ResiliArt: Cultural Diversity and COVID-19 - The Road to Recovery

13 May 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented human and health crisis and triggered a severe economic downturn. Global GDP growth down is predicted to go down by at least 3% in 2020, plunging the world into a global recession of unparalleled scale (IMF). The lockdown measures taken to contain the pandemic have hit the culture sector particularly hard. At the peak of the crisis, 89% of all UNESCO World Heritage sites were closed entirely or partially, threatening the livelihoods of the local communities and cultural professionals. Cultural institutions and facilities including museums, theatres and cinemas are still losing millions in revenue each day, and many have had to let go of their staff. The pandemic has impacted the entire creative value chain – creation, production, distribution and access – and considerably weakened the professional, social and economic status of artists and cultural professionals. Today, we are experiencing a cultural emergency.

This is why UNESCO launched a global movement – ResiliArt.

ResiliArt sheds light on the current state of creative industries amidst crisis through high-level global discussion with key industry professionals while capturing experiences and voices of resilience from artists – both established and emerging – on social media. The movement raises awareness about the far-reaching ramification of COVID-19 across the sector and aims at supporting artists during and following the crisis.

As lockdown exit strategies begin to be implemented, activities that are compatible with physical distancing measures are allowed to resume gradually. Artists, cultural professionals, cultural institutions serving the public, small and medium-sized enterprises, associations, organizations and governments must reflect on the recovery of the creative sector in a context where the COVID-19 pandemic remains a major threat to human health. Cultural activities that have been or may soon be resumed must find a way to deal with constraints that will have significant social and financial impacts. Other activities will likely be able to restart only in the very long term, particularly those requiring international mobility.

This ResiliArt debate will focus on the recovery of cultural and creative industries after the pandemic. In particular, it will address the ways in which States and the private sector can support and stimulate the creative sector in a context where inequalities, accentuated by the crisis, have weakened cultural enterprises. How can we maintain diverse, sustainable and dynamic cultural ecosystems in this new reality?

The debate will take place on 14 May 2020, in partnership with International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (IFCCD) and International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC). It will be opened by Audrey AZOULAY, UNESCO Director-General (to be confirmed) and the discussions will be moderated by Ernesto OTTONE R. (UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture) and bring together Anitta (Singer singer, songwriter and actress), Mohamed Saif AL-AFKHAM (President of the International Theatre Institute) Ferne DOWNEY (Actress and President of the International Federation of Actors) Pascal ROGARD (Director General of SACD and President of the French Coalition for Cultural Diversity) Fouzia SAEED (Author and Director General of Pakistan National Council of Arts), Cheick Oumar SISSOKO (Film director, Secretary General of the Panfrican Federation of Filmmakers and former Minister of Culture) and Jana VOZAROVA (CEO of LITA, Society of authors).