Azerbaijani National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) was established by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan in 1993. From its first days, Azerbaijani museums created close relationships with the world’s museums in order to popularize Azerbaijani cultural heritage. Representatives from such national museum institutions as Azerbaijani State Museum of Arts (named after R.Mustafayev), Azerbaijani Carpet and Applied Art State Museum (named after L.Kerimov), S.Vurgun House-Museum, “the Shirvanshah Palace Complex” State Historical-Architectural Preserve Museum, Musical Culture State Museum, and Art Gallery participated in conferences, workshops, trainings etc. in various cities of the world, namely Paris, Stavanger, Melbourne, Barcelona, Seoul, Washington, Shanghais, Vienna, Nairobi, Abidjan, Edinburgh, Naphplion, Barbados, Moscow, and St.-Petersburg. Simultaneously, during the past years UNESCO and ICOM organized seven international conferences, round tables, workshops in Azerbaijan.     

 The National Committee received over ten grants from the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation and UNESCO with the aim of improving museum work in Azerbaijan.

The Committee has repeatedly received the methodic aid from UNESCO for establishing the new direction of museum work and new museum policy in Azerbaijan, and protecting Azerbaijani cultural heritage abandoned in the occupied territories. 

For example, the Committee has published a leaflet of cultural objects in the occupied territories and a selection of international and local legal documents concerning protection of cultural heritage.

The Committee has also prepared the Baku Museums Guidebook and web-site of the same name and the CD-ROM on Azerbaijani Carpet and Applied Art State Museum.