The European Council of Artists (ECA), representing interdisciplinary artists' councils and artists' organisations across 25 European countries, convened for its annual general assembly in Zagreb, Croatia, on the 7th of November calls for a renewed attention to the provisions of the UNESCO Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
It is 5 years since the Convention was adopted at UNESCO's 33rd General Conference after a model process of co-operation between governments and NGOs from the cultural area. It was rapidly ratified by a sufficient number of parliaments and came into force in March 2007.
Today 116 countries have ratified the convention, operational guidelines have been settled and an international fund, although small, has been established. Nevertheless we can see that the signatory parties do not often take the provisions of the Convention into account.
The Convention requires the inclusion of a number of provisions in national culture policies, international co-operation and in trade with cultural services and goods. ECA calls for renewed discussion on the provisions of the Convention in all relevant fora in order to secure its implementation.
Some European governments have tended to avoid taking measures according to the provisions of the convention, e.g. concerning improved mobility of artists from non-EU member countries, by arguing that only the European Union could take such steps. ECA still waits for related initiatives of national governments on EU levels and holds the opinion that certain steps (e.g. better information, no judgement on artistic quality by embassy officials) could be taken without the consent of the Union.
It is in the practical development of laws, agreements, settlements and contracts in cultural and connected policy areas that the provisions of the Convention must be considered.
ECA will together with other NGO's will gather and distribute examples of good practice.
On behalf of ECA Annual General Assembly 2010
Michael Burke
president