Report for Ministerial Consideration on the 2003-2004 Workplan of the Working Group on Cultural Diversity and Globalization

MANDATE

At the Sixth Annual Meeting of the International Network on Cultural Policy (INCP) in Opatija, Croatia (October 2003), Ministers renewed the mandate of the Working Group on Cultural Diversity and Globalization (WGCD&G), chaired by Canada, for another year, and asked the Working Group to:

• 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; and
• Continue its work to raise international awareness about cultural diversity in the appropriate venues.

PROGRESS TO DATE

Following this direction from Ministers in October 2003, the Working Group focused its efforts on three main areas of activity to implement this mandate. These included: 1. Supporting the work of UNESCO in the development of the Convention for the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions; 2. Developing products / initiatives to stimulate discussion among Ministers; and 3. Working with Civil Society on the Convention

1. Supporting the work of UNESCO in the development of the Convention for the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions

The first objective identified under this heading was the promotion of information-sharing, discussion and cooperation among member states to support the Convention process. This was accomplished through a variety of activities including:

Ensuring that the UNESCO Executive Board was asked to approve the launch of the intergovernmental process further to the 2003 General Conference's decision to pursue a Convention for the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions;

• Ensuring that the UNESCO Executive Board was asked to approve the launch of the intergovernmental process further to the 2003 General Conference's decision to pursue a Convention for the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions;
• Supporting the Intergovernmental process through coordinated efforts such as information sharing and meeting just prior to the First Intergovernmental Meeting to share views and strategies for UNESCO;
• Coordinating efforts to ensure that the Convention process moved forward by strengthening the links between permanent delegations to UNESCO and Member States, supporting UNESCO appointed experts, and ensuring information flow; and
• Use of the Working Group E-mail lists.

The Working Group was successful in many of these activities including in asking the UNESCO Executive Board to approve the launch of the intergovernmental process, in its ongoing information-sharing activities through the use of e-mail networks, and in coordinating a WGCD&G strategy meeting (September 16-17, 2004), just prior to the UNESCO intergovernmental experts' meeting.

Of particular note, an opportunity for the WGCD&G presented itself when the UNESCO Secretariat asked the INCP for an official response to the First Experts' Meeting Report. The WGCD&G was able to coordinate a response to the request and forward it to the UNESCO Secretariat. The WGCD&G response was based primarily on common approaches developed within the context of the INCP draft text of a Convention for Cultural Diversity. The response to the UNESCO Secretariat has been provided to Ministers for their information and consideration.

The second objective identified under the auspices of supporting the work of UNESCO, was to support regional discussions on the Convention. This on-going activity saw INCP members taking advantage of a variety of meetings to promote cultural diversity and the Convention process including:

• Third International Meeting of Cultural Professional Organizations organized by the Korean Coalition for Cultural Diversity (South Korea, June 2004)
• First European Conference on Cultural Diversity, an initiative organized by the French and Polish Commission to UNESCO (Poland, June 2004)
• High-level Panel on Creative Industries and Development (UNCTAD XI, Brazil, June 2004)
• Second Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities, Organization of American States. (Mexico, August 2004)

The third and final objective identified under this heading, was to contribute to thinking on key Convention issues. The Working Group is thus presenting, for Ministerial consideration, a document incorporating a series of Frequently Asked Questions on key Convention issues including: Freedom of Expression, Cultural Diversity and Social Cohesion, Culture and Trade, and the Economic Impact of Culture

Issues for Discussion

• Have these activities met the expectations of Ministers?
• How can INCP member countries continue to support the UNESCO process currently underway?
• Do the Frequently Asked Questions fiches contribute positively to the UNESCO process? Are there other areas, which Ministers would like to address in a similar way?
• How can the INCP ensure that the UNESCO process proceeds quickly in a manner that we achieve our common objectives for a Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions? How can the INCP assist in terms of linkages between a UNESCO Convention and other international organizations such as the WTO, WIPO and UNCTAD?

2. Developing products / initiatives to stimulate discussion among Ministers

Following-up on Ministers desire to have the Working Group serve as an inferred "think tank," it developed products and/or initiatives to explore current cultural policy trends and issues that are of interest to Ministers of Culture.

The Working Group, thus, engaged with cultural experts and developed a topic for discussion on Cultural Diversity and the Media, to be explored by Ministers at the 7th Annual Ministerial Meeting. It also undertook, as noted above, a series of Frequently Asked Questions fiches on key Convention issues to stimulate discussion among Ministers.

Issues for Discussion

• Would Ministers like to see the Working Group continue its exploration of topics related to cultural diversity for Ministerial consideration?
• Are there specific topics, related to cultural diversity, that Ministers would like to see explored by the Working Group for future consideration by Ministers?

3. Working with Civil Society on the Convention

Ministers in Opatija underlined the importance of involving NGOs in the development of a convention on cultural diversity. To this end, the WGCD&G invited both the International Network on Cultural Diversity and the International Liaison Committee of the Coalitions for Cultural Diversity to attend a session of its meetings both in Paris in January 2004 and in Stockholm in May 2004. This opportunity for civil society to engage with the WGCD&G served to strengthen the understanding between government officials and civil society on convention and cultural diversity related issues.

Issues for Discussion

• Would Ministers like to see the Working Group continue this engagement with civil society?
• Is there a role for the Working Group in facilitating the participation of civil society in the UNESCO Convention process? If yes, what should this role be?

NEXT STEPS

In 2003, Ministers renewed the mandate of the Working Group for an additional year. This mandate has come to an end. The Working Group remains the INCP's de facto committee of country experts that respond to Ministers needs for research, advocacy work, consensus-building and promotion of cultural diversity, including, but not limited to the evolving UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions

Should Ministers wish it to continue, the Working Group recommends the following program of activities for 2004-05 leading up the 8th Annual Ministerial Meeting in Senegal. The Working Group will undertake to:

• ·Continue to work with UNESCO to influence and encourage the elaboration of the Convention for the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions, in a manner that meets the needs of INCP countries;
• Coordinate efforts within the Working Group to ensure a Convention process which allows: 1) INCP members to be heard; 2) incorporates the vision of the INCP with regard to the basic principles and objectives of a convention; and 3) proceeds in a timely and efficient manner;
• Provide strategic thinking on issues related to the Convention and on ways to begin putting the spirit of the Convention into action.

Issues for Discussion

• Should the Working Group mandate be renewed?
• Should the Working Group continue to contribute to the development of the Convention for the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions and should it continue to promote cultural diversity on the international scene?
• Are there other challenges related to cultural diversity, which the Working Group could explore such as new technologies and the challenges to cultural diversity?

Back to Top