Theme Papers

Managing Cultural Diversity in the 21st Century

«Cultural diversity» is a focal concern of many international organizations and numerous nations, but the understanding of its basic principles varies markedly, depending on whether they are being viewed from, say, the perspective of society or from the perspective of creativity. The differences in the relative commitments and the measures inventoried are witness to this, which inevitably leads, particularly in the context of developing an international instrument, to a reflection on the adaptation of a framework for «managing cultural diversity.» The polysemic nature of
cultural diversity, particularly in relation to local, regional, national and international contexts, inevitably requires a transversal approach and thus poses a challenge to the full and adequate integration of cultural policies.

The phenomena related to globalization – such as liberalization, demographic changes, the socioeconomic divide and the growing urbanization of the population –are manifestations of these new issues.Thus, just as the diversity of the cultural supply must undeniably be protected and encouraged, other solutions must also be envisaged to ensure individual recognition and respect for each individual, and then mutual understanding, in order to finally arrive at sharing between different cultural communities in a peaceful and democratic spirit. The creation of an environment encouraging exchanges between groups of different cultural sensitivities on the national and international level and the promotion of the intercultural dialogue required to build societies that see diversity as a socio-cultural advantage are challenges for cultural policies that can make a major contribution to promoting greater social cohesion, reducing poverty and preventing conflicts. Intervening effectively at all levels of society, culture should henceforth be at the heart of all considerations of policy, be it in the field of education, social affairs or the economy. Cultural policies must now undertake strategies in cooperation with other sectors, and civil society must also play a role in the process.

In order to develop this reflection on the basis of a specific and concrete application in a given national context, Switzerland is proposing to present its potential «model» as a basis for discussion, in accordance with its concept of cultural diversity as a concept of peace, peaceful coexistence and understanding between different cultural communities living in the same country, and in accordance with its policy approach to certain specific aspects of managing cultural diversity. Switzerland lives cultural diversity as a tradition, a diversity that it supports through its efforts in terms of cultural policy and that it has successfully managed until now.

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