Introduction
The Liaison Bureau, as in previous years, continues to monitor international trends and issues of relevance to the cultural policy sector. After undertaking a general survey of key events and conferences held in the last year, the Liaison Bureau has identified two cultural policy trends:
- Intercultural Dialogue as a driver for social cohesion and conflict prevention
- New Technologies and their impact on the cultural sector
We have also identified “Youth and Culture” as a demographic crosscutting theme that has particular resonance for cultural policy issues, including the ones mentioned above.
Intercultural Dialogue
This issue is not new to the INCP. The Liaison Bureau had provided a number concept papers on interculturality since 2002. It is clear, however, that this issue is now being viewed as a necessary tool for social cohesion and conflict prevention in many countries around the world..
The term interculturality has been defined as the interaction between cultures, where the individual recognizes and accepts the reciprocity of the other’s culture[1]. By adding ‘dialogue’ to the intercultural approach, we move beyond recognition, and articulate the desire and the importance of exploring various viewpoints. Effective intercultural dialogue is an enriching interaction that encourages the respectful sharing of ideas and of the different thought processes through which the world is perceived and understood.[2].
The concept of intercultural dialogue has many facets, including its scope, which can range from a simple conversation between two independent individuals to a more formalized event between two countries, or between a government and members of civil society. Additionally, while the trend of discussing intercultural dialogue as a concept has gained popularity, so has the act itself of engaging in intercultural dialogue - though these acts do not always use the term specifically. It should also be noted that the concept of building social cohesion is one that is directly linked to the concept of intercultural dialogue, though several countries and organizations have undertaken these concepts on separate tracts.
Key Activities and Conferences on Intercultural Dialogue in 2006
In March 2006, the Council of Europe (CoE) held its third and final Intercultural Forum in Bucharest, Romania, entitled “Promoting Intercultural Dialogue between Generations”. This forum was part of a series of conferences in preparation for the drafting of Council of Europe White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue. The Council, in conjunction with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), developed the ‘Faro Platform’, which has the purpose of promoting concrete and steady cooperation between both organizations in the area of intercultural dialogue. The White Paper will cover definitions, policy and program guidelines, and best practices in areas such as the promotion of equal dignity for all and the promotion of cultural diversity in everyday life. The document is to be completed and published before the start of the planned “European Year of Intercultural Dialogue” of the European Union in 2008. Furthermore, the Council’s Compendium initiative, an information and monitoring system on cultural policy measures, instruments, and cultural trends, has been adapted to facilitate the provision of data on intercultural dialogue, and has compiled a comparison table for “good practices” in the area of intercultural dialogue for 20 CoE member states.
In April 2006, European Ministers of Culture met in Granada, Spain for a conference entitled “Europe for Intercultural Dialogue”. This event was the culmination of a series of meetings that were held with a view to promoting the process of European construction and citizen integration. The issues broached at the conference included intercultural dialogue in both the Euro Mediterranean and the European Union – Latin American/Caribbean contexts.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) began to address the issue of intercultural dialogue as part of its Tolerance Implementation Meetings. A conference entitled “Promoting Inter-Cultural, Inter-Religious and Inter-Ethnic Understanding” was held June 12-13, 2006 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The aim of the meeting was to underline the importance of human rights, fundamental freedoms and democratic institutions in creating a context for inter-cultural, inter-religious and inter-ethnic understanding. The meeting was an opportunity to identify ways to use inter-cultural, inter-religious and inter-ethnic dialogue and civil society partnerships as a means to promote conflict prevention within the OSCE region, which includes several countries in Central Asia. OSCE also works with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Mediterranean and Asian Partner States on a number of issues, including migration, integration and the promotion of mutual respect and understanding.
The Anna Lindh Foundation, the first common institution jointly established and financed by all 35 members of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership hosted a number of
conferences in the past year designed to create avenues for dialogue among people on
both shores of the Mediterranean.
The European Union is gearing up its Year of Intercultural Dialogue by putting out a “call for ideas” for promoting intercultural dialogue in Europe. This process will enable the European Commission to engage members of civil society and define guidelines for future calls for proposals, to be launched in 2007, in the framework of the Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
The Alliance of Civilizations, a United Nations driven initiative that was created in 2004 to respond to the need for a committed effort by the international community, both at the
institutional and the civil society levels, to bridge divides, and overcome prejudice and
the polarization which potentially threaten world peace, has appointed a High-Level
Group of 20 experts from different cultures belonging to different religions and countries.
The Group met at least three times in the last year, and will report back to the UN
Secretary-General in November 2006 with a set of recommendations for the Alliance
including an action plan with practical measures. It has been reported that they will
highlight specific priority areas, including education, other means of gaining access to
young people, and the media. Cooperation between the Alliance of Civilizations
initiative and other multilateral organizations has also occurred, with the OSCE
submitting a comprehensive report of its activities on the issues of tolerance, dialogue, and mutual respect and understanding.
Conclusion
Given the prevalence of events and activities dedicated to the concept of intercultural dialogue on the world scene in the last year, it will be important that any INCP work on the theme offers concrete and proactive content to the global debate. The sharing of best practices, as well as the making of strong links between intercultural dialogue and issues such as inclusion and social cohesion would provide a key contribution to this trend. Intercultural dialogue as a permanent process both nationally and internationally is also an important theme that could be explored further.
New Technologies
Countries are currently faced with the challenge of understanding the scope of the economic potential, as well as the cultural, social and democratic opportunities being presented by digital technologies and how to develop a smooth transition to the digital economy. This struggle was articulated at a conference hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in January 2006 in Rome, Italy, entitled “The Future Digital Economy: Digital Content Creation, Distribution and Access. The conference touched on issues such as global cooperation, copyright[3]. and intellectual property, and the role of governments. Current regulation and policy is being challenged by the opportunities of digital content and the Internet. The question is how can government policy possibly keep up with these fast-moving areas? Many agree that as technology eliminates the barriers between communications technologies, policymakers should have some role in establishing the rules of the new marketplace, though the extent of this role is up for debate.
The Liaison Bureau has noted that several countries are inwardly focusing on this issue, with some developing environmental scans or working groups to determine current and potential trends for technology and digital media in the cultural sector. The goal is to harness the opportunity of new technologies, balancing this opportunity with the need for regulation.
Though many countries are working to achieve this balance, they are nonetheless working towards adjusting their cultural policies to adapt to digital technology. Regional organizations are getting involved as well, with the European Union, having held consultations on media literacy this year, as well as moving forward on the their “i2010: Digital Libraries Initiative”, which aims at making Europe's diverse cultural and scientific heritage (books, films, maps, photographs, music, etc.) easier and more interesting to use online for work, leisure and/or study.
In Africa, new technologies and culture are also garnering attention, with
the crosscutting theme of 1st Pan African Cultural Congress taking
place in Addis-Ababa from November 13 to 17, 2006 being “African Culture
and New Technologies”.
Creative Clusters, an independent policy conference examining the growth of
the creative economy, also recognizes the power of the digital age in forming
cultural policies. Their November 2006 conference in Gateshead, United Kingdom
will touch upon subjects such as the rise of the virtual online gaming world
phenomenon, and the issue of social inclusion in the media.
Conclusion
As new technologies are playing, and will continue to play, an important role in influencing cultural policy development, the INCP may, in the future, wish to provide a forum where the issues related technological trends in the cultural sector can be debated and best practices can be shared among member countries.
Cross Cutting Theme: Youth and Culture
For both emerging trends described above, youth are viewed as a demographic target group where effective cultural policies are critical. The Alliance of Civilizations initiative lists engaging youth as a key component in continuing the dialogue between the East and West. The Council of Europe’s third forum on Intercultural Dialogue dealt with the topic as an intergenerational issue, seeking to explain the new social practices that indicate a cultural differentiation in comparison with previous generations, as well as the role of memory and identities in intercultural dialogue.
The “All Different-All Equal” campaign launched by the European Youth Forum and the Council of Europe is an example of the activities that are engaging youth to promote anti-racism and dialogue among different groups.
Similarly, young people are adapting to the new cultural territories brought on by new technologies and developments in digital media. Youth are more than just consumer of digital content, they are also active participants and creators, developing content, debating and interacting with other, and taking action by launching their own initiatives and organizations.
The Liaison Bureau sees youth as a key target group for the majority of the cultural policy trends, particularly those of intercultural dialogue and new technologies. Further monitoring of this cross cutting theme could be provided to the INCP if there is interest in exploring the issues related to a specific demographic group in the cultural policy sector.
Conclusions and Potential Avenues for the Future
The Liaison Bureau is committed to continuing to support the INCP mandate of exploring exchanging views on new and emerging cultural policy issues and developing strategies to promote cultural diversity. In this capacity, the Bureau submits the above trends to the INCP for its consideration and potential further exploration, and suggests the following questions to assist in generating further discussion:
- In what ways could the INCP effectively contribute to the work being done on the issue of intercultural dialogue?
- How can the cultural policy sector develop a plan that would allow the consistent sharing of best practices for new cultural technologies on a global scale?
- Are their additional emerging trends that INCP members are seeing in their respective countries, and should these be considered by the INCP in its future activities?
[1]INCP, “New and Emerging Issues: Concept of Interculturality and the Creation of Cultural Observatories”, Cape Town, South Africa, 2002.
[2]International Association of Universities, “What is Intercultural Dialogue?”, www.unsesco.org/iau/id/index.html.
[3]It should be noted that the topic of copyright will be discussed at the INCP Annual Ministerial Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 22-25, 2006.
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