Sixth INCP Annual Ministerial Meeting - Opatija Statement
Participating members: Croatia, Armenia,
Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland
Observing Members: Austria, Germany,
Greece, Iceland, Korea, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mexico, Poland, Sénégal,
South Africa, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe
Special Guests: India, Iran, and Serbia
& Montenegro
Intergovernmental Organizations : UNESCO,
Council of Europe, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie
The Sixth Annual Ministerial Meeting of the International Network
on Cultural Policy (INCP) was held in Opatija, Croatia, from October
16 to 18, 2003. Sixteen Ministers of Culture, fifteen observing
members, UNESCO, representatives from l'Organisation Internationale
de la Francophonie and the Council of Europe participated. Dr. Antun
Vujic, Minister of Culture of Croatia, this year's President of
the INCP, chaired the discussions. Subjects of particular importance
included issues and challenges related to models of financing culture,
the second draft of an International Instrument on Cultural Diversity
(IICD), the growing importance of the concept of interculturality,
and the role of the media in promoting cultural diversity.
Ministers congratulated UNESCO for the position it adopted at its
32nd General Conference where member states gave it the mandate
to elaborate a draft international convention on the protection
of the diversity of cultural contents and artistic expressions.
This draft convention will be presented at the next General Conference
in 2005. To meet this goal, Ministers committed themselves to support
UNESCO in every way possible over the next two years. Armenia offered
to host a meeting of the Working Group on Cultural Diversity and
Globalization (WGCD&G) in 2005 in preparation for the 33rd UNESCO
General Conference.
Ministers expressed their complete satisfaction with the significant
impact of the work undertaken by the Network since its inception.
Ministers welcomed six new members: the Central African Republic,
the Republic of Korea, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Romania
bringing the total to 59 countries.
Ministers invited the International Network on Cultural Diversity
(INCD), a network of NGOs, to present the conclusions of their
4th
Annual Meeting. The International Liaison Committee of the
Coalitions for Cultural Diversity reported on their actions to
promote cultural
diversity. Ministers underlined the importance of involving
NGOs in the development of a convention on cultural diversity.
Three main themes were discussed at this meeting:
Models of Financing Culture
Ministers discussed the issues and challenges relating to models
of financing culture. They referred to the study prepared by Croatia
that highlighted various methods of financing culture and shared
their respective experiences. They also highlighted the importance
of synergies between public and private sectors and the need for
innovative partnerships.
Ministers identified the need:
- to develop a common approach to the collection of cultural
statistics; and
- for an inventory of legislation and mechanisms that indirectly
finance culture.
International Convention on Cultural Diversity: A Revised Text
and Next Steps
Ministers reviewed the second draft of an Instrument presented
by the Working Group on Cultural Diversity and Globalization. They
congratulated the Group on having fulfilled its Cape Town mandate.
The new version of the instrument defines the rights and obligations
of governments, the needs of developing countries and the linkages
between culture and trade.
Building the Future - Emerging Cultural Policy Trends and Issues
Ministers discussed the role of the media as a bearer and a producer
of cultural content. They explored the impact of globalization on
the effectiveness of cultural policy tools to encourage a diversity
of cultural contents in the media. Topics of the discussions were:
foreign ownership restrictions, content quota systems, cross media
ownership restrictions, and public service institutions. The challenges
of public sector management of culture, organization change and
effectiveness were also discussed.
Ministers were also presented with an inventory of financial and
legal instruments available at the regional and international levels
to support intangible heritage, undertaken by South Africa and Senegal,
and with a short report of best practices with respect to cultural
industries produced by Mexico, Canada and Senegal
The Liaison Bureau presented it research on the increasingly important
topic of interculturality.
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Future Work
Ministers mandated the Liaison Bureau to continue monitoring the
evolution of the international discussions on interculturality including
the impact of migration on societies and report back to next year's
meeting.
The Ministers agreed that the Working Group should:
- work closely with UNESCO in developing an international convention
on cultural diversity;
- find appropriate opportunities to bring the work of the INCP
into the discussions at UNESCO;
- serve as a think tank to address, inter alia, cooperation with
developing countries, the freedom of expression, the free circulation
of ideas, the role of the media, the linkages between culture
and trade, and the role of civil society in the elaboration of
a convention;
- continue its work to raise international awareness about cultural
diversity in the appropriate venues.
Conclusion
All Participants at this year's meeting had the opportunity to
engage in a rich discussion with members of civil society as they
met with members of the International Network on Cultural Diversity
(INCD) and with representatives of the International Liaison Committee
of the Coalition for Cultural Diversity. INCD representatives presented
and discussed the conclusions of their conference that was held
in Opatija from October 13 to 15, 2003. The International Liaison
Committee of the Coalition for Cultural Diversity made a presentation
to Ministers on the results of their work. Both organizations presented
their recommendations on pursuing the convention initiative within
UNESCO's process. Ministers congratulated both organizations for
their work and stressed the importance of continuing the dialogue
between civil society and governments in the interest of preserving
and promoting cultural diversity.
In adjourning, the Ministers promised to continue these and other
discussions at their next meeting in China in 2004. China proposed
that traditional cultures and modernization will be the theme of
next year's meeting. Discussions will include the rescue and protection
of traditional cultures, opportunities for exchange and cooperation,
heritage and innovation all against a background of globalization.
Senegal also confirmed that it would take on the presidency of
the INCP in 2005.
Ministers thanked Croatia for its warm welcome and the work undertaken
in hosting this year's Annual Ministerial Meeting.
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