Equity Statement

The Natural History Museum Vienna (NHMW) is a place that welcomes everyone. We strive to create a safe environment which encourages all people to experience our museum, exhibitions and events as places to learn about nature, research, biology, earth sciences, evolution, and the cultural and biological development of human beings. We want to offer accessible resources to explore all these different aspects of life both within the NHMW itself and via our online platforms.

We are convinced that the participation of visitors, staff and researchers in museum and research activities is crucial. To achieve this, we make a conscious effort to embrace everyone, including – but not limited to – people who historically have been underrepresented and discriminated against. We stand up against all forms of discrimination based on age, sex, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, martial or partnership status, disability, religion, values, culture or origin, as well as any discrimination of BIPoC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) and members of the LGBTQIA* community. We believe that inclusion is necessary in order to create a museum for all. We also uphold these views in our recruitment process and are convinced that all members of staff and volunteers have the right to a safe and supportive working environment.

We are committed to continuously (re-)evaluating past and current actions, representing different perspectives and voices on all levels – including collection management, object acquisition, exhibition planning, as well as provenance assessment and repatriation –­ and ensuring transparency in our decision-making processes. We believe that words are important and are committed to using sensitive, inclusive language. We aim to create a museum that is accessible to everyone. This includes not only efforts to remove physical barriers in our exhibition spaces but also work to promote a policy of open access to research conducted at the NHMW.

We acknowledge that, historically, the NHMW is an institution of privilege. We will hold ourselves accountable for our actions and embrace the opportunity to always keep learning and be a part of change for the better in society. As part of this commitment, this statement will be revised and updated on a regular basis.