ICCROM is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Museum of Ethnology (RMV) in Leiden, the Netherlands. The MoU aims to strengthen collaboration between ICCROM and the RMV in the framework of the CollAsia 2010 programme, through information and staff exchanges, as well as the development of joint activities and research.

The RMV was established early in the nineteenth century and is one of the oldest ethnographic museums in the world. Its collections number about 200,000 objects and 400,000 media items, including a unique collection of artefacts from the Indonesian archipelago. It has long-standing partnerships and collaborative projects with various museums around Southeast Asia, and is an active member of ASEMUS (Asia-Europe Museum Network).

The RMV has been one of ICCROM's most dedicated partners for activities in Southeast Asia. It was a partner institution, along with ASEMUS and the Department of Museums and Antiquities of Malaysia, for the international workshop on flexible materials held in Kuala Lumpur in 2003. More recently, it hosted the second international CollAsia 2010 course on the conservation of Southeast Asian textiles, which took place in August and September 2005.

updated on: 24 November, 2007