Creative Economy: A Feasible Development Option

9.4 UNESCO cultural-diversity perspectiveThe Intergovernmental Conference on CulturalPolicies for Development convened by UNESCO inStockholm in 1998 after several years of research and preparationreflected growing international interest in identifyingmore successful models for sustainable development.UNESCO’s main goal at the conference was to transform theideas behind this initiative into more clearly formulated culturalpolicies and modalities for international cultural cooperation.The conference concluded that cultural policies, asthe true driving force in cultural diversity, must foster theproduction and dissemination of diversified cultural goodsand services, especially in terms of the promotion of culturalindustries and creative enterprise in all countries.In recent years, the United Nations has increasinglyrecognized the inalienable role of culture in development andhas focused programming accordingly. The conviction wasevident in General Assembly Resolution 57/249 of 20February 2003 on Culture and Development. The resolutiondirectly commented on the potential of cultural industriesfor poverty reduction, noting that the General Assembly:5. Invites all Member States, intergovernmental bodies,organizations of the United Nations system andrelevant non-governmental organizations:(iii) To establish cultural industries that are viable andcompetitive at the national and international levels, in the faceof the current imbalance in the flow and exchange of culturalgoods at the global level;(iv) To assess the interconnection between culture anddevelopment and the elimination of poverty in the context ofthe First United Nations Decade for the Eradication ofPoverty (1997-2006).The importance of culture in development strategieswas underscored with the Universal Declaration on CulturalDiversity, adopted by the UNESCO General Conference inNovember 2001 and endorsed by the United NationsGeneral Assembly in 2002. For the first time, cultural diversitywas acknowledged as “the common heritage of humanity”and its defence was deemed to be an ethical and practicalimperative, inseparable from respect for human dignity. Theconcept of “diversity” stipulated that plurality is the necessaryrequirement for freedom and that, in political terms,such pluralism is inseparable from a democratic society. TheDeclaration stated that “Freedom of expression, media pluralism,multilingualism, equal access to art and to scientificand technological knowledge, including in digital form, andthe possibility for all cultures to have access to the means ofexpression and dissemination” constitute essential guaranteesof cultural diversity and of development. Though it also representsa challenge to cultural diversity, the globalization ofthe economy and trade creates the conditions for a reneweddialogue among cultures and civilizations based on humanrights and respect for their equal dignity. 22The Declaration led to the approval of the Conventionon the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of CulturalExpressions by the UNESCO General Conference on 20October 2005. As a legally binding international agreement,it ensures that artists, cultural professionals and citizensworldwide can create, produce, disseminate and have access toa diversity of cultural goods, services and activities, includingtheir own. The Convention was adopted because the internationalcommunity signalled the urgency of recognizing thedistinctive nature of cultural goods, services and activities asvehicles of identity, values and meaning and emphasized thatwhile cultural goods, services and activities have importanteconomic value, they are not mere commodities or consumergoods that can be regarded as objects of trade. As of July2010, there are 112 Parties to the Convention.Since the Convention entered into force in March2007, its governing bodies (the Conference of Parties andthe Intergovernmental Committee) have approved a set ofoperational guidelines that are serving as a road map for theimplementation process, currently in its early stages. Theseguidelines demonstrate how the Convention ushers in a newinternational framework for the governance and managementof culture by:■encouraging the introduction of cultural policies and measures thatnurture creativity, provide access for creators to participatein domestic and international marketplaces where their9The international dimension of creative-industries policy22 UNESCO (2005). Ten Keys to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. UNESCO (2007). “L’UNESCO et la question de la diversité culturelle1946-2007, Bilan et stratégies”.CREATIVE ECONOMY REPORT 2010243