Diversity of Cultural Expression Committee to focus on Digital creativity and Artificial Intelligence at annual meeting

The annual meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee that oversees the implementation of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions will take place at UNESCO’s Headquarters, from 11 to 14 December.

The 12th session, to be opened by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, will feature a new series of public talks entitled Create|2030 that will examine how investing in creativity can contribute directly to achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors Jean-Michel Jarre and Deeyah Khan are be among the artists who will take the floor on this occasion, examining the impact of artificial intelligence on creativity and artistic freedom. Academics, policy makers and entrepreneurs from around the world, will also address these issues during the meeting.

Representatives of the 24 Parties that sit on the Committee of the 2005 Convention are expected to adopt a pioneering roadmap to chart the implementation of policies and measures that support the creative industries in the digital environment. It will notably highlight issues concerning the remuneration for artists, market concentration and fundamental freedoms. The roadmap is also designed to accompany UNESCO’s growing work to address the ethical challenges raised by artificial intelligence, the automation of creativity and the sector’s ability to support decent jobs.

Another highlight of the meeting will be the launch of the global UNESCO-Sabrina Ho initiative “You Are Next” that has already earmarked funding to support four projects to support women under 40 from the global South working in the digital cultural industries in 2018:

• #BeYourVoice (Mexico): to provide girls with skills in virtual reality technology;
• WAVE (Palestine): audiovisual training programme for young women,
• DigitELLES (Senegal): digital programme to provide young women in the music industry with technical training and entrepreneurial skills;
• Academy of Digital Arts (Tajikistan): training female cultural entrepreneurs in Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

On 11 December, project leaders will share their experience in a panel discussion of Create|2030 in the presence of cultural entrepreneur and philanthropist Sabrina Ho.

Members of the Committee will also decide on requests for funding under the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD), which supports cultural and creative industries in developing countries. Projects in Antigua and Barbuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Mongolia, Palestine, Peru, and Rwanda have been recommended for approval.

Lastly, UNESCO and the European Union will officially present and launch a new “on demand” peer-to-peer programme to help create enabling regulatory environments for the cultural and creative industries in developing countries.

The 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, ratified to date by 146 Parties and the European Union, provides a new framework for the adoption of policies and measures that support the emergence of dynamic cultural and creative industries.

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The Intergovernmental Committee is made up of representatives of 24 States Parties to the Convention.

More about the Roadmap

Media contact: UNESCO Media Services, Agnès Bardon, a.bardon@unesco.org, +33(0)145681764

Journalists wishing to cover the meeting should request accreditation from Djibril Kébé, d.kebe@unesco.org, +33(0)145681741