The MEG's permanent exhibition 'The Archives of Human Diversity' was inaugurated in 2014 with the opening of the Museum's new building. Divided into six sections representing the five continents and the ethnomusicology collection, the exhibition was introduced by a prologue dedicated to the history of the collections.

Renewed in 2024 to replace about a third of the objects due to their fragility, the new layout reflects ongoing work on provenance research and the decolonization of museum and ethnological practices.

The prologue space has been dismantled and replaced with the 'Encounters' exhibition, which highlights the interactions between the museum's collections and several partners from the communities of origin. The renewal of over 300 objects offers a new perspective on the archives as a living space, connecting the past, present, and future of human societies.

Within the permanent exhibition, a new 'Dialogue Path' invites visitors to hear new narratives about the history, significance, and unique role of selected objects in the MEG collections. Through collaborations with source communities, some objects may return to their countries of origin, while others will prompt reflection on their nature, use, and the respect given to them as sensitive objects.