Coalition Currents

The Momentum Builds: Belarus, Burkina Faso, Croatia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Madagascar, Mali, Peru, Republic of Moldova, Senegal and Togo file convention ratifications with UNESCO

The international campaign to ratify the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions continues to build momentum: 18 countries have now filed their ratifications with UNESCO, and 11 countries have completed the national legislative or executive ratification process and need only to carry out the final step of depositing their ratification documents with UNESCO. Here are the details:

On November 9, Mali became the latest country to ratify the UNESCO Convention, filing officially its ratification instrument at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Mali ratified the convention one day after Ecuador and two days after Senegal. Guatemala (October 25), Peru (October 16), the Republic of Moldova (October 5), Madagascar (September 11), Belarus (September 6), Togo (September 5) and Croatia (August 31) have also officially filed their ratifications in the period since the last issue of Coalition Currents was published in mid-August.

Other countries having already deposited their ratifications with UNESCO are Bolivia, Canada, Djibouti, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco and Romania.

As reported in the last issue of Coalition Currents, several other countries are well advanced in their internal legislative or executive processes for ratifying the convention. A first group of countries including Armenia, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Guinea, India, Jordan and Venezuela have totally completed the national ratification process. Another group of countries are well advanced in the national legislative or executive process but have yet to complete it. This group includes Brazil, Chile, Gabon, Norway, South Africa and Uruguay.

There is also the particular case of the European Community. On May 18, the European Council approved a decision authorizing the European Community to ratify the convention. The intention is for the EC and its member states to ratify together, and deposit jointly their respective ratification instruments with UNESCO as soon as possible, once member states have completed their internal ratification processes.

To date, Austria, Finland, France and Spain have completed their internal processes, and a number of other member states, are well advanced. However, it is highly unlikely that all 25 member states will have completed this step by next June. So given the EC’s stated objective of having the ratifications of its member states count among the first 30 ratifications, a likely scenario would see the EC deposit with UNESCO en bloc once a ‘critical mass’ of member states of completed their internal ratification processes.

A minimum of 30 ratifications is required for the convention to enter into effect, and Article 29 of the convention specifies that this will happen three months after deposit of the 30th instrument of ratification or accession at UNESCO.

Given the widely-shared objective of seeing the first Conference of Parties--the body that will officially implement the convention—no later than October 2007 at the time of the UNESCO 34th General Conference, this makes the month of June 2007 the de facto target for meeting the 30 ratifications threshold. The good news is that it now seems clear that this objective of 30 ratifications will be attained, in fact surpassed, well before June 2007.

There is a clear incentive for countries to ratify early: those that do will be among the participants at the first Conference of Parties, which will elect the initial 18-member Intergovernmental Committee that will be charged with developing the operational mechanisms of the convention. The Intergovernmental Committee members therefore stand to have a major role in setting the direction of the new convention.

In assessing the early pace of ratifications for the convention on the diversity of expressions, the timeline for ratifications of the 2003 convention for the safeguarding of intangible heritage is useful.

In the case of intangible heritage, the 18th ratification was filed with UNESCO in August of 2005—in other words, it took nine months longer than has been the case for the diversity of cultural expressions convention.

The case of intangible heritage also shows that momentum can build rapidly once key thresholds are passed. That convention’s 30th ratification was reached only on January 20 of 2006—27 months after the convention was adopted at the 2003 General Conference.

Less than four months later, however, that number had risen to 50, and as of the time of this writing the number stands at 68. The convention entered into legal effect on April 20, 2006, the first General Assembly of parties to the convention was held June 27-29, and at this meeting the first Intergovernmental Committee was elected.

To invest the convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions with genuine legal and political weight, it will be similarly important to move past the 30 ratifications threshold to quickly obtain a much broader base of ratifications with significant representation from all regions of the world.

Given that internal ratification processes in many countries require referral to one or more legislative committees, votes in lower and upper houses of the legislature, and sign-off by the President or Prime Minister, it is crucial that there be local political will to make ratification of the UNESCO convention a priority. The local work of organizations representing cultural professionals can be decisive in ensuring that this is the case.

Leaders of French, Portuguese and Spanish-speaking organizations joined by ALECSO in Calling on UNESCO Member States to Ratify Convention

On October 20, during the Sixth Meeting of general secretaries and executives of the three linguistic spaces hosted at the headquarters of the International Organization of La Francophonie in Paris, senior officials responsible for the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education Science and Culture, the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countires (CPLP), the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), of the Latin Union, and La Francophonie adopted a resolution on cultural diversity.

In the resolution, the leaders of the three linguistic spaces undertake to “call on States and member governments of the organizations of the three linguistic spaces to quickly ratify the convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, adopted one year ago by the 33rd General Conference of UNESCO”, and to coordinate their efforts in order to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions.

As well, the Director General of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Sciences (ALECSO) declared that it also supported the resolution.

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The Ministers of Culture of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States Urge Member States to Ratify the UNESCO Convention

From October 11th to the 13th, 2006, at the 2nd Meeting of ACP Ministers of Culture in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the ministers of Culture renewed their support for the UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

This second meeting follows that of June 2003, in Dakar, Senegal, where the ACP Ministers of Culture adopted a declaration supporting the steps to be taken in view of adoption of the UNESCO Convention. This year, in their final declaration, the ministers urged “the ACP States to ratify, as soon as possible, the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions […].”

At the ACP’s invitation, a delegation from the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ILC) took part in the ministerial meeting as well as the preceding technical meeting of high-ranking officials.

On October 11, Robert Pilon, Vice-President of the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Diversity and ILC representative, made a presentation during a session on the ratification and implementation of the Convention at the technical meeting.

In his presentation, Mr. Pilon was delighted by the quick progress of the ratification campaign and spoke about the importance of largely exceeding the minimum threshold of 30 ratifications. He furthermore insisted on the importance of at least 75 to 100 countries ratifying the Convention for the latter to have any real legal and political weight. Finally, he reminded attendees of the importance of several countries from every region and subregion of the world ratifying the Convention, in particular the English- and Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa as well as the countries of Asia and the Caribbean.

Katerina Stenou, Director, Division of Cultural Policies and Intercultural Dialogue at UNESCO, also took part in this session, which ended with a discussion among participants regarding the convention.

On October 13, Robert Pilon and Rasmané Ouedraogo, President of Burkina Faso’s Coalition and Secretary General of the African Network for Cultural Diversity, attended the meeting of ACP ministers of Culture as observers.

The day after the ministerial meeting, a seminar bringing together a dozen or so ministers of Culture from member countries of la Francophonie and the ACP took place, chaired by the Administrator General of la Francophonie, Clément Duhaime. At this seminar, Mr. Pilon and Mr. Ouedraogo made a presentation on the ratification campaign of the UNESCO Convention and distributed to participants the Lomé Declaration (see article on Lomé meetings below).

Finally, this 2nd meeting of ACP ministers of Culture allowed the ILC delegation to speak informally with a large number of ministers of Culture present in Santo Domingo.

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Francophonie Members Reaffirm Support for UNESCO Convention at XIth Summit in Bucharest

Heads of State and Government taking part in the XIth Summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie used the declaration issued at the conclusion of their meeting to clearly reaffirm their support for the UNESCO convention on the diversity of cultural expressions.

The leaders hailed the cooperation between their states and governments which contributed to the adoption of the convention at UNESCO’s General Conference in October 2005, while exhorting “all States that have not yet done so to deposit their instruments of ratification. We ask the OIF (Francophonie) to reinforce its support to the countries of the South that wish to develop their national policies in the realm of culture, and expand the production and distribution of their cultural products and content. We encourage the rapid implementation of this convention, notably its provisions in favour cooperation with the South.”

Francophonie member states have figured prominently among those ratifying the convention quickly. Burkina Faso, Canada, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Romania, Senegal and Togo have deposited their ratifications with UNESCO, while France has completed its internal process and is ready to deposit as soon as EU member states are ready to file with UNESCO as a group. Several other member states are reported to be advanced in their ratification processes as well.

The quick action on ratification is consistent with the priority that Francophonie has accorded to the convention from the beginning. At their Beirut Summit in 2002, the Francophonie states were one of the first international bodies to support the initiative of an international convention that would affirm the distinctive nature of cultural goods and services and affirm the right of countries to apply policies in support of cultural diversity. In 2004, at the Ouagadougou Summit in Burkina Faso, they reiterated their commitment to the UNESCO convention then in the process of being negotiated.

Francophonie’s Secretary-General Abdou Diouf, who was re-elected to a second four-year term during the Summit, emphasized the spirit of multilateralism as having been key to the historic achievement of securing the adoption of the convention in 2005.

Acknowledging the presence of UNESCO Director General Koїchiro Matsuura, Diouf emphasized Francophonie’s commit to action in support of the convention, “not only to ratify the convention, a process that is already advanced and will accelerate, due notably to the dynamism of our member states. But also to prepare for its implementation. We have undertaken to reinforce the policies and the cultural industries of our states. And we will do this. We have undertaken to reinforce international cooperation because this is necessary for the dialogue among cultures that we are so much in need of. And we will do this.”

President Chirac of France and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada were among the leaders attending the summit who took the opportunity to emphasize the importance of the UNESCO convention.

President Chirac stressed the decisive role Francophonie played in securing the convention’s adoption, and called on all Francophonie member states to ensure the full potential of the convention by ratifying it as quickly as possible. “It gives us a shared tool to develop our cultural policies and cultural industries,” he said.

Prime Minister Harper noted that Canada’s bilingual and multicultural character made it no surprise that Canada had been the first to ratify the convention, and saluted Francophonie for the major role it played in securing the convention, “making cultural diversity an indispensable frame of reference.”

The Prime Minister also stated his intention to promote ratification of the convention in other fora in addition to Francophonie. “And let me be clear, we will be vigorously pursuing ratification of the Convention on cultural diversity in both our official languages.”

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Coalitions and cultural organizations from La Francophonie gather in Togo on the eve of the Bucharest Summit

The Second Meeting of coalitions and cultural organizations of Francophonie member countries took place September 19-22 in Lomé, Togo, on the eve of the summit of heads of state and government the following week in Bucharest. The meeting brought together more than 30 delegates from coalitions and cultural organizations from 23 Francophonie member countries. They were joined by four leaders of cultural organizations from non-Francophonie African countries who attended as observers.

More than 150 people attended the opening ceremonies, which were launched by Georges Keyewa, chief of staff of the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Leisure of Togo, in the presence of Rémi Sagna, representing the International Organization of La Francophonie, several representatives of the government of Togo, of the local diplomatic corps, as well as several national media outlets.

Adoption and presentation of the Lomé Declaration to the Francophonie Summit

The heart of the Second Meeting was the gathering of coalitions and cultural organizations. During this meeting, participants discussed strategies to be pursued by the coalitions movement in the context of the international campaign to ratify the UNESCO convention; their principal focus, however, concerned actions to be taken during the implementation phase of the convention. At the end of the meeting, participants designated three representatives to present the final declaration they had unanimously adopted to the Francophonie Summit.

The declaration calls on the countries of the North “to actively engage in international cooperation initiatives to support the development of viable cultural industries in the countries of the South, notably by making significant contributions to the International Fund for Cultural Diversity provided for in Article 18 of the Convention.”

Moreover, the participants “urge the Member States of La Francophonie to assure meaningful participation of the coalitions and cultural professional organizations in the implementation of the Convention at the national level, as provided for in Articles 11, 12.c and 23.7 of the Convention” and “ask, in this context, that La Francophonie and its Member States support their approaches to the authorities of UNESCO with the goal of enabling meaningful participation by representatives of coalitions during meetings of the implementing bodies for the Convention.”

Rasmane Ouedraogo, President of Burkina Faso’s CCD and Secretary of the Network of African Coalitions for cultural diversity, presented the declaration during the Ministerial meeting of la Francophonie on September 26 in Bucharest, Romania, held in the context of the Francophonie Summit. He was accompanied by Kodjo Noussouglo, President of Togo’s CCD, and Robert Pilon, Executive Vice President of the Canadian Coalition and representative of the of the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ILC)

Regional meeting of the Network of African Coalitions for Cultural Diversity

During the Second Meeting, representatives of member coalitions of the Network of African Coalitions for Cultural Diversity and African cultural organizations met to discuss the campaign to ratify and implement the UNESCO convention in an African context.

They concluded their meeting by deciding to move to establish the Network of African CCDs as a formal legal entity to simplify the process of obtaining recognition from relevant political authorities as the official representative of civil society in the implementation process of the convention. To this end, they took the decision to hold a founding congress of the Network of African CCDs in May 2007. Finally, the delegates decided to intensify their efforts to broaden the ratification process and to multiply the number of coalitions on the African continent.

Public Seminar

The Second Meetings concluded with a public seminar on the theme of the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, cultural support policies, international cooperation and North-South exchanges in support of the development of cultural industries. More than 100 people attended the seminar. Around ten experts made presentations geared to increasing public understanding of the convention file and furthering discussions on such themes as North-South cooperation in the cultural industries field.

The Second Meeting was organized by Togo’s Coalition for Cultural Diversity, with the collaboration of the Network of African Coalitions for Cultural Diversity and the Secretariat of the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (assumed by the Canadian and French Coalitions), with the financial support of the International Organization of La Francophonie, as well as the governments of France, Canada, and Quebec.

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South Africa Hosts Africa and Diaspora Conference on Cultural Diversity

More than 170 delegates of governments and civil society from 16 countries of Africa and the diaspora gathered in Sun City September 11-15 for a conference focused on cultural diversity for social cohesion and sustainable development hosted by South Africa’s Department of Arts and Culture, South Africa’s National Commission for UNESCO, and the University of South Africa.

South Africa’s Minister of Culture, Z. Pallo Jordan, opened the conference and set the stage for a discussion focused on identifying concrete actions that can be taken to realize the potential of the UNESCO convention on the diversity of cultural expressions.

Such a discussion, Minister Jordan said, “must unavoidably focus on: the measures needed to correct the current imbalance in the trade of cultural goods and services; capacity building of the cultural industries, cultural institutions and autonomous arts centres in the developing countries; facilitation of increased south-south trade and cooperation; (and) the establishment of financial support mechanisms for the cultural industries in the developing countries.”

South Africa strongly supported the convention through its process of negotiation at UNESCO, and it is expected that it will complete its process for ratifying the convention by November.

In the statement issued at the conclusion of the conference, participants agreed that prompt ratification of the convention should be a priority—establishing September 2007 as a target for countries to ratify the convention. They also agreed on a plan of action proposing roles and responsibilities for the state, civil society, cultural practitioners, and inter- and intra-regional bodies:

1. Roles and Responsibilities of the State
a. Accelerate ratification of the Convention on Cultural Diversity and integrate its content in local laws and regulations;
b. Develop post-ratification policies and strategies based on inclusion, sustainability and cross-sectoral partnerships;
c. Allocate resources and budgets for activities and programmes that protect and promote Cultural Diversity;
d. Establish mechanisms for information, research, data collection, monitoring and evaluation;
e. Prioritize accountability and report back to Africa and Diaspora on development;
f. Empower creative industries through training on rights, intellectual property, patenting, ownership and management.

2. Roles and Responsibilities of Citizens – Civil Society
a. Compile cultural statistics on NGOs, structures and practitioners within arts and culture;
b. Encourage partnerships with all role players including public and private sector on local, regional and international level;
c. Form lobby and pressure groups to monitor and evaluate impact of strategies;
d. Embark on fund raising initiatives;
e. Examine and revitalise the role of indigenous knowledge and traditional leadership.

Outcomes of the Conference
3. Roles and Responsibilities of Cultural Practitioners
a. Set and maintain standards of excellence in production and service delivery pertaining to Cultural Diversity;
b. Form structures for monitoring, evaluation and lobbying;
c. Develop and maintain skills database of artists and practitioners within creative industries;
d. Develop and implement inter- and intra-regional research programs on cultural and artistic expression.

4. Roles and Responsibilities of inter- and intra-regional bodies
a. Develop models of best practices from successful arts and culture programs and projects from the Continent and the Diaspora;
b. Foster awareness, recognition and cooperation, through collaboration between governments and communities in Africa and the Diaspora;
c. Encourage discussion and exchange around policy-making in countries where there are no existing cultural policies;
d. Establish a Working Group on Cultural policies to ensure that policy-making, protection and harmonization stays on the agenda;
e. Create awareness programs about links and synergies between Africa and the African Diaspora;
f. Avail and create platforms, programmes and resources for youth to ensure and bridge inter-generational gaps and foster posterity.

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Slovakia’s UNESCO National Commission, Coalition Jointly Hold European Seminar on UNESCO Convention

Participants from 26 countries joined close to 100 participants from Slovakia for a day-long seminar on August 25 focusing on the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions.

Opened jointly by Božena Krížiková, Secretary-General of the Slovak Commission for UNESCO, and Diana Štrofová, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, the seminar consisted of two sessions, the first providing a political perspective, the second providing the perspective of civil society.

The morning session featured European Union officials and representatives of EU member states who assessed the state of play in the campaign underway to ratify the convention, and also discussed challenges in the implementation phase with respect to establishing the convention as a credible instrument in international law.

Participants included Harri Syväsalmi, Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs of the European Union, Xavier North, délégué général of the Delegation for the French Language and Languages, with France’s Ministry of Culture; Ladislav Šimko, Director of the Department of the International Cooperation with Slovakia’s Ministry of Culture; and Xavier Troussard, Chief of the Unit for the international aspects of enterprise and industrial policy of the European Commission. They were joined by Marie-Paule Roudil, Head of the Section for Culture, UNESCO Office in Venice,

The afternoon session featured representatives of six national coalitions for cultural diversity, who addressed a variety of themes relating to the convention including the immediate challenge of ensuring the convention is ratified and implemented quickly and of establishing the convention as an effective counterweight in international law to the pressure on countries to make concessions on culture in trade negotiations; expectations in terms of action by governments to support culture at the national level; the importance of fulfilling the north-south international cooperation objectives of the convention; the role of civil society in protecting and promoting cultural diversity; and the particular role of public broadcasters in this regard.

Participants included Jozef Švoňavský of the Slovak Coalition for Cultural Diversity, Diego Gradis of the Swiss Coalition, Fabienne Herenberg of the French Coalition, Giacomo Mazzone of the Italian Coalition, Christine Merkel of Germany’s Coalition, and Jim McKee of the Canadian CCD.

The seminar concluded with the adoption of a declaration calling “on the UNESCO member states to ratify the Convention as soon as possible, and in the meantime follow the principles established by the Convention when negotiating and implementing any bilateral and regional international agreements and when defining and implementing national cultural policies.” The declaration further urges government authorities responsible for cultural polices at the national level to work with coalitions for cultural diversity and cultural professional organizations in implementing the convention.

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	Vol. 4, No. 5 November 2006 The Momentum Builds: Belarus, Burkina Faso, Croatia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Madagascar, Mali, Peru, Republic of Moldova, Senegal and Togo file convention ratifications with UNESCO The international campaign to ratify the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions continues to build momentum: 18 countries have now filed their ratifications with UNESCO, and 11 countries have completed the national legislative or executive ratification process and need only to carry out the final step of depositing their ratification documents with UNESCO. Here are the details: On November 9, Mali became the latest country to ratify the UNESCO Convention, filing officially its ratification instrument at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Mali ratified the convention one day after Ecuador and two days after Senegal. Guatemala (October 25), Peru (October 16), the Republic of Moldova (October 5), Madagascar (September 11), Belarus (September 6), Togo (September 5) and Croatia (August 31) have also officially filed their ratifications in the period since the last issue of Coalition Currents was published in mid-August. Other countries having already deposited their ratifications with UNESCO are Bolivia, Canada, Djibouti, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco and Romania. As reported in the last issue of Coalition Currents, several other countries are well advanced in their internal legislative or executive processes for ratifying the convention. A first group of countries including Armenia, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Guinea, India, Jordan and Venezuela have totally completed the national ratification process. Another group of countries are well advanced in the national legislative or executive process but have yet to complete it. This group includes Brazil, Chile, Gabon, Norway, South Africa and Uruguay. There is also the particular case of the European Community. On May 18, the European Council approved a decision authorizing the European Community to ratify the convention. The intention is for the EC and its member states to ratify together, and deposit jointly their respective ratification instruments with UNESCO as soon as possible, once member states have completed their internal ratification processes. To date, Austria, Finland, France and Spain have completed their internal processes, and a number of other member states, are well advanced. However, it is highly unlikely that all 25 member states will have completed this step by next June. So given the EC’s stated objective of having the ratifications of its member states count among the first 30 ratifications, a likely scenario would see the EC deposit with UNESCO en bloc once a ‘critical mass’ of member states of completed their internal ratification processes. A minimum of 30 ratifications is required for the convention to enter into effect, and Article 29 of the convention specifies that this will happen three months after deposit of the 30th instrument of ratification or accession at UNESCO. Given the widely-shared objective of seeing the first Conference of Parties--the body that will officially implement the convention—no later than October 2007 at the time of the UNESCO 34th General Conference, this makes the month of June 2007 the de facto target for meeting the 30 ratifications threshold. The good news is that it now seems clear that this objective of 30 ratifications will be attained, in fact surpassed, well before June 2007. There is a clear incentive for countries to ratify early: those that do will be among the participants at the first Conference of Parties, which will elect the initial 18-member Intergovernmental Committee that will be charged with developing the operational mechanisms of the convention. The Intergovernmental Committee members therefore stand to have a major role in setting the direction of the new convention. In assessing the early pace of ratifications for the convention on the diversity of expressions, the timeline for ratifications of the 2003 convention for the safeguarding of intangible heritage is useful. In the case of intangible heritage, the 18th ratification was filed with UNESCO in August of 2005—in other words, it took nine months longer than has been the case for the diversity of cultural expressions convention. The case of intangible heritage also shows that momentum can build rapidly once key thresholds are passed. That convention’s 30th ratification was reached only on January 20 of 2006—27 months after the convention was adopted at the 2003 General Conference. Less than four months later, however, that number had risen to 50, and as of the time of this writing the number stands at 68. The convention entered into legal effect on April 20, 2006, the first General Assembly of parties to the convention was held June 27-29, and at this meeting the first Intergovernmental Committee was elected. To invest the convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions with genuine legal and political weight, it will be similarly important to move past the 30 ratifications threshold to quickly obtain a much broader base of ratifications with significant representation from all regions of the world. Given that internal ratification processes in many countries require referral to one or more legislative committees, votes in lower and upper houses of the legislature, and sign-off by the President or Prime Minister, it is crucial that there be local political will to make ratification of the UNESCO convention a priority. The local work of organizations representing cultural professionals can be decisive in ensuring that this is the case. TOP Leaders of French, Portuguese and Spanish-speaking organizations joined by ALECSO in Calling on UNESCO Member States to Ratify Convention On October 20, during the Sixth Meeting of general secretaries and executives of the three linguistic spaces hosted at the headquarters of the International Organization of La Francophonie in Paris, senior officials responsible for the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education Science and Culture, the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countires (CPLP), the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), of the Latin Union, and La Francophonie adopted a resolution on cultural diversity. In the resolution, the leaders of the three linguistic spaces undertake to “call on States and member governments of the organizations of the three linguistic spaces to quickly ratify the convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, adopted one year ago by the 33rd General Conference of UNESCO”, and to coordinate their efforts in order to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions. As well, the Director General of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Sciences (ALECSO) declared that it also supported the resolution. TOP The Ministers of Culture of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States Urge Member States to Ratify the UNESCO Convention From October 11th to the 13th, 2006, at the 2nd Meeting of ACP Ministers of Culture in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the ministers of Culture renewed their support for the UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. This second meeting follows that of June 2003, in Dakar, Senegal, where the ACP Ministers of Culture adopted a declaration supporting the steps to be taken in view of adoption of the UNESCO Convention. This year, in their final declaration, the ministers urged “the ACP States to ratify, as soon as possible, the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions […].” At the ACP’s invitation, a delegation from the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ILC) took part in the ministerial meeting as well as the preceding technical meeting of high-ranking officials. On October 11, Robert Pilon, Vice-President of the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Diversity and ILC representative, made a presentation during a session on the ratification and implementation of the Convention at the technical meeting. In his presentation, Mr. Pilon was delighted by the quick progress of the ratification campaign and spoke about the importance of largely exceeding the minimum threshold of 30 ratifications. He furthermore insisted on the importance of at least 75 to 100 countries ratifying the Convention for the latter to have any real legal and political weight. Finally, he reminded attendees of the importance of several countries from every region and subregion of the world ratifying the Convention, in particular the English- and Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa as well as the countries of Asia and the Caribbean. Katerina Stenou, Director, Division of Cultural Policies and Intercultural Dialogue at UNESCO, also took part in this session, which ended with a discussion among participants regarding the convention. On October 13, Robert Pilon and Rasmané Ouedraogo, President of Burkina Faso’s Coalition and Secretary General of the African Network for Cultural Diversity, attended the meeting of ACP ministers of Culture as observers. The day after the ministerial meeting, a seminar bringing together a dozen or so ministers of Culture from member countries of la Francophonie and the ACP took place, chaired by the Administrator General of la Francophonie, Clément Duhaime. At this seminar, Mr. Pilon and Mr. Ouedraogo made a presentation on the ratification campaign of the UNESCO Convention and distributed to participants the Lomé Declaration (see article on Lomé meetings below). Finally, this 2nd meeting of ACP ministers of Culture allowed the ILC delegation to speak informally with a large number of ministers of Culture present in Santo Domingo. TOP Francophonie Members Reaffirm Support for UNESCO Convention at XIth Summit in Bucharest Heads of State and Government taking part in the XIth Summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie used the declaration issued at the conclusion of their meeting to clearly reaffirm their support for the UNESCO convention on the diversity of cultural expressions. The leaders hailed the cooperation between their states and governments which contributed to the adoption of the convention at UNESCO’s General Conference in October 2005, while exhorting “all States that have not yet done so to deposit their instruments of ratification. We ask the OIF (Francophonie) to reinforce its support to the countries of the South that wish to develop their national policies in the realm of culture, and expand the production and distribution of their cultural products and content. We encourage the rapid implementation of this convention, notably its provisions in favour cooperation with the South.” Francophonie member states have figured prominently among those ratifying the convention quickly. Burkina Faso, Canada, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Romania, Senegal and Togo have deposited their ratifications with UNESCO, while France has completed its internal process and is ready to deposit as soon as EU member states are ready to file with UNESCO as a group. Several other member states are reported to be advanced in their ratification processes as well. The quick action on ratification is consistent with the priority that Francophonie has accorded to the convention from the beginning. At their Beirut Summit in 2002, the Francophonie states were one of the first international bodies to support the initiative of an international convention that would affirm the distinctive nature of cultural goods and services and affirm the right of countries to apply policies in support of cultural diversity. In 2004, at the Ouagadougou Summit in Burkina Faso, they reiterated their commitment to the UNESCO convention then in the process of being negotiated. Francophonie’s Secretary-General Abdou Diouf, who was re-elected to a second four-year term during the Summit, emphasized the spirit of multilateralism as having been key to the historic achievement of securing the adoption of the convention in 2005. Acknowledging the presence of UNESCO Director General Koїchiro Matsuura, Diouf emphasized Francophonie’s commit to action in support of the convention, “not only to ratify the convention, a process that is already advanced and will accelerate, due notably to the dynamism of our member states. But also to prepare for its implementation. We have undertaken to reinforce the policies and the cultural industries of our states. And we will do this. We have undertaken to reinforce international cooperation because this is necessary for the dialogue among cultures that we are so much in need of. And we will do this.” President Chirac of France and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada were among the leaders attending the summit who took the opportunity to emphasize the importance of the UNESCO convention. President Chirac stressed the decisive role Francophonie played in securing the convention’s adoption, and called on all Francophonie member states to ensure the full potential of the convention by ratifying it as quickly as possible. “It gives us a shared tool to develop our cultural policies and cultural industries,” he said. Prime Minister Harper noted that Canada’s bilingual and multicultural character made it no surprise that Canada had been the first to ratify the convention, and saluted Francophonie for the major role it played in securing the convention, “making cultural diversity an indispensable frame of reference.” The Prime Minister also stated his intention to promote ratification of the convention in other fora in addition to Francophonie. “And let me be clear, we will be vigorously pursuing ratification of the Convention on cultural diversity in both our official languages.” TOP Coalitions and cultural organizations from La Francophonie gather in Togo on the eve of the Bucharest Summit The Second Meeting of coalitions and cultural organizations of Francophonie member countries took place September 19-22 in Lomé, Togo, on the eve of the summit of heads of state and government the following week in Bucharest. The meeting brought together more than 30 delegates from coalitions and cultural organizations from 23 Francophonie member countries. They were joined by four leaders of cultural organizations from non-Francophonie African countries who attended as observers. More than 150 people attended the opening ceremonies, which were launched by Georges Keyewa, chief of staff of the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Leisure of Togo, in the presence of Rémi Sagna, representing the International Organization of La Francophonie, several representatives of the government of Togo, of the local diplomatic corps, as well as several national media outlets. Adoption and presentation of the Lomé Declaration to the Francophonie Summit The heart of the Second Meeting was the gathering of coalitions and cultural organizations. During this meeting, participants discussed strategies to be pursued by the coalitions movement in the context of the international campaign to ratify the UNESCO convention; their principal focus, however, concerned actions to be taken during the implementation phase of the convention. At the end of the meeting, participants designated three representatives to present the final declaration they had unanimously adopted to the Francophonie Summit. The declaration calls on the countries of the North “to actively engage in international cooperation initiatives to support the development of viable cultural industries in the countries of the South, notably by making significant contributions to the International Fund for Cultural Diversity provided for in Article 18 of the Convention.” Moreover, the participants “urge the Member States of La Francophonie to assure meaningful participation of the coalitions and cultural professional organizations in the implementation of the Convention at the national level, as provided for in Articles 11, 12.c and 23.7 of the Convention” and “ask, in this context, that La Francophonie and its Member States support their approaches to the authorities of UNESCO with the goal of enabling meaningful participation by representatives of coalitions during meetings of the implementing bodies for the Convention.” Rasmane Ouedraogo, President of Burkina Faso’s CCD and Secretary of the Network of African Coalitions for cultural diversity, presented the declaration during the Ministerial meeting of la Francophonie on September 26 in Bucharest, Romania, held in the context of the Francophonie Summit. He was accompanied by Kodjo Noussouglo, President of Togo’s CCD, and Robert Pilon, Executive Vice President of the Canadian Coalition and representative of the of the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ILC) Regional meeting of the Network of African Coalitions for Cultural Diversity During the Second Meeting, representatives of member coalitions of the Network of African Coalitions for Cultural Diversity and African cultural organizations met to discuss the campaign to ratify and implement the UNESCO convention in an African context. They concluded their meeting by deciding to move to establish the Network of African CCDs as a formal legal entity to simplify the process of obtaining recognition from relevant political authorities as the official representative of civil society in the implementation process of the convention. To this end, they took the decision to hold a founding congress of the Network of African CCDs in May 2007. Finally, the delegates decided to intensify their efforts to broaden the ratification process and to multiply the number of coalitions on the African continent. Public Seminar The Second Meetings concluded with a public seminar on the theme of the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, cultural support policies, international cooperation and North-South exchanges in support of the development of cultural industries. More than 100 people attended the seminar. Around ten experts made presentations geared to increasing public understanding of the convention file and furthering discussions on such themes as North-South cooperation in the cultural industries field. The Second Meeting was organized by Togo’s Coalition for Cultural Diversity, with the collaboration of the Network of African Coalitions for Cultural Diversity and the Secretariat of the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (assumed by the Canadian and French Coalitions), with the financial support of the International Organization of La Francophonie, as well as the governments of France, Canada, and Quebec. TOP South Africa Hosts Africa and Diaspora Conference on Cultural Diversity More than 170 delegates of governments and civil society from 16 countries of Africa and the diaspora gathered in Sun City September 11-15 for a conference focused on cultural diversity for social cohesion and sustainable development hosted by South Africa’s Department of Arts and Culture, South Africa’s National Commission for UNESCO, and the University of South Africa. South Africa’s Minister of Culture, Z. Pallo Jordan, opened the conference and set the stage for a discussion focused on identifying concrete actions that can be taken to realize the potential of the UNESCO convention on the diversity of cultural expressions. Such a discussion, Minister Jordan said, “must unavoidably focus on: the measures needed to correct the current imbalance in the trade of cultural goods and services; capacity building of the cultural industries, cultural institutions and autonomous arts centres in the developing countries; facilitation of increased south-south trade and cooperation; (and) the establishment of financial support mechanisms for the cultural industries in the developing countries.” South Africa strongly supported the convention through its process of negotiation at UNESCO, and it is expected that it will complete its process for ratifying the convention by November. In the statement issued at the conclusion of the conference, participants agreed that prompt ratification of the convention should be a priority—establishing September 2007 as a target for countries to ratify the convention. They also agreed on a plan of action proposing roles and responsibilities for the state, civil society, cultural practitioners, and inter- and intra-regional bodies: 1. Roles and Responsibilities of the State a. Accelerate ratification of the Convention on Cultural Diversity and integrate its content in local laws and regulations; b. Develop post-ratification policies and strategies based on inclusion, sustainability and cross-sectoral partnerships; c. Allocate resources and budgets for activities and programmes that protect and promote Cultural Diversity; d. Establish mechanisms for information, research, data collection, monitoring and evaluation; e. Prioritize accountability and report back to Africa and Diaspora on development; f. Empower creative industries through training on rights, intellectual property, patenting, ownership and management. 2. Roles and Responsibilities of Citizens – Civil Society a. Compile cultural statistics on NGOs, structures and practitioners within arts and culture; b. Encourage partnerships with all role players including public and private sector on local, regional and international level; c. Form lobby and pressure groups to monitor and evaluate impact of strategies; d. Embark on fund raising initiatives; e. Examine and revitalise the role of indigenous knowledge and traditional leadership. Outcomes of the Conference 3. Roles and Responsibilities of Cultural Practitioners a. Set and maintain standards of excellence in production and service delivery pertaining to Cultural Diversity; b. Form structures for monitoring, evaluation and lobbying; c. Develop and maintain skills database of artists and practitioners within creative industries; d. Develop and implement inter- and intra-regional research programs on cultural and artistic expression. 4. Roles and Responsibilities of inter- and intra-regional bodies a. Develop models of best practices from successful arts and culture programs and projects from the Continent and the Diaspora; b. Foster awareness, recognition and cooperation, through collaboration between governments and communities in Africa and the Diaspora; c. Encourage discussion and exchange around policy-making in countries where there are no existing cultural policies; d. Establish a Working Group on Cultural policies to ensure that policy-making, protection and harmonization stays on the agenda; e. Create awareness programs about links and synergies between Africa and the African Diaspora; f. Avail and create platforms, programmes and resources for youth to ensure and bridge inter-generational gaps and foster posterity. TOP Slovakia’s UNESCO National Commission, Coalition Jointly Hold European Seminar on UNESCO Convention Participants from 26 countries joined close to 100 participants from Slovakia for a day-long seminar on August 25 focusing on the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions. Opened jointly by Božena Krížiková, Secretary-General of the Slovak Commission for UNESCO, and Diana Štrofová, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, the seminar consisted of two sessions, the first providing a political perspective, the second providing the perspective of civil society. The morning session featured European Union officials and representatives of EU member states who assessed the state of play in the campaign underway to ratify the convention, and also discussed challenges in the implementation phase with respect to establishing the convention as a credible instrument in international law. Participants included Harri Syväsalmi, Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs of the European Union, Xavier North, délégué général of the Delegation for the French Language and Languages, with France’s Ministry of Culture; Ladislav Šimko, Director of the Department of the International Cooperation with Slovakia’s Ministry of Culture; and Xavier Troussard, Chief of the Unit for the international aspects of enterprise and industrial policy of the European Commission. They were joined by Marie-Paule Roudil, Head of the Section for Culture, UNESCO Office in Venice, The afternoon session featured representatives of six national coalitions for cultural diversity, who addressed a variety of themes relating to the convention including the immediate challenge of ensuring the convention is ratified and implemented quickly and of establishing the convention as an effective counterweight in international law to the pressure on countries to make concessions on culture in trade negotiations; expectations in terms of action by governments to support culture at the national level; the importance of fulfilling the north-south international cooperation objectives of the convention; the role of civil society in protecting and promoting cultural diversity; and the particular role of public broadcasters in this regard. Participants included Jozef Švoňavský of the Slovak Coalition for Cultural Diversity, Diego Gradis of the Swiss Coalition, Fabienne Herenberg of the French Coalition, Giacomo Mazzone of the Italian Coalition, Christine Merkel of Germany’s Coalition, and Jim McKee of the Canadian CCD. The seminar concluded with the adoption of a declaration calling “on the UNESCO member states to ratify the Convention as soon as possible, and in the meantime follow the principles established by the Convention when negotiating and implementing any bilateral and regional international agreements and when defining and implementing national cultural policies.” The declaration further urges government authorities responsible for cultural polices at the national level to work with coalitions for cultural diversity and cultural professional organizations in implementing the convention. TOP			The Momentum Builds: Belarus, Burkina Faso, Croatia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Madagascar, Mali, Peru, Republic of Moldova, Senegal and Togo file convention ratifications with UNESCO Leaders of French, Portuguese and Spanish-speaking organizations joined by ALECSO in Calling on UNESCO Member States to Ratify Convention The Ministers of Culture of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States Urge Member States to Ratify the UNESCO Convention Francophonie Members Reaffirm Support for UNESCO Convention at XIth Summit in Bucharest Coalitions and cultural organizations from La Francophonie gather in Togo on the eve of the Bucharest Summit South Africa Hosts Africa and Diaspora Conference on Cultural Diversity Slovakia’s UNESCO National Commission, Coalition Jointly Hold European Seminar on UNESCO Convention Coalition Currents is published by the Secretariat for the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ILC). Member Coalitions: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Ecuador, France, Germany, Guinea, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Korea, Mali, Morocco, Mexico, New Zealand, Niger, Paraguay, Peru, Senegal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Uruguay, Venezuela. 154 Laurier Ave. West, Suite 240 Montreal, QUE H2T 2N7 T. (514) 277-2666 F. (514) 277-9994 www.coalitionfrancaise.org e-mail: Editor: Jim McKee Contributors in this issue: Robert Pilon, Bruno Bettati, Jean-Luc Pilon We welcome re-use of material from this bulletin with attribution. Coalition Currents is published with the financial assistance of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage, Department of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Quebec, the Ministry of Culture of Ontario, and the Government of New Brunswick