Third Civil Society Forum

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©Luanda Smith

The third edition of the Convention's Civil Society Forum will take place online on 31 May 2021 from 12.30-5.45 pm (UTC + 2 hours)

Register here!

The Civil Society Forum is a biennial event, held before each session of the Conference of Parties, which provides an interactive framework, with an adaptable agenda, to enable coordination amongst civil society actors that are active in the fields covered by the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

The Forum's main goals are to:

To provide a space for civil society organisations and professionals interested and/or operating in the fields covered by the 2005 Convention to exchange on challenges and solutions relevant for the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions
To enable civil society representatives to formulate joint recommendations to inform the work of the governing bodies of the Convention, and in particular the future activities of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
To raise awareness on the objectives of the Convention and encourage its implementation among a larger community of civil society representatives

The Forum will be divided in three sessions:

12:30-1:30pm: Opening, presentation of the objectives of the Forum and summary of the preparatory work (in plenary, moderator TBC);
1:45-3:45pm: Four parallel thematic sessions, during which participants will discuss distinct topics and adopt recommendations (break-out groups);
- Breakout group 1: Culture and sustainable development, moderated by Claire McGuire (International federation of Library Associations and Institutions) and with introductory remarks from Paige Collins (Freemuse), an artist (TBC), Jordi Pascual (United Citied and Local Governments Committee on Culture on behalf of the #culture2030goal campaign)
- Breakout group 2: Sustainable ecosystems in the cultural and creative sectors, moderated by a representative of Arterial Network (TBC), with introductory remarks from Garry Neil (Neil Craig Associates) and Gabriele Rosana (Culture Action Europe)
- Breakout group 3: Civil society participation in the monitoring and implementation of the 2005 Convention, as well as in the work of its governing bodies, moderated by Valeria Marcolin (Culture et développement), Luanda Smith (Creatividad y Cultura Glocal A.C.) and Silja Fischer (International Music Council).
- Breakout group 4: Digital environment, rights, and trade, moderated by Giacomo Mazzone (Eurovisioni).
4:00-17:45pm: Presentation of the work of the break-out groups, discussion on the organisation of future editions of the Forum and adoption of all the recommendations and decisions (in plenary)

Live interpretation in Arabic, English, French and Spanish will be provided during both plenary sessions, and in English and French during the thematic sessions.

Civil society representatives are invited to register by 28 May 2021 at the following address: https://unesco-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0ucuGgrTsrG9zE4ZqwqEYua6rPi5lImZ8h. Please note that civil society organizations that wish to participate in the Forum will be garanteed two active connections.