Mandate

At the Eighth Annual Meeting of the International Network on Cultural Policy (INCP) in Dakar, Senegal (November 2005), Ministers renewed the mandate of the Working Group on Cultural Diversity and Globalization. Ministers further agreed that the Working Group should, over the coming year:

• Develop and implement a convention ratification strategy that would monitor the progress of ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, provide technical advice to INCP members, and play an active advocacy role at the national, regional and international level;
• Consult with INCP members on the nature of international cooperation that countries are seeking and undertake pilot projects aimed at demonstrating the practical value of the UNESCO Convention; and
• Continue to work with civil society and encourage their active participation in the promotion of the objectives of the UNESCO Convention.

Progress To Date

Following the directions given by Ministers in Dakar, the Working Group on Cultural Diversity and Globalization focused its activities on three main areas: (1) support the widespread ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions; (2) facilitate discussion and share experiences related to the international cooperation aspects of the Convention; and (3) continue to work with civil society

1. Support the widespread ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

In Dakar, Ministers enthusiastically welcomed the adoption of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.  Ministers also recognized the importance of the timely and widespread ratification of the Convention in order to ensure that it has an important impact on the international environment.  As such, Ministers mandated the Working Group to monitor the status of ratifications closely and to promote, at the national, regional, and international levels, the ratification of the Convention. This was accomplished through a variety of activities including:

• Exchanging information and monitoring of ratification processes at all meetings of the Working Group, through e-mail and other networks.
• Developing “argumentaires” to assist Working Group members with their ratification processes. These one or two-page documents include arguments in favour of the Convention with a view to assist Working Group members in answering key questions on the Convention.
• Developing information material on four main components of the Convention (FAQs).
• Taking advantage of regional meetings to promote ratification of the Convention.
• Working within UNESCO Executive Board to ensure that UNESCO promotes the Convention according to the will of the General Conference.
• Sharing experience in media relations with INCP members.

The Working Group was successful in many of these activities. 

Three Working Group meetings were held: in Helsinki (January 2006), Brasilia (May 2006) and Paris (October 2006), each one allowing participating member countries to exchange views on and discuss challenges with respect to ratification of the Convention.

Canada shared its “argumentaire” at the Brasilia meeting and other members of the Working Group were encouraged to do the same as they ratify the Convention.

Four (4) Frequently Asked Questions fiches (FAQ) on specific elements of the Convention were developed by individual members of the Working Group: rights and obligations; relationship with other international instruments; dispute settlements; and international cooperation. These FAQs, once finalized, will be posted on the INCP Web site for information of all members of the Network.

In Spring 2006, the Chair of the Working Group wrote to INCP members from countries that sit on UNESCO’s Executive Board to encourage them to include a reference to the Convention and its adequate promotion by the Director-General of UNESCO, in their interventions before the Board. In October 2006, the Chair of the Working Group met personally with the Cultural Sector at UNESCO and reiterated the importance for the international organization of allocating the proper resources to the promotion of the Convention and its ratification.

During Working Group meetings, the importance of media relations with respect to the Convention was raised. In Brasilia, Canada presented its press release and a selection of news clippings with the rest of the Working Group to show members how acceptance of the Convention had been treated by the Canadian media following ratification.

Issues for Discussion

• Have these activities met the expectations of Ministers?
• How can INCP member countries continue working towards the Convention’s wide ratification and entry into force in a timely manner?
• How can the Working Group contribute to preparing the grounds for the future implementation of the Convention?

2. Facilitate discussion and share experiences related to the international cooperation aspects of the Convention

During the 8^th Annual Ministerial Meeting in Dakar, Ministers emphasised the importance of the international cooperation aspect of the Convention. Ministers requested that the Working Group consult with INCP members as to explore pilot projects that could be used to demonstrate the value of the Convention and its provisions on international cooperation.

A questionnaire was developed by the INCP Liaison Bureau to gather information on the types of projects/cooperation:  1) currently being undertaken, 2) envisioned, and 3) that developing countries would be interested in seeing developed.  Initial results were presented at Mid-year All Officials’ Meeting in Brasilia in May 2006. At the Working Group meeting in Paris (October 2006), it was agreed that members would update the information to be posted on the INCP web site in the lead up to the 9^th AMM in Rio.

Issues for Discussion

• Have these activities met the expectations of Ministers?
• Would Ministers like to see the Working Group continue its exploration of international cooperation aspects of the Convention for Ministerial consideration?

3. Continue to work with civil society

In Dakar, Ministers, recognizing the important role that Non-Governmental Organizations have played in the promotion and adoption of the UNESCO Convention, as well as the promotion of cultural diversity in general, stressed the importance of continuing the dialogue between civil society and governments. Ministers considered that civil society could continue to play a key and complementary role in promoting the ratification of the Convention.

Civil society was invited to all sessions of the Working Group (Helsinki, Brasilia and Paris) to present their activities and engage with Working Group members on possible avenues of cooperation. In March 2006, representatives of the Working Group attended a symposium hosted by the International Liaison Committee for the Coalition for Cultural Diversity (ILCCCD) and York University’s John P. Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies in Toronto, during which the Chair of the Working Group participated on a panel on Making the most of the Convention: maximizing its legal and political weight.

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 2005, 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 2006-2007 leading up the 10^th Annual Ministerial Meeting.

The Working Group would undertake to:

• Continue the strategy to promote ratification of the Convention (2006 mandate);
• Pursue the reflection over the implementation of the Convention, including the creation of the organs of the Convention;
• Continue to work with civil society and encourage its representatives to participate fully in promoting the objectives of the Convention; and
• Explore new emerging trends in cultural policy that could be included in the Working Group mandate.

Issue for discussion

• Should the mandate of the Working Group be renewed to address the following objectives (see list above)?

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