CCA Bulletin 28/07

Ottawa, August 1, 2007

Canada will Host Important UNESCO Intergovernmental Meeting in December 2007

Just the facts

As reported previously (CCA Bulletins January 24, 2007 and April 10, 2007), interest among states in the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions remains high.  Sixty-three states, as well as the European Community, have now joined.  The first Conference of Parties to the Convention was held in Paris from 18 to 20 June 2007, the second will be held in June 2009.

While the Conference was primarily procedural and technical, it did make some important decisions on how the convention will be implemented.  This in turn will determine how effective the Convention will be as a barrier to the trade and investment agreements and as a tool to encourage cultural policies and the development of arts and culture.

During the meeting, there was little space for non-governmental organizations.  NGOs were given only one chance to speak.  Solange Drouin, co-chair of Canada’s Coalition for Cultural Diversity, delivered a joint statement on behalf of eight NGOs, including the International Network for Cultural Diversity.  The statement touched on three issues: the need for parties to work together to encourage additional ratifications; the need to integrate culture into sustainable development strategies and the importance of the new fund for cultural diversity; and the importance of civil society to and for the process. 

The most significant decisions made by the Conference were those connected with the Intergovernmental Committee (IC), the operative body of the Convention. It was agreed that the first meeting would begin on 10 December 2007, in Ottawa at the invitation of the Canadian government.

Tell me more

The Conference also elected 24 members to the IC, although they agreed that one-half would serve only a two-year term while the remainder will serve a full four-year term, in order to permit early rotation and to ensure broader geographical distribution of members as the number of ratifications from countries in the under-represented regions grows.

4 Year Term:     Croatia, Germany, Greece, India, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mexico, Oman, Saint Lucia, Senegal, South Africa

2 Year Term:     Albania, Austria, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Finland, France, Guatemala, Mali, Slovenia, Tunisia

The Conference also considered the work priorities of the Intergovernmental Committee.  The resolution directs the IC to work on issues surrounding Article 7 (policies at the national level), Article 8 (forms of cultural expression at risk of extinction), Article 11 (role of civil society) and Articles 12-17 (co-operation for development, preferential treatment for developing countries and the new International Fund). During the discussion, several delegations noted the importance of the articles which address the relationship of this Convention to other treaties and negotiations, although these were not enunciated in the resolution. Europe and Chile made specific reference to the trade agreements. In summarizing the discussion, the chair stressed the importance of this element and noted that, in any case, the IC is free to determine its own agenda.

International Fund for Cultural Diversity

The administrations provisions for the Fund were approved by the Conference and this will enable UNESCO to establish it. 

The chair formally invited Member States to indicate the commitment they would make to the Fund and more than 20 delegations took the floor, including Canada.  All said they would make a contribution, including some developing countries which admitted their contribution would be symbolic only.  Several countries stated they intend to make annual contributions to the Fund, in the amount of 1% of their annual contribution to UNESCO.  France committed €150,000 and Germany made the 1% percent promise which would translate into €50,000 in 2008. 

Several delegations, including Canada, spoke about issues related to the purposes and principles of how the funds would be allocated, but there were no resolutions on this issue, nor any discussion about a potential role for civil society in the fund’s administration

CCA and the Convention

Since the idea of the this Convention first emerged in Canada almost a decade ago, CCA has been active in the campaign and is a member of both the Coalition for Cultural Diversity and the International Network for Cultural Diversity.  A detailed analysis of the Convention can be found on the CCA website.