Mandate

At the Seventh Annual Meeting of the International Network on Cultural Policy (INCP) in Shanghai, China (October 2004), 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:

• Continue to support the work of UNESCO at every opportunity;
• Consider specific policy questions related to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions;
• Continue to promote information-sharing, discussion and cooperation among member states; and
• Continue to work internationally to advocate the adoption of an effective Convention in 2005.

Moreover, Ministers stressed the importance of continuing dialogue between civil society and governments, and asked that efforts be undertaken to this end.

Progress to Date

Following this direction from Ministers in October 2004, the Working Group focused its efforts on three main areas. These included: 1) Supporting the work of UNESCO in the development of the Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions; 2) Developing topics of interest to Ministers; and 3) Continuing to work with civil society.

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

The first objective identified under this heading was promoting the Convention nationally, and in bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as encouraging a coordinated approach within national governments. This was accomplished through a variety of activities including:

• Inviting UNESCO permanent delegation representatives to Working Group Meetings to better inform them of Convention issues;
• Working with the media at the national and regional levels as appropriate with a view to educating the media about the Convention and encouraging its promotion;
• Working with civil society groups at the national and regional levels;
• Organizing regional conferences, particularly in regions not engaged on the Convention;
• Supporting the intergovernmental process through coordinated efforts among INCP members;
• Using the Working Group E-mail lists to improve communications with INCP members on any developments in the Convention process, and using the margins of regional meetings to share information.

The Working Group was particularly successful in many of these activities.

A special session of the WGCD& G, attended by representatives from 16 countries, was organized in Aichi, Japan (June 2005) to engage countries of the Asia-Pacific region on the Convention, as well as to further exchanges on national experiences in promoting culture, cultural expressions and cultural industries.

In addition, the Working Group held meetings prior to the second and third intergovernmental negotiating sessions on the elaboration of the Convention at UNESCO. These meetings, held respectively in Paris (January 2005) and Brussels (May 2005), allowed participating member countries to exchange views and coordinate efforts on negotiations on the Convention, as well as continue advancing other elements of the WGCD& G work plan.

Working Group meetings were also held on an as needed basis during Convention negotiations at UNESCO, and on the margins of the 33^rd UNESCO General Conference. These ad hoc meetings served as a way of exploring emerging Convention issues, to discuss process as well as strategy as developments unfolded throughout negotiations.

The second objective identified under the auspices of supporting the work of UNESCO in the development of the Convention was to contribute to thinking on specific Convention issues. This was undertaken through debate at formal Working Group meetings. A short discussion paper presented at the Working Group’s January 2005 meeting served as the basis for debate with respect to the scope of the Convention. Other core issues were also addressed, some of which centered on the methods of work for the UNESCO intergovernmental negotiating process. Of special note, the Chair of the Working Group also acted as the Rapporteur to the intergovernmental process at UNESCO – a position which afforded him direct input into the unfolding of the intergovernmental meetings.

Issues for Discussion

• Have these activities met the expectations of Ministers?
• Following the adoption of the Convention at the 33^rd UNESCO General Conference, how can INCP member countries work towards the Convention’s wide ratification and entry into force in a timely manner?
• Is there are role for the Working Group in terms of the implementation of the Convention? If yes, what should that role be and what should be its focus?

2. Developing topics of interest to Ministers

Ministers requested that the INCP continue to look at emerging cultural policy issues with a view to developing a theme which could be further explored at the 2005 Annual Ministerial Meeting (AMM). To this end, Ministers requested that the Working Group consider a variety of themes and choose one in particular on which a policy paper would be developed to inform discussions at the 2005 AMM.

At an informal meeting of the Working Group in December 2004, France, Mexico and Spain each presented short discussion papers on emerging cultural policy issues. Spain agreed to the Working Group’s suggestion to expand their paper to cover issues raised by the other papers under a new working title - Culture and Economy: A Horizontal Approach to the Role of Culture in Employment, Growth and Social Cohesion. This paper, to be considered under Theme 3 of the Annual Ministerial Meeting, also includes strategic questions to guide Ministers in their discussion.

Issues for Discussion

• Would Ministers like to see the Working Group continue its exploration of policy themes 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.
• Would Ministers like the Working Group to focus on information-sharing and the exchange of best practices?

3. Continuing to work with civil society

Ministers in Shanghai underlined the importance of involving NGOs in the development of the Convention. 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 2005 and in Brussels in May 2005. This opportunity for civil society to engage with the WGCD& G served to strengthen the understanding between government officials and civil society on issues related to the Convention and cultural diversity. As one of the topics discussed with civil society was media and the Convention, the discussion served to help Working Group members understand the challenges of bringing the Convention and its issues to the attention of relevant media.

Issues for Discussion

• Would Ministers like to see the Working Group continue this engagement with civil society?
• Are there specific topics that Ministers would like to see addressed or explored in conjunction with civil society?

Next Steps

In 2004, 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 UNESCO Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Should Ministers wish it to continue, the Working Group recommends the following program of activities for 2005-06 leading up the 9^th Annual Ministerial Meeting. The Working Group will undertake to:

• Coordinate efforts to expedite the entry into force of the Convention by advocating its wide and timely ratification;
• Provide strategic thinking on issues related to the Convention, including its effective implementation.
• Provide a venue for information-sharing, planning, and exchange of best practices.

Issues for Discussion

• Should the Working Group mandate be renewed?
• Should the Working Group initiate a strategy for the promotion of the wide and timely ratification of the Convention and should it continue to promote cultural diversity on the international scene?
• Are there other challenges related to cultural diversity and globalization that the Working Group could explore?
• Specifically, are there areas related to the implementation of the Convention that could be explored through the Working Group?

Prepared by the International Relations and Outreach Directorate, Department of Canadian Heritage

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