Strengthening capacities of ASEAN cultural policy officials and enhancing regional cooperation opportunities
Since the adoption of the 2005 Convention, the international community is increasingly acknowledging the contribution of the culture sector to sustainable development, situating the cultural and creative industries (CCI) as an essential means to achieving inclusive economic growth and social cohesion. Out of 10 member states of ASEAN, however, only Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Vietnam have ratified the 2005 Convention, and a general lack of understanding of the advantages of ratification is present in the region. Several countries also lack the human and institutional capacities to foster vibrant cultural and creative sectors.
Interest in the CCI is clearly surging, however, and at the Special Meeting of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Ministers responsible for Culture and Arts in 2019, the participating ministers reiterated their wish for joint trainings and initiatives to elevate the level of creative industry management and cultural governance in the region. At the meeting, the Republic of Korea also announced the plan to host a UNESCO ASEAN-ROK Cultural policymakers Workshop in 2020 and encouraged the ASEAN member states’ participation in enhancing cooperation opportunities on policy areas related to creativity and the diversity of cultural expressions.
This training will address the need for a regional cultural policy network, a need that was revealed during a Capacity Development Programme on UNESCO’s 2005 Convention for mid-career cultural professionals from Asia-Pacific that was held on 10-15 June 2018.
General Aim:
The aim of this project is to train a group of policymakers and cultural actors from the Asia and Pacific regions in designing and implementing cultural policies in a participatory manner, and to raise their awareness of the 2005 Convention.
The programme for the workshop has been organized and awaits more favourable travel conditions.
UNESCO is organizing a 5-day workshop for knowledge exchange and peer-to-peer learning among cultural policy makers in the ASEAN region on how to strengthen Cultural and Creative Industries as engines for Sustainable Development. This workshop has been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The training objectives are: 1) To raise awareness about the 2005 Convention, a global legal instrument that provides a framework for cultural governance and cooperation for development. 2) To understand the scope and benefits of granting preferential treatment, an innovative mechanism of the 2005 Convention to support balanced trade in culture, access to global markets (including through co-distribution and co-production agreements in the audiovisual sector) and the mobility of artists and cultural professionals. 3) To enhance regional opportunities for cooperation and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, especially in the digital environment.
There will be approximately 30 participants from ASEAN’s 10 member states, comprising of Senior-level officials in the policy areas of audio visual, film industries, international trade in audio-visual services in particular from Ministries of Culture, Foreign Affairs and Trade, or related public institutions.
The programme will integrate lectures, panel discussions, site visits, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and action planning activities. The participants will be organised in delegations comprised of three participants who will need to present their country’s current policy status and challenges in the cultural and creative industries during the workshop. Participants will also be encouraged to collaborate with people from different backgrounds and engage directly with other ASEAN participants, and with various actors from the Korean creative sector.