ARGE Cultural Diversity: For a fair, inclusive and anti-discriminatory cultural policy

2023-06-07 08:49:07

Final Communiqué of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions published.

Vienna (OTS) – For the twelfth time, the members of the ARGE Cultural Diversity of the Austrian Commission for UNESCO have published a statement with cultural-political weight. The recommendations are trend-setting for cultural-political action and show how fair conditions can be created for everyone in the arts and culture sector and how participation can be more than a buzzword.

Selected recommendations:

Different forms of employment, project dependency, and a lack of planning security are typical of the realities of gainful employment in the arts and culture. Good social and economic safeguards must counteract these precarious realities. Culture is work – get out of poverty!

The arts and culture sector is no exception: Discrimination and abuse of power are structural problems. Selective “diversity” projects are not the solution. A long-term strengthening of diversity-sensitive transformation processes is essential and requires public funds, a broad discourse and the right framework conditions.

In emergency and crisis situations, it becomes apparent that the participation of civil society is indispensable for sustainable, practice-oriented cultural policy measures. Participation must neither be an end in itself nor a PR measure.

The statement is the result of the closed conference of the ARGE Cultural Diversity in March 2023 in Klagenfurt/Celovec, in which representatives of the sector dealt with central challenges of contemporary art and cultural policy at the invitation of the Austrian UNESCO Commission Implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in Austria. This international treaty obliges states, including Austria, to create conducive framework conditions for art and culture and thus enable a variety of artistic expression.

Overview of main topics:

Social and economic security for art and culture actors
Rights
artistic freedom
media diversity
cultural education
Art & culture in sustainable (regional) development
anti-discriminatory art and cultural policy
Promotion of international cultural exchange.

The entire document can be found here.

For almost 20 years, the ARGE Cultural Diversity has been supporting the implementation of the UNESCO Convention in Austria. As the national contact point for the UNESCO Convention, the Austrian UNESCO Commission ensures that civil society is involved in the implementation of the international treaty in Austria.