Policies for cultural diversity

The cultural and creative industries are some of the fastest growing sectors in the world and are essential for inclusive economic growth, the reduction of inequalities and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2005 Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was a cultural policy milestone and reflected the international community’s recognition of both the cultural and economic aspects of contemporary cultural expressions.

In line with Article 2.1 of the 2005 Convention, the SIDA-funded UNESCO project ‘Reshaping Cultural Policies’, for which ECOPER is conducting the independent external evaluation, aims to support the development of cultural governance systems which are based on fundamental freedoms, and which foster diversity of cultural expression. The evaluation will include a document review, an online survey, interviews with diverse stakeholders and computerized content analysis, which will trace the impact of the 2005 Convention on official documents and internet conversations in 16 partner countries. Field missions to two of the countries and to the UNESO headquarters in Paris will also be undertaken, resulting in two country case studies and facilitating face-to-face meetings with stakeholders.

The project has two main components: building national capacities for evidence-based and participatory policy making and monitoring processes in 16 countries (Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Jamaica, Mali, Mauritius, Mongolia, Palestine, Peru, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe); and producing and sharing a Global Report for the reshaping of cultural policies to monitor compliance with obligations under the 2005 Convention. It began in July 2018 and is due to finish in July 2020. Other assignments conducted by ECOPER for UNESCO in the field of culture include the evaluation of a project on protecting cultural heritage and diversity.