A strategy paper just released by the French Foreign and European Affairs Department argues for a rethinking of the cultural cooperation protocol recently incorporated by the European Union (EU) into its trade agreements. The document also makes the case for coordinated work among States to promote the principles and objectives of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in trade agreements and at the WTO consistent with Articles 20 and 21 of the Convention.

The third ordinary session of the Intergovernmental Committee was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from December 7-9, 2009. It was the first meeting of the Committee since the second phase of implementation of the Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was launched at the Conference of the Parties in June 2009.

In opening the second meeting of the International network of lawyers for the diversity of cultural expressions (RIJDEC), Professor Ivan Bernier emphasized that references to the UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in other national and international forums will be an essential element of its life as a legal instrument.

The Second Congress of the International Federation Of Coalitions For Cultural Diversity (IFCCD) held from November 5-8, 2009 in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, closed with the adoption of a series of resolutions stressing the importance of effectively implementing the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion ff the Diversity of Cultural Expressions to ensure the right of governments to apply cultural policies and other steps to support their cultures.

How effective will the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions prove to be as an international instrument for upholding the right of countries to apply cultural policies?

After two years of work implementing the Convention, it is still too soon to answer this question. However, in light of the implementation priorities established for the next two years during the Second Conference of the Parties in Paris this past June, there is some cause for concern.