Open Heritage Coalition and the Open Heritage Statement

The Open Heritage Coalition (formerly TAROCH – Towards a Recommendation on Open Cultural Heritage), convened by Creative Commons (CC), brings together more than 70 organizations from 25 countries that have signed the Statement of Commitment affirming their shared vision for equitable and sustainable access to cultural heritage. Together, the Coalition is driving a global movement to inspire UNESCO to establish a global framework that protects and advances open heritage in the public domain.

The Coalition recently launched the Open Heritage Statement, a global call to action open for signature by governments, organizations, and institutions worldwide. The Statement defines shared values, identifies key challenges, and sets action-oriented priorities for closing the gap in equitable access to heritage. It provides the foundation for international dialogue toward a future UNESCO standard-setting instrument on open heritage.

If you would like to join the Coalition and help propel this important initiative forward, we invite you to apply for membership.

Background

The world’s cultural heritage holds the power to connect people across time and space, fostering mutual understanding, creativity, and sustainable development. Yet, many cultural treasures remain inaccessible, locked behind barriers of outdated policies, resource limitations, and logistical challenges. 

Cultural Heritage Institutions (CHIs) like museums, archives, and galleries face immense struggles to digitize their collections, preserve fragile artifacts, and make them available to the public. These challenges often result in critical pieces of our shared history remaining out of reach for the communities they represent and for global audiences eager to engage with them.

At CC, we help cultural heritage institutions make the digital objects in their collection openly accessible through the use of CC licenses and public domain tools, which prioritize accessibility, shareability, and reusability while respecting ethical, legal, and cultural considerations.

Leading institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Rijksmuseum have adopted open access policies and practices that benefit from the CC licenses to communicate how digital cultural heritage objects can be shared and reused, showcasing the transformative potential of openly sharing cultural heritage resources.

Accessing and enjoying cultural heritage is a human right, as recognized by UNESCO, and is essential for fostering peace, mutual understanding, and sustainable development. It allows individuals and communities to express their identities, safeguard traditions, and actively participate in cultural life, which are fundamental to human dignity and social cohesion. Without openness to cultural heritage, we risk the erosion of cultural diversity, the weakening of dialogue, and the loss of shared narratives that connect us to our past and inspire our future.

The Open Heritage Coalition

To address systemic barriers and promote equitable access to cultural heritage, CC formed the Open Heritage (TAROCH) Coalition. This initiative seeks to collaborate with UNESCO and its Member States to explore the development of a Recommendation—or another standard-setting instrument— that advances open access to out-of-copyright cultural heritage. This open heritage work is generously supported by Arcadia, a family charitable foundation.

The Coalition facilitates global dialogue and proposes solutions to reduce unnecessary barriers to accessing cultural heritage. It aims to encourage discussions among UNESCO Member States about adopting policy that promotes open solutions. These solutions may include developing tools, global standards, practices, and systems to make cultural heritage more accessible to all. This vision aligns with UNESCO’s mission to foster the free flow of information and preservation of heritage, contributing to addressing global challenges. 

Open Heritage’s goal is that its foundational work, alongside the efforts of supportive stakeholders, will not only address access issues in the digital age but also spark deeper conversations and foster collaborative efforts that ultimately provide a shared framework for policymakers. By cultivating understanding, building consensus, and championing the profound impact of a global policy, Open Heritage aims to establish a unified standard for cultural heritage institutions, empowering them to unlock the full potential of their collections for the benefit of society.

Join the Open Heritage Coalition

Be part of a global movement that is helping shape the future of open cultural heritage. By joining the Open Heritage Coalition, your organization will:

• Contribute to meaningful change: Collaborate with leading experts and organizations to develop solutions and influence policies, including encouraging UNESCO to adopt frameworks that benefit cultural institutions and their users worldwide.
• Share expertise: Engage and exchange insights with a network of peers through conferences, events, and meetings.
• Be a recognized leader: Demonstrate your organization’s commitment to open culture on a global stage.

If your organization or institution supports the Statement of Commitment, submit your application for membership today. Questions? Contact us at [email protected].

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Learn More

Download, read, and share:

• Background Brief and FAQ in English (African art), English (UK art), suomi, français, Deutsch, ελληνικά, español, Türkçe
• CC Strategic Workshop Reveals Big Opportunities for Open Access to Cultural Heritage, a report from the May 2024 TAROCH workshop.
• TAROCH Coalition Launch

Open Heritage Coalition Members

1. African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA)
2. ArkéoTopia
3. Authors Alliance
4. AvoinGLAM
5. Biblioteca Nacional Aruba
6. Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum
7. Canadian Research Knowledge Network
8. Centro Latinoamericano de Investigaciones Sobre Internet
9. Centrum Cyfrowe
10. COMMUNIA Association for the Public Domain
11. Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Association
12. CREATe Centre, University of Glasgow
13. Creative Commons
14. Creative Commons Indonesia
15. Creative Commons Italy 
16. Creative Commons Rwanda
17. Creative Commons Taiwan
18. Creative Commons Turkiye
19. CT Humanities
20. Curationist Foundation
21. Digital Republic
22. E-Governance and Internet Governance Foundation for Africa (EGIGFA)
23. European Fashion Heritage Association
24. Europeana Initiative
25. Federation of Finnish Learned Societies
26. Flickr Foundation
27. Fortepan US
28. Free Knowledge Africa
29. Fundación Openlab Ecuador
30. Fundacion Enterreno
31. GLAM-E Lab
32. Global Open Initiative Foundation
33. Inter Alia
34. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
35. International Image Interoperability Framework Consortium
36. Internet Archive
37. Local Contexts, Inc.
38. Musiikkiarkisto – Music Archive Finland
39. National Library of Finland
40. Nigerian Library Association Abuja Chapter
41. Open Data and Intellectual Property Institute ODIPI
42. Open Nederland
43. Open Portal Archive Network (OPAN)
44. Processing Foundation
45. Qatar National Library
46. R3D: Red en defensa de los derechos digitales  (Network in Defense of Digital Rights)
47. Smarthistory
48. University of Liverpool
49. WhoseKnowledge?
50. Wellcome Collection
51. Wiki World Heritage
52. Wikimedia Australia
53. Wikimedia Botswana
54. Wikimedia Brasil
55. Wikimedia CH
56. Wikimedia Chile 
57. Wikimedia Colombia
58. Wikimedia Community Ireland
59. Wikimedia Czech Republic
60. Wikimedia Deutschland e.V.
61. Wikimedia Europe
62. Wikimedia Foundation
63. Wikimédia France
64. Wikimedia Indonesia
65. Wikimedia Italia
66. Wikimedia Nigeria Foundation
67. Wikimedia Polska
68. Wikimedia Sverige
69. Wikimedia UK
70. Wikimedistas de Uruguay
71. XploreOpen
72. Youth Tech Organisation