UNESCO cultural diversity progress debated

Progress on UNESCO’s 2005 Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was discussed at a debate hosted by the Swedish Arts Council and the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO on 2 March.

The event, which took place at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm, was part of the planning process for the next Global Report on the 2005 Convention. These annual reports track the implementation of the 2005 Convention.

This year’s report, which will be published in December, is the second in the series, following 2015’s Re|Shaping Cultural Policies.

Speakers included Staffan Forssell (director general of the Swedish Arts Council), Yudhishthir Raj Isar (principal editor of the 2017 report), Danielle Cliche (secretary of the 2005 Convention), Per Olsson Fridh (state secretary to the Swedish Minister for Culture and Democracy) and Elnaz Baghlanian (literary director at Atlas publishing house).

‘We must place the diversity of cultural expressions at the heart of all sustainable development efforts,’ said Olsson Fridh in his address. ‘This must be accompanied by commitments to work closely with civil society actors at all levels.’

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