Amgueddfa Cymru’s Ethical framework

Amgueddfa Cymru aims to operate in an ethical and socially responsible way, and one which has a positive effect on society in line with its charitable purpose of ‘advancement of the education of the public’.

Learning, excellence, professionalism and public service are values which were instilled in the organisation in its earliest days and while much has changed since 1907 when the Museum was established, these values are still deeply held and support the delivery of its purpose. In order to achieve our Vision of becoming ‘a world class museum of learning’, Amgueddfa Cymru aspired to some new values in 2006 and these include being innovative, relevant, sustainable, diverse and challenging. These values underpin our everyday operations.

Amgueddfa Cymru with its seven national museum sites and collections centre is accredited through the scheme that sets nationally agreed standards for museums in the UK. The Museum Registration Scheme was established in 1988. Since then it has supported museums across the UK to focus on standards and identify areas for development. In 2004, the scheme was renamed Accreditation to better reflect its purpose. The scheme is regarded as one of the most innovative and effective developments in the museum sector. It has led the way in raising museum standards in the UK, and has been used as a model and source of inspiration for similar schemes overseas. The scheme is administered by Arts Council England in partnership with CyMAL in Wales. Accreditation has recently been developed to keep pace with the times, to help museums develop their resilience through effective forward planning, to balance aspects of collection management and to encourage all museums to be responsive to user needs and expectations.

Furthermore, as an institutional member of both the Museums Association (MA) and ICOM (International Council Of Museums) we adhere to the Codes of Ethics set out by these bodies both of which define standards that are often higher than those required by law.

We have specific policies in place to guide ethical and sustainable procurement, fundraising and purchasing for our shops.