Repensar las políticas culturales para la promoción de las libertades fundamentales y la diversidad de las expresiones culturales en Algeria
As part of the project “Rethinking Cultural Policies for the Promotion of Fundamental Freedoms and the Diversity of Cultural Expressions”, funded by Sweden, Algeria will prepare its first periodic report on the implementation of the 2005 Convention.
Since adopting the UNESCO 2005 Convention in 2015, Algeria has put in place a number of measures to support creativity and artists. In 2011, the country established a National Council for the Arts and Humanities, which issues professional cards to artists and authors. The card holder is eligible for a tax identification number, which allows artists to establish contracts for artistic projects. In addition, a framework agreement was concluded between the Ministry of Culture and three insurance companies. The purpose of this framework agreement is to establish reductions and benefits for artists and workers in the cultural sector.
The participatory reporting exercise in Algeria provides a unique opportunity to report on achievements in policies and measures promoting the diversity of cultural expressions, as well as challenges for the future in order to define political priorities.
A multi-stakeholder consultation was organised in Alger on 1 and 2 October 2019 by the Ministry of Culture and the UNESCO Regional Office for Maghreb. The meeting kick-started the preparation process of Algeria’s first periodic report and raised awareness about the importance of participatory reporting processes. It brought together about 70 people, including officials from several departments of the Ministry of culture, representatives of the Ministry of Labour, public cultural institutions, seven Wilaya cultural departments, the National Council for the Arts and Humanities and cultural professionals representing diverse forms expressions including dance, theatre, audio-visual arts and publishing.
The Consultation included a series of presentations on the principles and objectives of the 2005 Convention, its monitoring tools, and methodologies for participatory preparation of a periodic report. The Ministry of Culture applied them to the local context by presenting future priorities and orientations of Algerian cultural governance as well as successful cultural policies from the past. Some examples included the measures concerning status of the artist, sectoral policies for the publishing and audio-visual sectors, cultural decentralization, and partnerships with civil society.
The presence of government representatives, regional representatives and members of civil society made it possible to conduct constructive discussions and lay the foundations for the participatory elaboration of Algeria’s periodic report.