Cultural diplomacy - Demos

Cultural Diplomacy
of this was the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which was
signed and ratified by the majority of the world’s countries and
within which institutions like the Natural History Museum and the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, play an important role in implementation
and building best practice within the UK and worldwide.
There are also numerous organisations devoted to self-governance
and cooperation, from the International Council of Museums
(ICOM) to the International Federation of Library Associations
(IFLA); from the International Music Association (IMA) to the
Eurocities Culture Forum. These organisations variously encompass
academic, commercial, professional and geographic interests, and
form an important international confederacy. Many of their
individual and/or organisational members are part of several groups,
thus forming an overlapping set of relationships that promote flows
of information, expertise and cooperation, and providing an obvious
point of interface between the government and the cultural sector.
Our cultural institutions are good ambassadors for
the UK
The UK’s national cultural institutions work in the public interest.
While there is, of course, healthy competition among them and
between them and their peers overseas, their working model is
underpinned by an understanding that their purpose is to serve the
public interest. This is in turn how they earn their licence to operate,
which then reinforces their public mandate. The public service nature
of these institutions makes them effective, but unofficial, ambassadors
for the UK while their public appeal makes them a valuable
bridge between diplomacy, international relations and public
opinion.
Through their collections and activities our national cultural
institutions have an international responsibility and remit. As the
National Museum Directors’ Conference puts it: ‘As institutions
preserving, interpreting and presenting major cultural and national
assets from around the world, we are by definition international in
scope.’ 42 For example, the NHM has many international collaborative
40 Demos