Formed in 1946, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organization that maintains formal relations with UNESCO and that is "committed to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world's natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible." To that end, the ICOM has developed this website which pays close attention to the main themes of its work, including the training of museum professionals, the dissemination of knowledge of museums, and the advancement of professional standards. At the About ICOM section, visitors can learn about day-to-day operations, read latest press releases, and peruse the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums. The Activities area features materials about International Museum Day, a calendar of ICOM-sponsored events, and information about the triennial ICOM General Conference, which will be held next in 2004. Finally, the site also contains a number of valuable publications dealing with museum standards that may be downloaded for further consideration.