the Chinese Museums Association
3. Members of the Secretariat - Staff of the National Museum of China
C. Liaison officer
Each member shall appoint a liaison officer responsible for liaison with the Secretariat.
V. Conference and Meeting
A. The IAMS Conference is held every two years. The aim is to promote the development of and cooperation among museums in countries and regions along the Silk Road, and to effectively carry out exchanges and cooperation among countries and regions along the Silk Road.
B. The Executive Council Meeting shall be convened at least once a year by the Secretariat, and participated in by the Executive Council members. The Meeting can be held with the presence of more than half of the Executive Council members, and any resolution shall come into force upon being adopted at the Meeting.
C. The IAMS First Conference and First Executive Council Meeting were held in November 2018 in Fujian, China to discuss and adopt the Statutes..
VI. Funds
The National Museum of China is responsible for the daily expenses of the IAMS Secretariat. It encourages the members to actively carry out activities. The specific activities are funded by the participating units.
VII. Dispute Resolution
Any dispute shall be handled through friendly negotiation. If the negotiation fails, the dispute shall be submitted to a third-party arbitral institution for arbitration, and the arbitration award shall be final and binding on all parties to the dispute.
VIII. Supplementary Provisions
The Statutes have been voted on and endorsed at the First IAMS Conference held on 24 November 2018 and shall take effect immediately. The right of interpretation and revision of the Statutes shall be vested in the Executive Council.
24 November 2018