The 22nd General Conference & 25th General Assembly of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) will next year be held in Shanghai with the theme "Museums for Social Harmony" next year, ICOM announced Sunday.

Beginning from November 7, 2010 with a six day run at Shanghai World Trade Center, the conference and assembly, to be held in China for the first time, will discuss the protection of cultural relics especially in the areas affected by armed conflict, famine, environment change and smuggling.

During the convention, there will be a keynote report, a congress and a series of cultural activities in additional to the inspections of historic cultural sites. Keynote speakers include former Mali President Alpha Konare and 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics winner for his contributions to welfare economics, Amartya Sen.

The General Conference of ICOM is held every three years in different cities, serving as an important event for sharing, learning and advancing the sustainable development of museums.

Created in 1946, ICOM maintains formal relations with UNESCO and has a consultative status with the United Nations' Economic and Social Council.