| Diversity of Cultural Expressions

Submitted by azerbaijanreport on 08 May 2022

General Information

Technical Information

Name of Party:

Azerbaijan

Date of Ratification:

2010

Officially Designated Point of Contact of the Convention:

QPR Stakeholder

Submitted by azerbaijanreport on 28 May 2022

Website:

http://www.mct.gov.az

Title:

Mr.

Address:

Ramil Abbakirov

Ministry of Culture

84 Ü. Hacıbeyli Str., House of Government

AZ1000 Baku

Azerbaijan

Email:

r.abbakirov@mct.gov.az; ramil.abbakirov@yandex.ru

Describe the multi-stakeholder consultation process established for the preparation of this report, including consultations with relevant ministries, public institutions, local governments and civil society organizations.:

This report on the implementation of the 2005 Convention by Azerbaijan has been produced as a result of wide consultations initiated by the Ministry of Culture in January-June 2022. This process included the participation of government agencies, local authorities, civil society actors, including the newly established Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries. The consultation process was coordinated by the Department of Creative Industries and Digital Development of the Ministry with the support of the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries.

Early March 2022, Ministry organized the first meeting of the public, private and civil society entities, artists associations, with a view to build mechanism of national consultations and data collection to respond to the questions raised in the report. This meeting resulted in producing a work plan and kicked off a wider consultation process through the dissemination of the civil society form, which was shared by the Ministry of Culture among 33 non-governmental organizations and public unions specialized in the field cultural and creative industries (February 2022). The results of this consultation process were subsequently presented at the second meeting of public, private and civil society entities in May 2022, which also discussed the draft version of the report (through the online form). The feedback of the participants was integrated into report and shared subsequently with the starkeholders concerned, before the completion of the online form was finalized in June 2022.

Executive summary:

Since the last submission of the report by the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2018, the sector of cultural and creative industries has been marked by multiple achievements, ranging from policy developments in this area new forms of partnerships with civil society and business entities, as well as new mechanisms of involvement of young people. These achievements have led to one of the major important measures implemented in this field the creation, in November 2021, of the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries to coordinate the development of creative industries, manage international and local projects, and coordinate government agencies and business partnerships with individuals, companies and public organizations. The country has managed to effectively promote mobility of artists, flow of cultural goods and services nationally and internationally, promoted policy development in specific areas such as theatre and cinematography, while raising public awareness, promoting gender equality and strengthening the promotion of cultural expressions in digital environment. The designation of Sheki, Baku and Lankaran as UNESCO Creative Cities in the field of creativity has greatly contributed to raising awareness about the importance of CCIs for sustainable development.

Despite these achievements, the sector of cultural and creatives industries in Azerbaijan, just like in other countries, has been also impacted by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in particular during the years 2020 and 2021, when restrictions on movements prevented audiences from experiencing art and creativity in multiples settings. This situation, however, have boosted the use of digital technologies, platforms by creators in Azerbaijan (especially young people), for production, demonstration and dissemination of cultural goods and services.

The past four years have been marked by development of partnerships in multiple areas of creative industries. Government stakeholders and civil society organizations continue to invest in diversification of cultural offer and services and build on the results achieved to continue integrating cultural and creative industries in sustainable development frameworks, develop sector-specific approaches initiatives, youth involvement and awareness-raising. Priorities have been set for the next four years to include the development of partnerships with business actors, capacity building, including in the field of cultural statistics, entrepreneurship, marketing and business development. New mechanisms of involving youth will be further employed and enhanced to ensure sustainability of the outcomes achieved.

Contact details of the stakeholders involved in the preparation of the quadrennial periodic report (QPR). Please also include the contact details of the civil society organizations (CSOs) if they have contributed to the QPR drafting, including through the CSO form.:

Organization type	Organization	Email	Website
Public Sector	Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan	info@culture.gov.az	http://www.mct.gov.az

Goal 1 - Support Sustainable Systems of Governance for Culture

Cultural and Creative Sectors

A Ministry (or agency with ministerial status) is responsible for cultural and creative sectors:

YES

Regional, provincial or local governments or administrations have decentralised responsibilities for policies and measures promoting the cultural and creative sectors::

YES

Regulatory frameworks and sector specific laws, policies and/or strategies supporting the cultural and creative industries have been revised or adopted during the last 4 years:

YES

If YES, has at least one of them been designed through interministerial cooperation (involving different government departments responsible for policy areas, such as communication, education, ICT, trade, foreign affairs, labor, finance):

Specific education and training programmes in the arts and the cultural and creative sectors are established, including:

Technical and vocational education and training programmes in

Cinema/Audiovisual arts

Design

Visual arts

Tertiary and university education degrees in

Cinema/audiovisual arts

Cultural management

Design

Digital cultural and creative sectors

Media arts

Music

Performing arts

Publishing

Visual arts

Specific measures and programmes have been implemented over the last 4 years to:

Support job creation in the cultural and creative sectors

Encourage the formalization and growth of micro/small and medium-sized cultural enterprises

Statistical offices or research bodies have produced data during the last 4 years:

related to cultural and creative sectors

Share of cultural and creative sectors in Gross Domestic Product (GDP):

1.00%

2021

Please provide whenever possible disaggregated data by sector:

This percentage corresponds to the overall statistics in the field of culture, art, information, physical education, youth policy and other similar activities.

Share of employment in the cultural and creative sectors:

3.80%

2021

Please provide whenever possible disaggregated data by sector, age, sex and type of employment:

Data segregated by the field of activity: cultural production (6.3% of total employment), information and communication (1.7%), professional / scientific and technical activities (3.8%), education (22.5%). The main employment indicators in the field of culture show that women are significantly dominant in a number of areas of culture (arts / entertainment / recreation) and related (education) areas. In the field of arts, entertainment and recreation 63.6% women vs 36.4% men, cultural production 23.5% women vs 76.5% men, information and communication 29.7% women vs 70.3% men, professional / scientific and technical activities 44.6% women vs 55.4% men, and finally in the field of education 71.4% vs 28.6% men.

Total public budget for culture (in USD):

104,403,692USD

2021

Please provide whenever possible the share allocated by cultural sectors/domains (in %):

The budget for culture (officially referred to as "activities in the field of culture and art") is a part of a larger budget line dedicated to "Culture, art, information, physical education, youth policy and other similar activities". Media arts and publishing is a part of a separate budget line "Television, radio and publishing" which totals 39,695,852 USD.

Relevant Policies and Measures:

Decree of the President of Azerbaijan on "Measures related to the development of Azerbaijani cinematography"

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Cultural domains covered by the policy/measure:

Cinema/ Audiovisual Arts

Website of the policy/measure, if available:

https://en.unesco.org/creativity/n/a

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

Adopted on 1 March 2019, the Decree by its paragraph 1 instructed the Ministry of Culture to develop a "Concept for the development of Azerbaijani cinematography" taking into account the proposals of the Union of Cinematographers of the Republic of Azerbaijan and other relevant entities. For this purpose, a working group has been established consisting of film experts, representatives of public organizations and independent production centers operating in this field, as well as government officials in the field of cinema. Letters with call for proposals were sent to public and private film production companies, as well as public organizations successfully operating in the field of cinematography in the country. The submitted proposals were periodically discussed by the working group with the participation of the authors. In addition, members of the working group visited Lithuania, Hungary and Georgia to study international experience in developing the concept, met with representatives of the film industry of these countries and assessed the local experience in tax, customs and other policies in the field of cinematography. The draft "Concept of Development of Azerbaijani Cinematography" was prepared taking into account all the proposals. By an order of the Cabinet of Ministers, the draft Concept was considered by the relevant government agencies, which provided comments and suggestions. Taking into account these opinions and suggestions, the draft "Concept of Development of Azerbaijani Cinematography", as agreed with the relevant agencies, was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers. Paragraph 2 of the order foresees the allocation of 5 million manats (2.94 mln. USD) to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan from the reserve fund of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in order to support the implementation of projects and film production and the creativity of young cinematographers. A number of activities for young cinematographers were launched, including an animated film screenplay competition in May-June 2019.

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The measure is still in the implementation phase and the results will be shared by the country in the next round of periodic reporting.

Financial resources allocated to the policy/measure in USD:

5 million manats (2.94 mln. USD) (Source: Reserve fund of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan)

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Partner(s) engaged in the implementation of the measure:

Name of partner:

Union of Cinematographers of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Type of entity:

Civil Society Organization (CSO)

Establishment of the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Website of the policy/measure, if available:

https://creative.az/az

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

On November 1, 2021, the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries was established to coordinate the development of creative industries, manage international and local projects in this field, and coordinate government agencies and business partners with individuals, companies and public organizations operating in the field. The Federation has been entrusted the task to carry out awareness-raising and promotion activities, while developing supporting the ecosystem necessary for the emergence development of SMEs in Azerbaijan, promote the production, promotion and export of creative products and services, support public entities in the field of creative industries and develop initiatives within this framework.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

Since its establishment in 2021, a number of activities were held by the Federation. On December 25, the National Carpet Museum hosted a presentation of the "Creative Azerbaijan Volunteers" Movement, a joint project of the Ministry of Culture and the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries. The activity aimed at increasing the role of volunteers in cultural and mass events on culture and creative industries, research and seminars and other areas. Based on a questionnaire disseminated through social networks, more than 500 creative people have registered, from which 30 talented and creative Azerbaijani volunteers were selected from different regions of the country and working in different fields of cultural and creative industries. Other activities implemented by the Federation include partnership and exchange initiatives with business entities in the field of cultural and creative industries as well as with foreign entities such as British Council office in Azerbaijan. A collaboration has been set up with the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of Azerbaijan, as well as ABAD - Easy Support for Family Business agency. In February 2022, a public discussion on business opportunities of Creative industries was organized, with the participation of the Minister of Culture, Mr Anar Karimov. The event discussed modern business challenges of the creative industry, development of public-private partnership in this field, increasing the knowledge and skills of creative people in entrepreneurship, effective sectoral organization, problems and development of the sector, organization of trainings, support to holding of exhibitions and advertising.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Declaration of Shusha as a cultural capital of Azerbaijan - 2022

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

In May 2021,a law was passed in the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan and approved by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan declaring the city of Shusha as cultural capital of Azerbaijan in order to restore the city's historical appearance, to bring its former glory to it and to reunite it with the rich cultural life, as well as to promote it in the international arena as a pearl of centuries-old rich culture, architecture, and urban planning of Azerbaijan. The city is well known as "the temple of Azerbaijani music" and the conservatory of the South Caucasus. The founding father of Azerbaijani composed classical music and opera, Uzeyir Hajibeyli was born in Shusha, a city also home to world-famous Azerbaijani poet Molla Panah Vagif and poetess Khurshudbanu Natavan. The city of Shusha has long been considered as a centre of culture of Azerbaijan. In the field of cultural and creative industries, the law includes developing cultural activities and cultural services in Shusha. It also foresees annual holding of the "Kharibulbul" International Music Festival.

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The measure has drawn a lot of attention of national and international media to the cultural life of Shusha, thus boosting production of cultural goods and services in the city.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

State Program "The theatre of Azerbaijan in 2009-2019"

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Cultural domains covered by the policy/measure:

Performing Arts

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

This State Program outlines the development prospects of Azerbaijani theatre and theatre artists and aims to sustain and multiply the rich artistic creativity of Azerbaijani theatre artists, to encourage artistic exchanges and mobility of theatre artists nationally and internationally, as well as to ensure the effective use of information and financial resources, enrich theatres' artistic repertoire. More concretely the Program has the following objectives: 1) developing a new more comprehensive and results-based theatre policy and optimization of theater management process, undertaking a theatre reform; 2) development of theatre creativity in Azerbaijan by ensuring the preservation of universal and national cultural values and promotion theatre-related creative exchanges; 3) supporting young artists in all the theatre genres and professions; 4) improvement of theatre training and professional development system of theatre artists, while conducting and promoting joint initiatives and projects in the field of theatre creativity with other countries; 5) renovation of the theatre premises, bringing them to contemporary standards and strengthening their facilities to support creativity of artists; 6) undertaking measures to improve substantially information and communication technologies in the field of theatre creativity; 7) promoting theatre culture locally, nationally and internationally.

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The measure has been making an attempt to provide a large approach to sustain and promote theatre creativity and widen the creative opportunities of the artists. It resulted in organization of publishing and advertising products, decor and costume-making, as well as the creation of a Theatre Training Centre, to supplement university studies in the field of theatre creativity and wider the range of arts education possibilities in this field. The measure also allowed for creation of studios in State Russian Drama Theatre, State Puppet Theatre, Nakhchivan State Musical Drama Theatre, Ganja State Drama Theatre, Lankaran State Drama Theatre, as well as Sheki State Drama Theatre. The measure has also been strong in reinforcing the visibility of theatre creativity among the general public in Azerbaijan by multiplying and supporting the creation of visibility and awareness raising products, as well as digital platforms for knowledge and creativity exchange. In the field of puppet theatre creativity, it also included holding regularly a Puppet Theatre Week with the participation of UNIMA (International Puppet Theaters Association). Finally, the measure resulted in a number of repair and restoration works in theatres in Baku, Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and other regions.

Financial resources allocated to the policy/measure in USD:

780000

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

YES

If yes, what are the main conclusions/recommendations?:

The Program evaluation has shown that its has : 1) contributed to the preservation of the national theater art; 2) created a better enabling environment for artistic performances ; 3) allowed improving normative-legal bases in the field of theater creativity; 4) strengthen the material-technical base of theater institutions; 5) created conditions for the theater network to meet the modern requirements and meet the theater needs of local communities; 6) involve more young, talented and professional artists in the theater creativity; 7) strengthen interregional, international and international cultural relations in the field of theater; 8) created opportunities to represent and promote Azerbaijan's theater creativity worldwide.

Partner(s) engaged in the implementation of the measure:

Name of partner:

Union of Theatre Artists of Azerbaijan

Type of entity:

Civil Society Organization (CSO)

Action Plan on the implementation of necessary activities for the development of creative and cultural industries

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

On February 12, 2019, the Ministry of Culture approved "Action Plan on the implementation of necessary activities for the development of cultural and creative industries". The plan includes the preparation of a strategic document on the development of cultural and creative industries through the organization and implementation of planning and preparatory activities with relevant agencies, the organization of a startup competition and a forum on cultural and creative industries, support to the establishment of sectoral organizations (councils), the development of a communication strategy for the cultural and creative industries sector, multi-pillar awareness-raising activities, creation of the "Creative Azerbaijan" brand, as well as the development of guidelines for sectoral management models in the field of culture, organization of thematic trainings for employees of the Ministry of Culture and its subordinate bodies. The plan has been set as a result of a wide consultation with civil society organizations across different sectors of cultural and creative industries. A communication strategy on the cultural and creative industries has been developed and includes awareness-raising and advocacy activities with relevant government agencies, private sector representatives and individual entrepreneurs. It has also identified target groups, key messages and communication tools.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The measure has led to the implementation of multiple projects in the field of cultural creative industries, including many included in the present report. These notably include conferences, competitions, projects and activities aiming to promote the role of CCIs in the society, especially young people, strengthen and diversity modes of partnership with business entities and civil society organizations. Most importantly, on November 1, 2021, the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries was established to coordinate the development of creative industries, manage international and local projects in this field, and coordinate government agencies and business partners with individuals, companies and public organizations operating in the field. Communication activities have also been adapted to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in 2020, when restrictions on movements and lockdown measures were applied. To name one, the Ministry of Culture implemented an awareness raising project on the role of CCIs on digital platforms and social media, using the hashtags “#yaradıcılığıevdəöyrən (learn creativity at home), which have attracted a large number of artists and creators. The project has led to production of 30-45-second videos by artists and creators, as well as 5-30 minute educational videos. The videos were also broadcast by the Medeniyyet TV Channel.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Media Diversity

Policies and measures promote content diversity in programming by supporting:

Regional and/or local broadcasters

Linguistic diversity in media programming

Community programming for marginalised groups (e.g. indigenous peoples, migrants and refugees, etc.)

Socio-cultural programming (e.g. children, youth, people with disabilities, etc.)

Domestic content regulations for audio-visual media exist (e.g. quotas for production or distribution requirements for national films, TV series or music on radio):

Regulatory authority(ies) monitoring media exist:

YES

If YES, please provide the name and year of establishment of the regulatory authority(ies):

Azerbaijan Press Council

If YES, these regulatory authority(ies) monitor:

Public media

Community media

Private sector media

Online media

If YES, these regulatory authority(ies) are responsible for:

Issuing licenses to broadcasters, content providers, platforms

Receiving and addressing public complaints such as online harassment, fake news, hate speech, etc.

Monitoring cultural (including linguistic) obligations

Relevant Policies and Measures:

Adoption of the new Law on Media

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Azerbaijan Press Council

Cultural domains covered by the policy/measure:

Cinema/ Audiovisual Arts

Media Arts

Publishing

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

A new Media Law of Azerbaijan was adopted by the Parliament of Azerbaijan on 30 December 2021. The law intends to bring this area in line with international standards, modernize the country's media legislation as well as to improve the professionalism of journalists. The new law interprets the concept of a "journalist" in a much broader and pluralistic context and extends it not only to those working officially in any media entity, but also to those acting as freelancers or working for the websites. The licensing applies only to television and radio broadcasting whereas establishment of a media entity is subject to notification register. Special attention is paid at protecting the copyright of information published or broadcasted via media. Among many other issues, the Law in its Article 14 stipulates that the media content should in no way promote racial, religious, origin, gender, ethnic and other discrimination.

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The new Law on Media will be subject to evaluation in the coming years and its potential impact on promotion of cultural diversity can be reported at the next cycle of periodic reporting. Overall government and local authorities incentives have widely promoted media diversity and ethnic inclusivity in media and press. Azerbaijan today counts about 50 non-governmental organizations, cultural centers, charities, public associations, etc. related to ethnic minorities living in the country, who closely work with media and press entities. More than 15 newspapers and magazines are published in the languages of ethnic communities living in Azerbaijan ("Tolishi sado" (in Talysh), "Dange Kurd" (in Kurdish), "Samur" (in Lezgi), "Shalala" (in Georgian), while 30 are published in Russian. The TV channels regularly prepare materials on the ethnic and cultural life and ethnography of minorities. Local TV and radio channels operate in 5 regions inhabited by ethnic minorities and provide broadcasts in Avar, Georgian, Kurdish, Lezgi, Russian, Armenian, Talysh, and other languages.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Partner(s) engaged in the implementation of the measure:

Name of partner:

Azerbaijan Press Council

Type of entity:

Public Sector

Name of partner:

Local authorities

Type of entity:

Public Sector

Name of partner:

Civil society organizations

Type of entity:

Civil Society Organization (CSO)

Digital Environment

Policies, measures or mechanisms are in place to support the digital transformation of cultural and creative industries and institutions (e.g. funding for digitization of analogue industries):

YES

Policies or measures have been introduced to ensure vibrant domestic digital cultural and creative industries markets with a diversity of e-players of all sizes (e.g. fair remuneration rules; control market concentration; prevention of monopolies of digital content providers/distributors or their algorithms that potentially restrict the diversity of cultural expressions, etc.)::

YES

Policies and measures have been implemented to enhance access to and discoverability of domestically produced cultural content in the digital environment (e.g. action plans or policies for digital content pluralism, public support to cultural or artistic portals in specific languages, national or regional online distribution platforms for domestic content, etc.):

YES

Measures and initiatives have been implemented to promote digital creativity and competencies of artists and other cultural professionals working with new technologies (e.g. spaces for experimentation, incubators, etc.):

Statistics or studies with recent data on access to digital media, including on the type of cultural content available through digital media, are available:

Relevant Policies and Measures:

Establishment of the Department of Creative Industries and Digital Development at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

Established in September 2021, the new Department of Creative Industries and Digital Development aims to strengthen the efforts of the Ministry of Culture in developing cultural and creative industries with the view to reinforce their contribution to government policies and mechanisms in the field of culture and development. The Department is also involved in improving the legal framework and policy development in the field of cultural and creative industries. The digital transformation of cultural and creative industries and institutions is an important pillar of the Department's work, which has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department is leading a number of policy dialogue and collaboration initiatives with public and private stakeholders, civil society organizations and youth organizations in the country focused on new opportunities and challenges for inclusive cultural and creative industries in the digital environment. The Department also manages the web portal "Kreativ Azərbaycan" (www.creative.az), which promotes awareness-raising activities in the field of creative and cultural industries, local production, promotion and export of creative products and services, supporting the ecosystem necessary for the development of creative and cultural industries in Azerbaijan, as well as to provide a favorable platform for supporting and coordinating sectoral development processes

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The Department of Creative Industries and Digital Development has initiated and implemented projects and activities in the field of transformation of cultural and creative industries in the digital environment. For instance, a start-up competition on "Digital Culture and Creativity" was launched to support the growing demand for online activities and modern, flexible, high-quality technological solutions, as well as the transition to digital culture at the local level. The competition was met with great interest, especially by young people, which resulted in a number of applications received. The winners of the competitions were: I place - Rashid Agamaliyev (the first Azerbaijani online animated series for children "Aydin and Aydan 2020"), II place - Farrukh Rahimov ("kreativmart.com" - an online platform for the sale and dissemination of cultural products, III place - Tardino (online digital art archive). As a part of its policy development initiatives, the Department worked on a "Roadmap for the Development of Culture and Creative Industries in the Republic of Azerbaijan." The roadmap aims to make creative and cultural industries in Azerbaijan play a leading role in the field of SME in the region and further strengthen the existing capacities of stakeholders and civil society organizations. The Department has also worked on a number of other policy documents, such as the classification of cultural and creative industries in Azerbaijan, CCIs in the perspective of national priorities for socio-economic development, mechanisms to address the impact of the pandemic on CCIs and harness the potential of the accelerated digital transformation.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on "Measures to improve governance in the field of digitalization, innovation, high technologies and communications" and establishment of the Agency for Innovation and Digital Development

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Agency for Innovation and Digital Development (under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport)

Cultural domains covered by the policy/measure:

Cinema/ Audiovisual Arts

Design

Media Arts

Music

Performing Arts

Publishing

Visual Arts

Website of the policy/measure, if available:

https://innovationagency.az

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

Adopted in October 2021, the Decree included a number of decisions in relation to the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan and formalized the reformation of the Agency for Innovation and Digital Development (initially created in 2018). The Agency aims to provide organization, coordination, implementation (including control and regulation) of activities in the field of digital transformation, complex measures in the field of high technology, scientific, scientific-technical, innovation activities. It also supports individuals and legal entities in getting greater access to modern technologies and technological solutions, promotes innovation-oriented research and innovative projects (including startups), provides them with financial support and promotes innovation initiatives. The Agency works on developing hi-tech economy creating favorable conditions in Azerbaijan by providing economic benefits and business service, as well as stimulating a sustainable business development and transforming the existing ecosystem into a powerful regional innovative hub.

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

Since its establishment, the Agency has undertaken a number of actions directly related to the promotion of creative industries in the digital environment and strengthening the interest and opportunities for young people. These include for instance, the project "From idea to business" launched in collaboration with Heydar Aliyev Foundation Regional Development Public Union, Azerbaijan Youth Foundation, Ministry of Culture, and UN Development Program. The project aims to create a large-scale cooperation platform to strengthen innovation ecosystem covering the capital Baku and various regions of the country and to expand the startup movement and support innovative youth ideas. Within the framework of startup tours, participants were provided with informational sessions, competitions and trainings on various topics, small business trainings, team building, innovative and entrepreneurial knowledge. The priority areas of the project were set to include agro-technology, tourism, social innovation and creative industries.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Partnering with Civil Society

Professional organizations and/or trade unions representing artists and/or cultural professionals in the following sectors exist in your country (i.e. federation of musicians, publishers unions, etc.):

Cinema/Audiovisual arts

Design

Media Arts

Music

Publishing

Visual Arts

Performing Arts

Public funding schemes supporting CSOs involvement in promoting the diversity of cultural expressions exist:

YES

Training and mentoring opportunities were organized or supported by public authorities during the last 4 years to build skills on communication, advocacy and/or fundraising of civil society organizations involved in the promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions:

YES

Dialogue mechanisms between public authorities and CSOs for cultural policy making and/or monitoring have been implemented during the last 4 years (meetings, working groups, etc.):

YES

If YES, please provide up to 2 examples:

As per the decree of the President of Azerbaijan on "Measures related to the development of Azerbaijani cinematography", wide policy consultations were held with the Union of Cinematographers of the Republic of Azerbaijan for the preparation of the "Concept for the development of Azerbaijani cinematography" in 2019. These consultations resulted in establishing of a working group consisting of film experts, representatives of public organizations and independent production centers operating in this field, as well as government officials in the field of cinema. As a result of this work, a draft "Concept of Development of Azerbaijani Cinematography", as agreed with the relevant civil society organizations, was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers.

In January 2021, based on the exchanges and discussions with design industry actors and designers, such as Rahim Ismayilov, Shamil Ramazanov, Chingiz Ismayilov, Jeyhun Imanov, Chingiz Safarov, Ramin Nasirov, Knyaz Yagubov and Samir Huseynov, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan supported the creation of the Azerbaijan Design Association and its registration at the Ministry of Justice, considering the importance of development of design as one of creative industries, contributing to the development of the non-oil sector in Azerbaijan, and creative economy in particular.

Policies and measures promoting the diversity of cultural expressions have been elaborated in consultation with CSOs during the last 4 years:

YES

Relevant Policies and Measures:

Mechanisms of regular consultation and exchange with the civil society organizations and actors

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

To expand cooperation and effectiveness of partnerships and exchange with non-governmental organizations, civil society actors, unions and associations in the field of culture and cultural and creative industries, the Ministry of Culture regularly holds consultations in the regions of the country and capital Baku. During the consultations, ministry representatives discuss with representatives of NGOs the potential of civil society organizations in promoting culture, different types of support that can be provided by the Ministry to specialized NGOs dealing with cultural issues, joint reflections on areas of common interest, priorities of funding, establishing regional coordination teams to ensure better cooperation of activities among civil society organizations and local and national government agencies, increasing the participation and involvement of young people in the work of NGOs, current issues related to legislation in the field of culture, establishment and maintaining cooperation with the provincial departments of culture of the Ministry and many others. At the same time, representatives of NGOs get to know local cultural facilities and opportunities to implement activities. The consultations also dedicate time to discuss activities related to arts and creativity in formal and non-formal education and training.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

Many of such consultations have led to concrete steps of further actions taken by the Ministry to support the activity of such civil society organizations (e.g. support to the creation of the Azerbaijan Design Association and its registration at the Ministry of Justice in January 2021). Since the last reporting period, the representatives of the creative unions (Composers' Union, Writers' Union, Theatre workers' Union, Artists' Union etc.) have been regularly involved in the ad hoc committees called up by Presidential Decrees, as well as in large-scale activities and long-term projects launched by the Ministry of Culture. Discussions are being carried out on the possible establishment of permanent committees, with regular meetings to further develop cooperation and partnership between governmental bodies and civil society. Azerbaijan through its embassies and permanent delegations at various international organizations around the world has continuously supported requests and submissions from civil society organizations working the field of crafts, creativity and creative industries that seek for international accreditation, funding or partnerships.

Financial resources allocated to the policy/measure in USD:

65 000

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Partner(s) engaged in the implementation of the measure:

Name of partner:

Azerbaijan Composers' Union

Type of entity:

Civil Society Organization (CSO)

Name of partner:

Azerbaijan Writers' Union

Type of entity:

Civil Society Organization (CSO)

Name of partner:

Azerbaijan Theatre workers' Union

Type of entity:

Civil Society Organization (CSO)

Name of partner:

Azerbaijan Artists' Union

Type of entity:

Civil Society Organization (CSO)

Name of partner:

Union of Cinematographers of Azerbaijan

Type of entity:

Civil Society Organization (CSO)

ABAD - Easy Support for Family Business

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

"ABAD - Easy Support for Family Business" Public Legal Entity

Cultural domains covered by the policy/measure:

Design

Visual Arts

Website of the policy/measure, if available:

https://abad.gov.az

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

ABAD - Easy Support to Family Business is a public legal entity established in 2016 by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev within the State Agency for Citizen Services and Social Innovations (ASAN service) under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. ABAD aims at supporting the active participation of citizens in the socio-economic development of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the development of small and medium enterprises, increasing employment and the formation of competitive households. Since 2018, ABAD has opened six regional centres all over the country that implement projects to support family businesses operating in the field of decorative and applied arts. ABAD centers provide businesses with business planning, marketing, training, branding and design, financial and accounting, legal assistance and, most importantly, sales organization and equipment. The goods produced by artists are certified by ABAD through the principle of "one stop shop". ABAD also supports with the organization of logistics and sales.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

So far, ABAD has supported 482 families to set up small businesses, whose products have been put up for sale, including on the website of ABAD. People benefitting from ABAD service include artists, designers and craftspeople, of which 54 percent are women. Despite the fact that it is a year of pandemics, in 2021, the products produced by ABAD members were sold for the total amount of 1.6 million AZN (941,000 USD), while sales in 2020 had represented 1.2 million AZN (706,000 USD). In general, since its inception, ABAD members, including artists have sold products worth 5.8 million AZN (3,4 mln USD).

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Goal 2 - Achieve a Balanced Flow of Cultural Goods and Services and Increase the Mobility of Artists and Cultural Professionals

Mobility of Artists and Cultural Professionals

Please indicate if the following policies and measures exist in your country:

Please indicate if the following operational programmes have been developed or supported/funded by public authorities during the last 4 years:

Infrastructure (e.g. arts residencies, cultural institutes, etc.) having a mandate to promote the diversity of cultural expressions and hosting a large number of foreign artists, notably from developing countries

Major cultural events (e.g. cultural seasons, festivals, cultural industries markets, etc.) having a mandate to promote the diversity of cultural expressions and hosting a large number of foreign artists, notably from developing countries

Please indicate if the following mobility funds (e.g. scholarships, travel grants, etc.) have been managed or supported by public authorities during the last 4 years:

Relevant Policies and Measures:

Exchange programmes for students under the State Program "The theatre of Azerbaijan in 2009-2019"

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Union of Theater Workers of Azerbaijan

Cultural domains covered by the policy/measure:

Performing Arts

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

The State Program "The theatre of Azerbaijan in 2009-2019" included concluding special provisions (part 2.11) which literally referred to "Organization of education in foreign countries related to theatre art within framework of the relevant programs, agreements and contracts". This measure implied establishing partnership agreements and contracts with education institutions abroad to support exchange and internships opportunities in the field of theatre. With this particular measure, the state was seeking to enlarge possible employment opportunities for theatre artists and develop diverse learning experiences for young artists.

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

Within the framework of the implementation of provisions 2.11 of the State Program "The theatre of Azerbaijan in 2009-2019", a series of bilateral negotiations were launched with potential partner institutions of the neighbouring countries. As a result, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the B.Shukin Theater Institute under the Y.Vakhtangov State Academic Theater of Russia. In accordance with the agreement, a special actor-director course for Azerbaijani students was established at the B.Shukin Theater Institute. During the teaching process, Azerbaijani students had opportunity to travel, study in Russia and participate in several staged performances. This cooperation resulted in a joint performance of theatre artists from both countries in June 2019 (performances "Qafqazsayagı tebashir dairesi" and "Aesop") on the stage of the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theater.

Financial resources allocated to the policy/measure in USD:

The measures envisaged by the State Program were funded from the state budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including funds provided for the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the state budget, as well as other sources in conformity with the legislation of the country.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Implementation of the national stage of the "Creative Business Cup" project (2019)

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Cultural domains covered by the policy/measure:

Cinema/ Audiovisual Arts

Design

Media Arts

Music

Performing Arts

Publishing

Visual Arts

Website of the policy/measure, if available:

https://cbnet.com/cup/

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

Creative Business Cup is an annual global competition, enrolling participants from more than 80 countries from all over the world. The competition is for creative and innovative startups and is shaped by a shared goal of all the National Partners in Creative Business Network, of connecting and empowering the cultural and creative industries worldwide. To implement the national stage of the competition in Azerbaijan, the national competition was opened to innovative start-ups in the field of music, film, video & photography, crafts, painting and sculpture, theater, literature and publishing, radio and television, design, fashion, architecture, advertising, computer games and electronics, toys and games, 3d printing, software, antique markets, advertising, gastronomy.

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The competition was attended by entrepreneurs with innovative creative business ideas - young students, entrepreneurs, startups, teachers and other applicants. Startups that were positively evaluated within the competition could participate in the national finals. The country finals took place on 17 April 2019 at the Azerbaijan-French University. Based on results, Brailletech (a tool for children with visual impairments to quickly learn the Braille alphabet) got the 1st place, Climasel (a startup offering a designed ceiling and wall panel with cooling to save energy and maintain room temperature) won the 2nd place, and Imaginery (a mobile application that identifies the name of a movie with a picture or episode) - won the 3rd place. The World Finalists Camp was held in Copenhagen, Denmark on June 29-30, and the World Finals were held in Copenhagen on July 1-2 as part of the "World Finals" of the competition. The results of the competition have been multiple: not only raised awareness about the role of innovative start-ups in the development of cultural and creative industries. It has also highly contributed to the mobility of artists from Azerbaijan and their exposure to other hubs of creativity and creative industries.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Flow of Cultural Goods and Services

Export strategies or measures to support the distribution of cultural goods and services outside your country exist for the following cultural domains:

Cinema/Audiovisual arts

Design

Media Arts

Music

Publishing

Visual Arts

Performing Arts

Your country has granted or benefited from preferential treatment* to support a balanced exchange of cultural goods and services in the last 4 years:

If YES, please provide up to 2 examples:

Your country has provided or benefited in the last 4 years from Aid for Trade support, a form of Official Development Assistance (ODA), that helped to build capacities to formulate trade policies, participate in negotiating and implementing agreements that provide a special status to cultural goods and services:

If YES, please provide up to 2 examples:

Relevant Policies and Measures:

Amendments to the Law on Culture with regard to the flow of cultural goods

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

The Law on Culture itself as initially adapted made an ambitious attempt to address the whole diversity of issues related to protection, promotion and safeguarding culture and heritage in the whole diversity of issues that need to be considered at larger policy level in Azerbaijan. The Law made it clear that the national cultural policy is based on the principles of equal opportunities to create and use cultural values and to preserve the heritage (both tangible and intangible) in Azerbaijan. This policy aims to give the right to every person to create, use and disseminate cultural values, irrespective of her or his social and material status, nationality, race, religion and gender. The Law aimed to guarantee freedom of intellectual and creative expression and to provide a legal basis for the development of national culture as a constituent part of world culture. In 2018, a number of revisions to the 2012 "Law on Culture" were passed by the Parliament and approved by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This includes in particular the revisions to Article 42 concerning the export of cultural goods. The new wording of the article notably introduced the possibility of exporting cultural goods on the basis of the certificate issued by the relevant executive authority, which needs to include the serial number, name of the manufacturer or information about the author, the date of creation of the product. The state fee for compiling the certificate on export of cultural goods has been fixed at the price of 20 AZN (10 USD). Finally, the new article also codified the established practice of facilitated procedure for temporary export of cultural property in connection with exhibitions, tours, restoration work, presentations, as well as international cultural events.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

As a result of amendments introduced to the Law on Culture, progress has been noted with facilitation of the export of cultural goods for temporary export of cultural property in connection with exhibitions, tours, restoration work, presentations, international cultural events. This in its turn has made it easier to enrich the diversity of the goods included for cultural events, whose export is not prohibited by law. A more substantive evaluation of the measure is to be presented at the next cycle of the periodic reporting of Azerbaijan.

Financial resources allocated to the policy/measure in USD:

The measures envisaged for the implementation of the Law are funded from the state budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including funds provided for the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the state budget, as well as other sources in conformity with the legislation of the country.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Creative Azerbaijan: Export Opportunities for Creative Products through the Azexport.az Portal

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Center for Economic Reforms Analysis and Communication of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Website of the policy/measure, if available:

http://www.azexport.az

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

On October 10, 2019, the International Mugam Center hosted a presentation on "Creative Azerbaijan: Export Opportunities for Creative Products through the Azexport.az Portal" jointly organized by the Center for Economic Reforms Analysis and Communication of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Culture. This initiative aimed at opening the Azexport.az portal to export opportunities for Azerbaijan's creative products to foreign markets through international e-commerce platforms. The mission of the Azexport.az portal, established by the Order of President Ilham Aliyev "On the establishment of a single database of goods produced in the Republic of Azerbaijan" and managed by the Center for Economic Reforms Analysis and Communication, is to provide information on goods of Azerbaijani origin and sell them in domestic and foreign markets. Since its inception, the portal has brought more than 1.3 billion manat (764 mln USD) worth of export orders from about 150 countries. Until this initiative, these orders were mainly food, agricultural and industrial products. The event notably referred to the relevance of such creative industries as crafts, music, literature, film, painting, photography and other fields.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The participants of the event mentioned the necessity to create a "Strategy for the Development of Creative Industries" to ensure long-term strategic planning and effective coordination of development processes in this field. This document can contribute to the growth of creative products, diversification of exports, development of small and medium enterprises, reducing the share of the shadow economy, reducing youth unemployment, as well as ensure closer cooperation between the state and civil society actors. The event participants noted that the cooperation with the Azexport.az portal is in the interest of leading entities producing goods and services in Azerbaijan's creative and cultural industries - private companies, individual entrepreneurs and authors. In this new model of supporting the flow of cultural goods, the human factor is quite important - how to turn human skills into economic potential and income generaiton for the creators and artists. The event participants noted that, given the existing potential of Azerbaijan in this area, in the future, this sector can bring the country at least $ 1-1.5 billion in additional income. For this purpose, cooperation will be established with Etsy, Kickstarter and Amazon Kindle online portals specializing in this field, as well as Sotheby's auction house. The representatives of the Azexport.az portal stressed that the website had succeeded in selling e-books on the Amazon online platform in 2019. In the next stage, design solutions, handicrafts, national souvenirs, works, poems, drawings, creative video games, music, composition and other creative products with potential export potential will be available on Etsy, Apple, Music, iTunes, Google Play. , Kickstarter, Sotheby's and Amazon Kindle.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Treaties and agreements

Multilateral or bilateral trade and/or investment agreements providing a special status to cultural goods and/or services have been signed during the last 4 years or are under negociation:

Multilateral or bilateral agreements including specific provisions providing a special status to cultural goods and services and digital products in the field of e-commerce have been signed during the last 4 years or are under negotiation:

Multilateral or bilateral agreements, declarations and/or strategies on relevant policy issues for the diversity of cultural expressions (e.g. education, digital, intellectual property, sustainable development, gender equality, etc.) signed or amended to take into account the objectives or principles of the Convention during the last 4 years:

YES

Relevant Policies and Measures:

Belgrade Declaration of the Ministers in Charge of Culture of the Member States of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (Belgrade, 23 November 2018)

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation

Website of the policy/measure, if available:

http://www.bsec-organization.org/UploadedDocuments/AreasOfCooperation/Culture/StatDecl/Annex%20V%20-%20Declaration%20MINCULT.pdf

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

Adopted on 23 November 2018 in Belgrade (Serbia), the declaration reaffirmed the commitment of the Member States of the BSEC (including the Republic of Azerbaijan) to strengthen the cultural cooperation among themselves and continue to promote a model of cultural cooperation, based on mutual understanding and respect. It also encouraged creativity through the support of the mobility of artists and professionals in the field of cultural and creative industries and taking into account the importance of innovations and digital technologies for boosting local and national economies.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The adoption of the Belgrade declaration has led to the development of the Plan of action of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Working Group on Culture, adopted for the years 2019-2020 and coordinated by the Republic of Turkey. The plan of action contained explicit references to the 2005 Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions as an internationally agreed mechanism that aims to shape the design and implementation of policies and measures that support the creation, production, distribution of and access to cultural goods and services. The plan contained a chapter of activities for the BSEC Member States on encouraging creativity through the support of the mobility of artists and professionals in the field of cultural and creative industry. The chapter aims to explore the facilitation of mobility of artists and professionals in the field of cultural and creative industries in the BSEC region, as well as promote the exchange of experience and experts in the field of creativity in the digitalization and the entrepreneurship in creative industries.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Partner(s) engaged in the implementation of the measure:

Name of partner:

Member States of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation

Type of entity:

Public Sector

Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the United Mexican States on cooperation in the fields of education, science, youth, culture and sports

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan- for the culture part of the agreement

Website of the policy/measure, if available:

https://e-qanun.az/framework/37275

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

The Agreement under its Article 12 notably foresees that "the parties promote the exchange of information in the field of cultural industries and the implementation of joint projects in this area." Moreover, article 17 provides that the cooperation between the parties in the fields of education, science, youth, culture and sports includes the following forms: * exchange among writers, creative persons, artists, soloists and art groups, as well as cultural specialists; * participation in cultural events and international art festivals in both countries, as well as in book exhibitions and literary gatherings; * exchange of audiovisual materials, radio and television programs intended for educational and cultural purposes in accordance with the national legislation of each party.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The Agreement is still under implementation, which was delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Memorandum of Understanding on cultural cooperation between the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Culture of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Cultural domains covered by the policy/measure:

Music

Performing Arts

Website of the policy/measure, if available:

https://e-qanun.az/framework/44909

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

Signed in 2020, the Memorandum of understanding in is Article 2 includes an area of cooperation focusing on the exchange of experts in the fields of culture such as music, theater, folk art and handicraft industry in both countries, along with the participation in international cultural events held in both countries.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Protocol between the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China on cultural cooperation for 2019-2023

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Website of the policy/measure, if available:

https://e-qanun.az/framework/41995

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

Signed in 2019, the Protocol includes multiple areas of cooperation such as "support to the exchange of information and professional staff between cultural and art institutions, including libraries, museums and those specializing in literature, theater, music, fine arts, dance and other fields (article 1), "encouraging direct contacts between artists and art education institutions of the two countries and support joint productions and training programs for artists and art workers." (article 2). The Protocol also provides that the both parties exchange music and dance troupes on a reciprocal basis, hold mutual film days, participate in international art festivals, competitions, conferences and other cultural events held in each of the countries (Article 3)

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Goal 3 - Integrate Culture in Sustainable Development Frameworks

National Sustainable Development Policies & Plans

National sustainable development plans and strategies recognize the strategic role of:

Culture (in general)

Creativity and innovation

Cultural and creative industries

Please rate from 1 to 4 the type of outcomes expected by the inclusion of culture in national sustainable development plans and strategies 1 most often expected outcome 4 least expected outcome):

Economic (e.g. employment, trade, intellectual property, cultural and creative industries, rural and territorial development):

Environmental (e.g. natural resources, reducing environmental impact of cultural industries and practices):

Cultural (e.g. cultural infrastructure, participation and access to culture, innovation, artists support):

Public cultural bodies and agencies responsible for culture or creative industries are involved in the design and implementation of sustainable development policies and plans (i.e. participate in coordination mechanisms such as joint planning committees):

YES

Cultural industry-led regeneration initiatives and projects at the regional, urban and/or rural levels have been implemented in the last 4 years:

YES

Policies and measures facilitate participation in cultural life and access to diverse cultural facilities and expressions, notably addressing the needs of disadvantaged or vulnerable groups (e.g. via reduced entrance fees; audience development, arts education and audiences awareness-raising):

YES

Relevant Policies and Measures:

“Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development”

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Website of the policy/measure, if available:

https://president.az/en/articles/view/50474

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

Approved by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in February 2021, the National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development - Azerbaijan 2030 set the country's long-term development vector and pathways to socio-economic and environmental development through corresponding national priorities for the subsequent decade. The priorities aligned with Azerbaijan commitments under the 2030 Agenda include, among other aspects, steadily growing competitive economy, society based on dynamic, inclusive and social justice, competitive human capital and space for modern innovations and clean environment and green growth country. The new development framework notably includes a chapter on creative and innovative society (3.2) which highlights the importance of a digitally-focused society that supports cutting edge technology industries and innovation as driving force for development. To maintain our country's competitiveness, the framework considers it essential to build an ecosystem which stimulates creativity and innovation in all sectors. Such ecosystem shall include melding appropriate incentives, incubation and acceleration centers, financing models based on public-private cooperation, venture capital, crowdfunding institutions, etc., aiming to increase the technological capacities of the economy. Finally, the framework highlight the importance of competitive funding mechanisms in order to promote results-based research. On April 2, 2021, upon the initiative of the Ministry of Culture, the 1st priority of the National Priorities (steadily growing competitive economy) a new sub-goal 19 added "Dynamic development of culture and creative industries and strengthening of export potential in this field".

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development - Azerbaijan 2030 were adopted in February 2021 and concerned government ministries are now working on its implementation, although it is too early to refer to any concrete results.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

International Cooperation for Sustainable Development

Your country has contributed to or benefited from the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) during the last 4 years:

Development cooperation strategies, including South-South cooperation strategies, recognize the strategic role of creativity and diverse cultural expressions:

If YES, please provide the name(s) of the strategy and year(s) of adoption:

Your country manages multi- and/or bilateral technical assistance and capacity building cooperation programmes supporting:

Value of the total national contribution to the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (in USD):

0.00

Relevant Policies and Measures:

Goal 4 - Promote Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

Gender Equality

Ministries, governmental agencies and/or parliamentary bodies in charge of gender equality:

Exist but are not relevant for artists and cultural professionals

Policies and measures to support the full participation of women in cultural life have been implemented during the last 4 years:

YES

Policies and measures have been adopted to support the recognition and advancement of women as artists, cultural professionals and/or creative entrepreneurs, (e.g. ensure equal pay for equal work or equal access to funding, coaching or mentoring schemes, anti-discrimination measures, etc.):

YES

Data is regularly collected and disseminated to monitor:

Gender equality in the culture and media sectors

Participation of women in cultural life

Percentage of total public funds given to female artists and cultural producers:

37.00%

2019

Percentage of women/men in decision-making /managerial positions in public and private cultural and media:

Although dedicated statistics on the decision-making /managerial positions in public and private cultural entities and media are still being developed, women are estimated to be well represented in higher managerial positions in the field of culture. For instance, the positions on the Head of the Department of Humanitarian Policy, Diaspora, Multiculturalism and Religious Issues in the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan having also mandate in the field of culture, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the Minister of Culture of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are held by women (2021). Within the structure of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, out of 16 positions of heads of departments, 5 are held by women.

Percentage of women participation in cultural activities:

57.00%

2021

Relevant Policies and Measures:

Conference on the role of women in ICT (2019)

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

State Committee on Family, Women and Children

Institute of Information Technology of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

Organized in April 2019, the conference was attended by women scientists, educators and specialists working in the field of ICT in state, scientific and educational institutions of Azerbaijan. The Conference highlighted the role of ICTs as technological platform of the information society, playing an important role in ensuring the rights and freedoms of women, as well as an effective means of eliminating all kinds of social inequalities in society. It notably discussed the role of communications in the development of the social status of women in the cultural environment of Azerbaijan, while drawing attention to the fact that the increase in the social status of women in society is directly related to communication opportunities.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The conference stressed the need to support development of digital tools and platforms necessary for facilitating further the participation of women in cultural life and enlarging the opportunities for them to develop and enhance creativity and innovation. The event also highlighted the role of the Women's Council at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, which allowed revealing and addressing instances of gender inequalities for women working in the scientific environment. Finally, the conference also noted the role of ICT in women's creativity and career choices, as well as called for greater partnerships with business entities to better integrate and benefit from the creativity of women. The results of the conference have triggered discussions at policy level in different government agencies, which may lead to more specific policy interventions.

Financial resources allocated to the policy/measure in USD:

38,000

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Round table on "Women in Innovation and Creativity: a Leading Force for Change" (2018)

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

State Committee on Family, Women and Children

State Copyright Agency

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

In April 2019, the State Committee on Family, Women and Children, in cooperation with the Azerbaijan State Copyright Agency, held a round table on "Women in Innovation and Creativity: a Leading Force for Change", whose main purpose was to draw attention to the role of women in innovation and creativity, as well as discuss what measures are needed to support innovative and creative women, their social status, employment and income-generating mechanisms. The round table discussed the issues in addressing the challenges of the increased role of women in development different areas of creativity (such as cinema, music, literature, art, fashion, design, etc.), where they redefine and expand the boundaries of artistic and creative expressions. The event also presented a dedicated report on "Women in Innovation and Creativity" prepared by the Azerbaijan State Copyright Agency.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

The event has resulted in the greater awareness of government and non-governmental organizations of the role played by women in developing artistic expressions, as well as allowed sharing experience and data produced by international organizations including by UNESCO within the framework of the implementation of the 2005 Convention.

Financial resources allocated to the policy/measure in USD:

27,000

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Artistic Freedom

The constitution and/or national regulatory frameworks formally acknowledge:

The right of artists to create without censorship or intimidation

The right of artists to disseminate and/or perform their artistic works

The right for all citizens to freely enjoy artistic works both in public and in private

The right for all citizens to take part in cultural life without restrictions

Independent bodies are established to receive complaints and/or monitor violations and restrictions to artistic freedom:

YES

Initiatives to protect artists at risk or in exile have been developed or supported by public authorities during the last 4 years (e.g. providing safe houses, guidance and training, etc.):

Measures and initiatives intended to ensure transparent decision-making on government funding/ state grants and awards for artists exist (e.g. through independent committees, etc.):

YES

Economic measures that take the status of artists into account have been adopted or revised in the last 4 years (e.g. collective agreements, income tax and other regulatory frameworks, etc.):

Relevant Policies and Measures:

Measures and Initiatives reported by Civil Society Organizations

Describe how the CSO form has been used to promote collaboration with CSOs in the preparation of this report, including the distribution of the form and the modalities of collection and analysis of the information received. Please indicate the percentage of measures and initiatives received that have been considered as relevant by the Party and included in the QPR.:

The Ministry of Culture and its entities are in constant dialogue with the civil society organizations representing various fields of cultural and creative industries. These include notably Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries, Yarat Contemporary Art Space, Azerbaijan Design Association, Azerbaijan Arts Council, Azerbaijan Digital Arts School, and many others, as well as specialized creative unions such as Composers' Union, Writers' Union, Theatre workers' Union, Artists' Union, Cinematographers' Union. They are regularly involved in the ad hoc committees called up by government entities and activities and projects launched by the Ministry of Culture. On November 1, 2021, the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries was established to coordinate the development of creative industries, manage international and local projects in this field, and coordinate government agencies and business partners with individuals, companies and public organizations operating in the field. The Federation has been entrusted the task to carry out awareness-raising and promotion activities, while developing supporting the ecosystem necessary for the emergence development of SMEs in Azerbaijan, promote the production, promotion and export of creative products and services, support public entities in the field of creative industries and develop initiatives within this framework. For the preparation of the report on the implementation of the 2005 Convention, the civil society form was used and disseminated by the Ministry of Culture among 33 non-governmental organizations and public unions specialized in the field cultural and creative industries as early as in February 2022. As a reply to this call, 21 replies were received by the Ministry. Out of this amount of contributions, around 25 percent of information provided was considered relevant and included in the contents of the report.

GOAL 1 - Support sustainable systems of governance for culture:

"Creative Azerbaijan Volunteers" Movement

Name of CSO(s) responsible for the implementation of the measure/initiative:

Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries

Website of the measure/initiative, if available:

https://konullu.creative.az

Describe the main features of the measure/initiative:

On December 25, the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries launched, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the joint project "Creative Azerbaijan Volunteers" Movement. The movement aims to strengthen the participation of creative people in the field of culture and creative industries, expand the exchange of experience, support the young creative people in enhancing their knowledge and skills, develop and implement thematic programs, participate in career programs. The programme foresees establishing networks among young creators and developing joint exchange programs. This movement will provide future volunteers with a great opportunity for professional development, close participation in the large-scale activities of the ministry, being part of the "Creative Azerbaijan" process aimed at developing creative industries in our country, as well as contributing to improving the creativity-related education programmes.

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does this measure/initiative receive or has it received International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) funding?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the measure/initiative?:

A questionnaire for registration has been spread on social networks for young people to join the movement. In a short time, more than 500 creative people have registered. According to the criteria set by the established selection commission, 30 young people registered during the assessment were elected creative Azerbaijani volunteers. The selected volunteers come both from the capital city and different regions of the country. Since its inception, the movement has supported multiple activities in promoting the role of cultural and creative industries for sustainable development and creating opportunities for the people to participate in the cultural life of the country.

GOAL 2 - Achieve a balanced flow of cultural goods and services and increase the mobility of artists and cultural professionals:

Baku Street Photography Festival 2021

Name of CSO(s) responsible for the implementation of the measure/initiative:

YARAT Contemporary Art Space

Cultural domains covered by the measure/initiative:

Visual Arts

Website of the measure/initiative, if available:

https://www.bakustreetphoto.az/

Describe the main features of the measure/initiative:

BSPF is an international photography event showcasing the best contemporary street photography and featuring the works of professional and amateur photographers in this genre. The Baku Street Photography is organized by YARAT Contemporary Art Space (Azerbaijan) in partnership with street photographer and traveler Andrey Glazkov (Russia). The festival included a photo contest and educational program. The main goal of the festival was to be closely connected to the community and young people, stimulate mobility and exchange among them, help them discover their talent, and provide them with tools and experience in one of the most dynamic and popular genres of photography.

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does this measure/initiative receive or has it received International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) funding?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the measure/initiative?:

The festival partners include Administration of the State Historical-Architectural Reserve “Icherisheher”, State Advertising Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ADRA), Azerbaijan Photographers Union, Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Baku Media Center, Maksud Ibragimbekov Centre, Baku Book Center, Tbilisi Photography and Multimedia Museum, Arts Council Azerbaijan, Urban Street Photo Gallery, Art Factor, Orkhan Aslanov Studio, United Coffee Beans, DJ Rameen, and others. The Festival drew attention of numerous artists from Azerbaijan and abroad, participating and being active in multiple activities of the festival, including offline and online exhibitions, book presentations, and discussions. The festival allowed awarding artists in 4 categories: single shot, series, mobile photo, and analog photo. The festival contest was supported by Canon Azerbaijan and DiVi companies. Its jury included outstanding photographers of Azerbaijan, such as Sanan Aleskerov, Andrey Glazkov, Fakhriyya Mammadova, Vugar Amrullayev, Adil Yusifov, Elmar Mustafayev, Mark Rafaelov, Natavan Vahabova, Orkhan Aslanov, Rauf Askerov, Khalid Zeynalov, Valeh Maharramov and Elshan Ibrahimov.

GOAL 3 - Integrate culture in sustainable development frameworks:

GOAL 4 - Promote human rights and fundamental freedoms:

Project on Promotion of cultural diversity through effective use of information technologies

Name of CSO(s) responsible for the implementation of the measure/initiative:

“Kamillik” Public Union for Legal Awareness of Citizens

Cultural domains covered by the measure/initiative:

Media Arts

Website of the measure/initiative, if available:

http://multikultural.az

Describe the main features of the measure/initiative:

Multicultural Azerbaijan (multikultural.az) internet resource has been launched since September 1, 2019 within the project “Promotion of cultural diversity through effective use of information technologies” implemented by “Kamillik” Public Union for Legal Awareness of Citizens with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Internet resource "Multicultural Azerbaijan" (multikultural.az) creates equal opportunities for all peoples living in the country, promotes cultural diversity. At the same time, it publicizes the work done by the state to preserve languages, cultures and livelihoods of different cultural groups. The Internet resource "Multicultural Azerbaijan" (multikultural.az) is available in Azerbaijani, Russian and English.

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does this measure/initiative receive or has it received International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) funding?:

Group exhibition "Think that not everything exists"

Name of CSO(s) responsible for the implementation of the measure/initiative:

Yarat

Cultural domains covered by the measure/initiative:

Design

Visual Arts

Describe the main features of the measure/initiative:

Yarat Contemporary Art Space (www.yarat.az) is an excellent example of promotion of the principles of the 2005 Convention locally and internationally. It is non-profit organisation dedicated to nurturing an understanding of contemporary art in Azerbaijan and to creating a platform for Azerbaijani art, both nationally and internationally. Based in Baku, YARAT (meaning CREATE in Azerbaijani) was founded by Aida Mahmudova in 2011. YARAT realises its mission through an on-going program of exhibitions, education events and festivals. YARAT facilitates exchange between local and international artistic networks including foundations, galleries and museums. Since its inception in 2011, YARAT has produced dozens of events, both in Azerbaijan and abroad. These include participation in biennales; two public art festivals; education courses for artists, art students and children; lectures, screenings and film festivals for the general public; and exhibitions of both Azerbaijani and international artist In March 2018, YARAT organized a group exhibition "Think that not everything exists" focused on the works of women artists. The exhibition features works by artists Shahnaz Agayeva, Aysel Amirova, Gunay Aliyeva, Leyli Gafarova, Fakhriya Mammadova, Aydan Mirzayeva, Chinara Majidova, Parvana Persiani, Shalala Salamzade and Leyli Salayeva. The works were mainly inspired by the history and mythology of the region and were associated with prominent women of the past and present. According to the official website of the organization, "the exhibition aims to rediscover women's voices by eliminating the richness of women's attitudes to current issues and gender stereotypes."

Does it specifically target young people?:

Does this measure/initiative receive or has it received International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) funding?:

Azerbaijan Design Forum 2019

Name of CSO(s) responsible for the implementation of the measure/initiative:

Azerbaijan Digital Arts School

Graphic Design Azerbaijan

Cultural domains covered by the measure/initiative:

Design

Describe the main features of the measure/initiative:

The Azerbaijan Design Forum is the first design forum in the country since 2015, which brings together people working in this field every year. Its 2019 edition was held at the International Mugham Center on 23 November 2019 organized by Azerbaijan Digital Arts School and Graphic Design Azerbaijan, with the support of the Ministry of Culture. The main purpose of the forum was is to bring together Azerbaijani designers, exchange experiences and discuss and share the most innovative approaches in the field of design.

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does this measure/initiative receive or has it received International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) funding?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the measure/initiative?:

The event discussed the importance of the recent inclusion of Baku in the UNESCO Network of Creative Cities, as well as the importance of establishment of the Azerbaijan Design Council. The stakeholders also stressed the need to address the needs to creators, social and tax incentives that could further support design artists and students in this field. Finally, the event noted the importance of creating a creativity centre in Baku and integrate this into the General Plan of the City that is currently being developed. The event benefitted from keynote speeches of Emin Guluzade, head of PeopleBrand, Chingiz Safarov, managing partner of Safaroff, Vusala Karimova, representative of ADAS, Rasul Hasan, creative director of Meteor, Azer Mammadli, illustrator of Trade Mark Leo Burnett, Ziya Suleymanzade, graphic designer of Graphic Design Azerbaijan and Aliheydar Gasimov, a well-known expert in the field of advertising.

On the basis of the analysis of the responses provided through the CSO form, present up to ten main priorities of CSOs to implement the Convention over the next four years.:

The results of the consultation process with the non-governmental organizations have brought up multiple recommendations by civil society organizations, of which ten most important are presented below. NGOs, association and public unions have all confirmed the crucial role of cultural and creative industries in enhancing the contribution of culture to sustainable development, highlighted the need to strengthen partnerships between civil society organizations and public sector in the regions of Azerbaijan, as well as in the cities, while building on the potential offered by the designations of three cities of Azerbaijan as a part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (Sheki- in the field of crafts and folk art, Baku- design and Lankaran - gastronomy). The crucial role of the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries is therefore acknowledged as an important platform necessary to sustain the development of cultural and creative industries and ensure exchange and collaboration between government agencies, civil society organizations and business entities working in the area. Recommendations: 1) Enhancing the opportunities offered by the government for the civil society organizations for the development of cultural and creative industries, including the status of creators and artists; 2) Improving the knowledge and skills of entrepreneurs and young talents working in cultural and creative industries by organizing training programs, seminars, exchange programs and other activities or sharing innovations; 3) Create funding opportunities for cultural and creative industries and provide the public with information on available funding and support opportunities; 4) Taking measures to improve the export of local products of creative and cultural industries and its flow; 5) Supporting research and development activities in the field of creative and cultural industries. 6) Strengthening networking activities, especially in the specific areas of cultural and creative industries; 7) Supporting the participation and involvement of young people in the work of CSOs; 8) Reinforcing activities related to arts and creativity in formal and non-formal education and training; 9) Strengthening and developing opportunities for the participation of business entities in the development of the cultural and creative industries. 10) Developing training activities, seminars, exchange programs and other activities and sharing innovations.

Emerging Transversal Issues

Relevant Policies and Measures:

Collaboration among universities- Creative Spark Programme

Name of agency responsible for the implementation of the policy/measure:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Cultural domains covered by the policy/measure:

Cinema/ Audiovisual Arts

Design

Media Arts

Music

Performing Arts

Publishing

Visual Arts

Describe the main features of the policy/measure:

Collaboration has been established with the British Council in Azerbaijan over the Creative Spark program to support the exchange of knowledge and experience between universities with a view to contribute to the creative economy. The main goal of the program is to establish cooperation and implement joint programs with universities of the United Kingdom in the fields of creative industries, startups, business and development of various universities in seven post-Soviet countries (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Armenia). Within the framework of the Creative Spark program and with the support of the Ministry of Culture a joint project called "Boomerang" was launched between University of London University of Arts (UAL), UK Gradcore organization, Azerbaijan University of Culture and Arts (AUCA) and YARAT Contemporary Art Space.

Does it specifically target young people?:

YES

Does the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) support the implementation of the policy/measure?:

What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the policy/measure?:

Within the framework of the project, mutual visits, meetings, knowledge and experience sharing activities and master classes were organized by Gradcore at AUCA. As a result of the program, new partnerships have been established between the universities of culture and arts of England and Azerbaijan, knowledge and skills of students in the field of creative and entrepreneurial competencies have been developed, while leaving a large space for new creative initiatives.

Has the implementation of the policy/measure been evaluated?:

Partner(s) engaged in the implementation of the measure:

Name of partner:

British Council Azerbaijan

Type of entity:

Civil Society Organization (CSO)

Challenges and Achievements

Describe the main results achieved to implement the Convention (at least one major achievement in one of the four goals):

Since the last reporting period (2018), Azerbaijan has largely advanced in the implementation of the 2005 Convention, both in terms of public policy developments and civil society engagement. Culture and creative industries are now deeply embedded in government policies and development frameworks, allowing for larger inclusivity of stakeholders, more opportunities for partnerships, collaboration and networking. The four years of the implementation of the 2005 Convention in Azerbaijan have led to the creation of a Federation of Cultural and Creative Industries, which is now considered a leading entity bringing together civil society organizations, business entities and public institutions in all areas of cultural and creative industries. The Federation has already managed to draw public attention to the importance of CCIs, through its multiple activities and projects reaching out all areas of CCIs. A dedicated department was created in the Ministry of Culture with the mandate to work on CCIs and digital environment. Partnerships and networking activities have been reinforced to include wider participation of young people in all areas of CCIs. These results have motivated many stakeholders at the national level to invest in diversification of cultural offer and cultural industries. Measures have been taken to facilitate the flow of cultural goods and services among Azerbaijan and other countries, including through bilateral and multilateral agreements and mechanisms. Gender equality has been systematically incorporated in the development of CCIs at policy and activity levels. Finally, the inclusion of the cities of Sheki, Baku and Lankaran in the UNESCO creative cities network has greatly contributed to the awareness of city stakeholders and local CSOs of the role of CCIs in urban development and need to capitalize on the potential of creativity to address specific challenges in urban contexts.

Describe the main challenges encountered to implement the Convention and the main solutions found or envisaged to overcome them:

Although significant results have been achieved in the implementation of the 2005 Convention in 2018-2021, a number of challenges still need to be addressed to further anchor the development of CCIs and enhancing their contribution to creative economy, status of artists, and sustainable development in general. The reporting period has largely coincided with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on activities in Azerbaijan. The restrictions on movements within the country and on international travel have hit the dynamics of the development of the cultural and creative industries in Azerbaijan, as well as flows of cultural goods and services. The isolation measures, however, have allowed raising awareness among people about the importance of creative industries, including music, crafts, publishing and film making, as a source of psychological support and human interactions even if they happened in digital environment. The implementation of the Convention shows that there is a need to further elaborate and strengthen networking activities and exchange among civil society organizations working in particular areas of cultural and creative industries. Public and private investments in culture also need to be more sustainable to ensure that creators in Azerbaijan effectively build on the results achieved, develop their skills and innovation, as well as sustainably involve young people. Cultural statistics will need to be further developed to provide regular data on specific areas of CCIs. Finally, partnerships need to be strengthened between tourism and creative industries to enhance and diversify cultural goods and services, especially in the context of post-pandemic increased tourist arrivals.

Describe the steps planned in the next four years to further implement the Convention and the priority areas identified for future policy action based on the conclusions of the current reporting process:

For the next four years, the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan has established a set of priorities for strengthening the implementation of the 2005 Convention, together with the concerned government agencies, and in collaboration with civil society organizations and the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries in particular. These include using the opportunities offered by new national sustainable development framework (the National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development - Azerbaijan 2030) to reinforce the role of CCIs for creative economy, further improve opportunities of artists, as well as stimulate the flow of cultural goods of services nationally and internationally. Further priority steps include strengthening networking activities and supporting the establishment of dedicated civil society organizations working in particular areas of cultural and creative industries (such as the recently established Azerbaijan Design Association), which will allow a more dedicated focus of actions on these areas of CCIs. The next four years will also be dedicated to the development of partnerships with business actors, capacity building in different aspects of creativity and creative industries, such as development of cultural statistics, entrepreneurship, marketing and business development. Civil society organizations, creators, business entities, individual artists and many others will be actively involved in these actions. New mechanisms of involving youth (Volunteer’s programme of the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries) will be further employed and enhanced to ensure sustainability of the outcomes achieved. The results will be reported on during the next cycle report him of the country on the implementation of the 2005 Convention.

Annexes

Please upload relevant documents (law, policy, agreement, regulation, strategy, etc.), studies and statistics in PDF format related to the implementation of the 4 goals and the 11 areas of monitoring of the Convention in your country. The documents should have been produced during the reporting period covered by this periodic report. Please provide the title and a description of the main content of the document in English or French.:

Submission

Designated official signing the report:

Title:

Mr.

First name:

Ramil

Family name:

Abbakirov

Organization:

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Position:

Head of Creative Industries and Digital Development Department

Date of submission:

2022

Electronic Signature:

Quadrennial Periodic ReportAzerbaijan 2022

Quadrennial Periodic Report - azerbaijanreport - 05/08/2022 - 23:30

General Information

Technical Information

Goal 1 - Support Sustainable Systems of Governance for Culture

Cultural and Creative Sectors

Decree of the President of Azerbaijan on "Measures related to the development of Azerbaijani cinematography"

Establishment of the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries

Declaration of Shusha as a cultural capital of Azerbaijan - 2022

State Program "The theatre of Azerbaijan in 2009-2019"

Action Plan on the implementation of necessary activities for the development of creative and cultural industries

Media Diversity

Adoption of the new Law on Media

Digital Environment

Establishment of the Department of Creative Industries and Digital Development at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on "Measures to improve governance in the field of digitalization, innovation, high technologies and communications" and establishment of the Agency for Innovation and Digital Development

Partnering with Civil Society

Mechanisms of regular consultation and exchange with the civil society organizations and actors

ABAD - Easy Support for Family Business

Goal 2 - Achieve a Balanced Flow of Cultural Goods and Services and Increase the Mobility of Artists and Cultural Professionals

Mobility of Artists and Cultural Professionals

Exchange programmes for students under the State Program "The theatre of Azerbaijan in 2009-2019"

Implementation of the national stage of the "Creative Business Cup" project (2019)

Flow of Cultural Goods and Services

Amendments to the Law on Culture with regard to the flow of cultural goods

Creative Azerbaijan: Export Opportunities for Creative Products through the Azexport.az Portal

Treaties and agreements

Belgrade Declaration of the Ministers in Charge of Culture of the Member States of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (Belgrade, 23 November 2018)

Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the United Mexican States on cooperation in the fields of education, science, youth, culture and sports

Memorandum of Understanding on cultural cooperation between the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Culture of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Protocol between the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China on cultural cooperation for 2019-2023

Goal 3 - Integrate Culture in Sustainable Development Frameworks

National Sustainable Development Policies & Plans

“Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development”

International Cooperation for Sustainable Development

Goal 4 - Promote Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

Gender Equality

Conference on the role of women in ICT (2019)

Round table on "Women in Innovation and Creativity: a Leading Force for Change" (2018)

Artistic Freedom

Measures and Initiatives reported by Civil Society Organizations

"Creative Azerbaijan Volunteers" Movement

Baku Street Photography Festival 2021

Project on Promotion of cultural diversity through effective use of information technologies

Group exhibition "Think that not everything exists"

Azerbaijan Design Forum 2019

Emerging Transversal Issues

Collaboration among universities- Creative Spark Programme

Challenges and Achievements

Annexes

Submission

Quadrennial Periodic Report
Azerbaijan 2022