The 24 members of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) gathered in Paris from March 23 to 25 for their second extraordinary session. This meeting, their last before the 2nd Conference of Parties in June, focused mainly on the issues of preferential treatment for developing countries, financing mechanisms for the International Fund for Cultural Diversity and the visibility of the UNESCO Convention.

The liveliest debates centred on the draft operational guidelines for the Convention’s Article 16 on preferential treatment. It should be noted that this article, without specifying concrete actions to be taken, commits developed countries to facilitate cultural exchanges by granting preferential treatment to artists and other cultural professionals and practitioners, as well as to cultural goods and services from developing countries. During the debates, several members of the Intergovernmental Committee proposed amendments to the draft guidelines prepared by the Secretariat—which had earlier received written contributions from 42 States Parties and four civil society organizations.

The main bone of contention proved to be the issue of mobility of artists and other cultural professionals and practitioners. After an animated debate, the Chair called for the creation of an informal working group that managed to proposed wording that achieved consensus. Under the adopted text, the Parties to the Convention are encouraged to take measures that facilitate mobility of artists and other cultural professionals and practitioners from developing countries by, for example, “simplifying the procedures for issue of visas regarding entry, stay and temporary travel” and by lowering “the cost of visas”.

During the debates, Canada stated that it faced certain constraints in according preferential treatment, limitations it had originally identified during the negotiations on Article 16. However, rather than block the consensus, Canada did not oppose the adoption of this text, but expressed a reservation that said, among other things, that it “does not subscribe to all of the measures mentioned in this paragraph” and that it “will no be able to implement them in their entirety”.

The Secretariat’s draft operational guidelines also included a section on the role of civil society in the effective implementation of preferential treatment. While the members of the Committee rapidly reached consensus on the proposed amendments in this section, IFCCD President Rasmané Ouedraogo voiced some of the reservations expressed by civil society organizations regarding the new wording adopted.

Specifically, the Committee ultimately decided to remove certain portions of the text that were quite specific in their provisions, choosing instead more general wording. For instance, members opted to remove examples of concrete areas of action for civil society in facilitating the implementation of Article 16. Moreover, the reference to associations, unions and other organizations of cultural practitioners and professionals was also deleted from the guideline concerning civil society assistance in evaluating the visa requests of applicants from developing countries.

On the final day of the session, the Committee discussed proposed measures for more effective financing of the International Fund for Cultural Diversity and for a greater visibility for the Convention. Among other things, the Committee asked for a mandate from the Conference of Parties to develop a fundraising strategy. Furthermore, given that only nine of the States Parties to the Convention have contributed to the Fund so far, the Committee asked all States Parties to “to make voluntary contributions to the IFCD, including by considering the use of innovative financing mechanisms to raise funds.”

The members of the Committee also asked the Convention Secretariat to consult with States Parties and civil society on developing strategies to help promote and raise the visibility of the Convention and to encourage its ratification, particularly in regions where ratification is lagging. It should be noted that several Committee members stressed the importance of working with civil society and the International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity in particular, to help raise the Convention’s profile and visibility.

The March meeting marked the end of the first two years of work on implementation by the Intergovernmental Committee, and sets the stage for the second Conference of Parties to the Convention, which will take place June 15-18 in Paris. During that session, the Parties to the Convention will review and consider for approval the package of operational guidelines developed by the Committee—guidelines covering articles 7 and 8, article 11 on the role of civil society, as well as articles 13 through 18, which focus on international cooperation. It will also elect 12 of the 24 IGC members and set the Committee’s priorities for the next two years.   

Getting the operational guidelines adopted by the Conference of Parties will clearly be a key step in implementing the Convention. However, it must be remembered that this is only a framework to guide the States in their actions. The onus will be on the Parties to the Convention to then translate these guidelines into concrete action in order to truly implement the Convention.

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