Mr Themba P.Wakashe,

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UNESCO AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY

• Mr Themba P.Wakashe,
• Director-General
• Department of Arts and Culture

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INDEX

• Introduction and background
• UNESCOs Strategic Framework
• SA National Commission for UNESCO
• DAC and UNESCO
• UNESCO and Cultural Diversity
• The Convention on Cultural Diversity
• Implementation of the Convention
• Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

• UNESCO is one of the 15 specialized agencies of
  the United Nations and contributes to the
  building of peace, the eradication of poverty,
  sustainable development and intercultural
  dialogue through its mandate for education, the
  sciences, culture, communication and information.
• UNESCO membership consists of 193 countries and
  seven associate members.
• UNESCO is based in Paris and has over 50 field
  offices and many specialized institutes and
  centres throughout the world.
• UNESCO has a number of priority projects within
  its field of expertise, which include literacy,
  technical and teacher training programmes
  international science programmes the promotion
  of independent media and freedom of the press
  regional and cultural history projects the
  promotion of cultural diversity international
  cooperation agreements to promote and protect the
  world cultural and natural heritage (World
  Heritage Sites), and attempts to bridge the
  worldwide digital divide.

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UNESCOS STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

• UNESCOs Medium-Term Strategy for 2008 to 2013 is
  structured around five programme-driven,
  overarching objectives which are
• Attaining quality education for all and lifelong
  learning
• Mobilizing scientific knowledge and policy for
  sustainable development
• Addressing emerging social and ethical
  challenges
• Promoting cultural diversity, intercultural
  dialogue and a culture of peace
• Building inclusive knowledge societies through
  information and communication.
• UNESCOs Medium-Term Strategy also accords global
  priority to Africa and gender equality. Action in
  favour of Africa respects the priorities decided
  by Africa itself, through the African Union and
  its NEPAD programme.

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UNESCOs Strategic Frameworkcont

• UNESCO is actively pursuing the Millennium
  Development Goals, especially those aiming to
• Halve the proportion of people living in extreme
  poverty in developing countries by 2015
• Achieve universal primary education in all
  countries by 2015
• Eliminate gender disparity in primary and
  secondary education by 2005
• Help countries implement a national strategy for
  sustainable development by 2005 and
• Reverse current trends in the loss of
  environmental resources by 2015.

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SA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO

• The South African National Commission for UNESCO
  (SANATCOM) was established in 1998 with the core
  function to effectively integrate and coordinate
  UNESCO activities in South Africa, through
  cooperation with government departments and civil
  society organisations.
• The SANATCOM under the leadership of the Minister
  of Basic Education is responsible for servicing
  six line departments whose areas of competency
  coincide with the broad mandate of UNESCO.
• The SANATCOMs vision is to strive towards a
  knowledge based society characterised by the
  pursuance of educational, cultural, information
  and scientific excellence in accordance with
  UNESCOs ideals and for the development of the
  country.

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SA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO

• The SANATCOMs mission is to support the
  transformation of our society and strengthen our
  democracy by
• Facilitating the implementation of UNESCO
  programmes in education, natural, social and
  human science, culture and communication
• Facilitating cooperation on national UNESCO
  issues among National Departments
• Facilitating the adherence to the UNESCOs
  ethical standards especially with regard to peace
  and human rights
• Encouraging the application of UNESCO
  standard-setting instruments to support the
  redress of social disadvantage
• Providing communication channels between South
  Africa, UNESCO and other National Commissions
  and
• Participating actively in the affairs of UNESCO.

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DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE AND UNESCO

• DAC is involved closely with UNESCO, through the
  implementation of the following
• Heritage (World Heritage, Intangible Heritage,
  Underwater Heritage)
• Memory of the World
• Cultural Diversity
• South Africa was readmitted to UNESCO on 12
  December 1994, following the countrys transition
  to democracy.
• In 1997 the country ratified the World Heritage
  Convention and served as a member of the World
  Heritage Committee from 2000 to 2005. SA was
  re-elected in 2009 to serve a 2nd term from 2010
  2013.
• During this time South Africa, through the
  Department of Arts and Culture, successfully
  hosted the 29th session of the World Heritage
  Committee in 2005 and further facilitated the
  process that resulted in the establishment of the
  African World Heritage Fund in 2006.

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DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE AND UNESCO

• Memory of the World
• South Africa became involved in UNESCOS Memory
  of the World (M.o.W) Programme in 2003.
• The MoW Programme promotes the preservation of
  the worlds documentary heritage against natural
  and man-made disasters.
• South Africa hosted the 8th UNESCO International
  Advisory Committee (I.A.C.) meeting for the
  Memory of the World (MoW) Programme in June 2007
  to evaluate all proposals submitted to UNESCO for
  enlisting in the UNESCOs Memory of the World
  International Register (MoWIR).
• Two South African collections were accepted for
  registration in the MoWIR. These two collections
  are the Rivonia Trial collection, housed at the
  National Archives of South Africa, and the Living
  Apartheid collection which is housed at the Doxa
  Productions in Cape Town.
• A call for nomination for the 2011 MoW IR listing
  was sent out late 2009 to heritage institutions
  in South Africa. Three new nominations were
  received. The CODESA, the Multiparty Collections
  aand the Medu Art Ensemble Collection at Freedom
  Park were submitted to UNESCO MoW Programme.
• SA is also currently chairing the Africa Regional
  Committee of the Memory of the World.

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CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND UNESCO

• UNESCO defines and sees Cultural Diversity as a
  driving force of development, not only in respect
  of economic growth, but also as a means of
  leading a more fulfilling intellectual,
  emotional, moral and spiritual life. This is
  captured in all seven culture conventions at
  UNESCO, which provides a basis for the promotion
  of cultural diversity.
• According to the UNESCO Universal Declaration on
  Cultural Diversity (2001), acceptance and
  recognition of cultural diversity is conducive to
  dialogue among civilizations and cultures,
  respect and mutual understanding. The promotion
  of cultural diversity is central to UNESCOs
  mandate.

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CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND UNESCO

• UNESCO published a World Report on Investing in
  Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue in
  2009.
• The report states that Cultural Diversity is more
  than just the protection of heritage in danger.
  It is also the development of intercultural
  skills, the road towards new forms of governance,
  the lever of the effective exercise of
  universally recognized human rights and a means
  to reduce imbalances in the trade of cultural
  goods and services.
• The Report especially suggests creating a World
  Observatory on Cultural Diversity, to monitor the
  impacts of globalization, setting up a "national
  mechanism for monitoring public policies as they
  relate to cultural diversity," and implementing
  "national language policies with a view to both
  safeguarding linguistic diversity and promoting
  multilingual competencies."

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UNESCO CONVENTION ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY

• The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of
  the Diversity of Cultural Expressions stands out
  among the heritage-related conventions in that it
  focuses primarily on the diversity of cultural
  expressions, as circulated and shared through
  cultural activities, goods and services, the most
  contemporary transmitters of culture.
• The Convention responds to an existing need to
  actively protect and promote the diversity of
  cultural expressions in the face of the
  accelerated pace of globalization.
• In 2001 UNESCO adopted the Universal declaration
  on Cultural Diversity.
• In 2003, INCP Ministers of Culture made a
  submission to UNESCO to create a legal binding
  instrument that will address issues relating to
  Cultural Diversity.
• In 2003 Member States requested UNESCO to pursue
  normative action to defend human creativity.

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UNESCO CONVENTION ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY

• After 2 years of intense negotiations at UNESCO
  between independent and government experts, the
  UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion
  of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was
  adopted by majority vote at the 33rd session of
  the UNESCO General Conference in 2005.
• The Convention is the 1st normative international
  instrument that deals with the protection and
  promotion of cultural diversity on a global
  scale.
• South Africa fully supports the Convention and
  ratified the Convention in December 2006.
• The Convention came into force in March 2007 and
  SA chaired the 1st Conference of Parties on the
  Convention in June 2006.

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UNESCO CONVENTION ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY cont..

• The Convention has been heralded as the Magna
  Charta of International Cultural Policy,
  reaffirming the rights of governments to adopt
  and implement cultural policy measures necessary
  to protect and promote cultural expressions.
• The main objectives of the Convention are to
• Recognize that cultural goods and services convey
  identity, values and meaning and therefore can
  not be treated as mere commodities or consumer
  goods
• Encourage governments to introduce cultural
  policies and measures that address al links in
  the value chain from creation, production,
  distribution, access and enjoyment of cultural
  expressions and
• Promote international cooperation.

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IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION

• The following activities should be pursued by
  all to ensure the effective implementation of the
  Convention
• Develop a complete set of operational guidelines
  for the Convention
• Encourage additional ratifications from all
  regions of the world and raise visibility of the
  Convention
• Test and manage the International Fund on
  Cultural Diversity (IFCD)
• Implement mechanisms that can provide
  preferential treatment for artists and cultural
  practitioners from developing countries and
  provide access for their goods and services in
  developed countries.

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IMPLEMENTATION cont.

• South Africa has been elected to serve on the
  Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) of the
  Convention for 4 years.
• One of the main tasks of the IGC is to prepare
  the operational guidelines on the application and
  implementation of the Convention.
• The purpose of the operational guidelines is to
  provide governments with a general framework on
  how they may implement and apply provisions of
  the Convention in their own countries.
• Operational guidelines for article 7, 8, 11, 13,
  14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 has been developed and are
  in the implementation phase.
• Work on developing operational guidelines for
  articles 9, 10 and 19 are currently underway and
  will be discussed during the 4th Ordinary Session
  of the IGC, which is due to take place in Paris
  from 29 November 3 December 2010.

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IMPLEMENTATION cont.

• The Convention also recognises the establishment
  of financial support mechanisms for the
  developing world, through an international fund
  for cultural diversity.
• The purpose of the Fund is to promote cooperation
  for sustainable development and poverty reduction
  in order to foster the emergence of a dynamic
  cultural sector in developing countries and to
  promote South-South-North cooperation.
• To ensure the sustainability and smooth operation
  of the Fund, State Parties should be encouraged
  to play an active part in financing the Fund
  through voluntary and regular contributions to
  the Fund.
• SA has made a voluntary contribution of R87 000
  to the fund which equals to 1 of our annual
  contributions to UNESCO.
• The first call for applications to be funded
  through the International Fund for Cultural
  Diversity was made in March 2010 and SA submitted
  13 proposals in response to the call for
  proposals.

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CONCLUSION

• The number of countries having ratified the
  Convention together with SA, has reached 113.
• Efforts are still on the way to encourage
  increased ratifications and to raise
  awareness/visibility of the Convention,
  especially in under-represented regions.
• DAC will be conducting consultative workshops
  throughout the country with provinces, associated
  institutions and civil society representatives in
  the arts, culture and heritage sector to promote
  the implementation of the approved operational
  guidelines of the Convention.
• 21 May as been declared by UNESCO as World Day
  for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and
  Development

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ThankYou