[WSIS CS-Plenary] WSISPapers Newsletter No.1 - UNESCO Convention on Cultural
Diversity
WSIS Papers
wsis2 at item.org.uy
Sun Nov 14 02:43:57 GMT 2004
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WSIS Papers Newsletter - November 2004 No.1
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In this issue: UNESCO CONVENTION ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Content:
- Background
- Intergovernmental organizations
- Civil Society organizations
- The threat of free trade agreements
- Cultural diversity and WSIS
- Related Choike's in-depth reports
Available online at:
http://wsispapers.choike.org/
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Government representatives from around the world met September 20-25 at
UNESCO headquarters in Paris to discuss the first draft of the proposed
Convention on Cultural Diversity (CCD). The CCD (formally known as the
International Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural
Contents and Artistic Expressions) would be an international legal agreement
to implement the principle that culture cannot be reduced to a commodity.
Concretely, it would potentially allow each country to exclude its cultural
policies, including 'audiovisual services' -otherwise known as media- from
'free trade' deals like the World Trade Organization.
Progressive NGO networks like the International Network on Cultural
Diversity (INCD) and the campaign for Communication Rights in the
Information Society (CRIS) are calling for broad civil society support for
the CCD, but warn that the Convention must not be subordinated to the WTO
and must be written to support cultural and media diversity inside
countries, not only between them. Otherwise, the Convention, even if it
successfully fends off an attack from the trade ministers, will only serve
the interests of national media companies against the biggest
transnationals, rather than true, bottom-up media diversity.
The effectiveness of the Convention now depends on its strength in front of
trade agreements; whether it will share the same status or be subordinated
to them, becoming a mere expression of good intentions. As a consequence,
the debate now revolves around two options suggested by the Group of
Experts: option ³B² says the Convention will not affect the member¹s
commitment with other international agreements, and on the other hand,
option ³A² admits an exception in cases where the cultural diversity is in
³serious damage or threat² by the existing international instrument. This
last option would allow countries to change their policies even if their
cultural sovereignty is compromised in a trade agreement. However, some
sectors argue that even this solution is not good enough as it does not
allow any exceptions concerning intellectual property rights.
The role of communication in the struggle for protection of cultural
diversity was already a matter of discussion in the World Summit on
Information Society (WSIS) held in Geneva in 2003, but unfortunately, many
of the most crucial issues such as the importance of media pluralism or the
concept of information as a global public good were left un-discussed at the
UNESCO Convention. Lack of participation of civil society groups, especially
from the south, weaken the possibility of a real plan of action to preserve
cultural diversity, although the Convention helped to bring culture back to
the international agenda and encourage national authorities to assume
responsibility on the matter.
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Background
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* "Many Voices, One World": The McBride Report's conclusions and
recommendations
This 1980 UNESCO report expressed: "crucial decisions concerning
communication development need to be taken urgently at both national and
international levels. [...] The decision-making process has to involve
social participation at all levels. This calls for new attitudes for
overcoming stereotyped thinking and to promote more understanding of
diversity and plurality, with full respect for the dignity and equality of
peoples living in different ways".
--> http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rvincent/mcbcon1.htm
* Our creative diversity
Source: UNESCO
Report launched by The World Comission on Culture and Development in 1995 in
the hope to stimulate debate and spark off new initiatives. The issues
raised by the Comission aome squarely to the forefront internationally.
--> http://www.unesco.org/culture/policies/ocd/
* Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity
Source: UNESCO
Adopted unanimously by the 185 Member States represented at the 31st session
of the General Conference in 2001 is seen by UNESCO as the founding act of a
new ethic in relation to cultural diversity.
--> http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001271/127160m.pdf
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Intergovernmental organizations
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* UNESCO: Towards a Convention on the protection of the diversity of
cultural contents and artistic expressions
The elaboration of this new instrument, which is consistent with the UNESCO
Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, comprises two stages: firstly,
three meetings of independent experts took place between December 2003 and
May 2004 for preliminary deliberations with a view to producing a first
preliminary draft convention along with a preliminary report. Secondly,
starting in September 2004, a series of intergovernmental meetings will be
organized in order to finalize the preliminary draft Convention and report.
-->http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=11281&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&U
RL_SECTION=201.html
* International Network on Cultural Policy (INCP)
The International Network on Cultural Policy (INCP) is an informal,
international venue where national ministers responsible for culture can
explore and exchange views on new and emerging cultural policy issues and to
develop strategies to promote cultural diversity. The site includes
information, news and documents on INCP activities and initiatives.
--> http://206.191.7.19/index_e.shtml.
* The Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity
The Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity looks to provide new
opportunities for cultural stakeholders to combine efforts towards ensuring
a more diversified and equitable array of cultural goods and services
worldwide. The Global Alliance will build on two strategic pillars: the
development of local cultural industries and the prevention of piracy.
Activities in these areas will be supported through newly established
partnerships and a UNESCO special extra-budgetary fund.
--> http://www.unesco.org/culture/alliance/context.html
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Civil Society Organizations
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* Media Trade Monitor
Media Trade Monitor is a resource pool for information about the impact of
global, regional, and bilateral trade agreements on media, culture, and
communication. It is meant to help place media, culture, and communication
squarely on the agenda of the global justice movement, and to help activists
and progressive policymakers successfully fight to keep these sectors out of
so-called Œfree trade¹ deals, be they global (WTO), regional (FTAA, CAFTA),
or bilateral.
--> http://www.mediatrademonitor.org/
* International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD)
Since the concept was first proposed, INCD has been in the forefront of the
discussions concerning the content of the Convention. INCD considers that
the draft being considered by UNESCO falls short of the objectives in vital
ways and proposes changes.
--> http://www.incd.net/incden.html
* Coalition for Cultural Diversity (CCD)
The members of the Coalition affirm that cultural diversity is a fundamental
human right and that countries and governments be entirely free to adopt the
policies necessary to support the diversity of cultural expression and the
viability of enterprises that produce and disseminate this expression.
--> http://www.cdc-ccd.org/
* Communication Rights in the Information Society (CRIS)
CRIS is a campaign to ensure that communication rights are central to the
information society.
--> http://www.crisinfo.org/
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The threat of free trade agreements
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* AMARC intervention at UNESCO
At the Intergovernmental Meeting of Experts (22 September 2004), during a
short meeting organised for civil society delegates, Steve Buckley, on
behalf of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC),
presented a proposal to the draft of the cultural diversity convention.
--> http://www.crisinfo.org/content/view/full/429/
* WTO Trade Negotiations: Doha development agenda threatens cultural
diversity
Source: INCD
Gary Neil
INCD has been concerned about the effects of the trade agreements and has
supported the development of a new legally binding Convention on Cultural
Diversity. March 2003. (pdf document)
--> http://www.suisseculture.ch/doss/ridc/wto_cult_0302.pdf
* Comments on the Preliminary Draft Convention on the Protection of the
of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic
Source: CRIS
This Convention was originally designed to ensure that culture, in the age
of globalized culture industries, is not reduced to a commodity. Its aim is
to allow each country to implement cultural, media, and communications
policies that foster cultural diversity. However, some governments have
proposed dangerous revisions that would transform the draft Convention into
an instrument that expands corporate ownership of culture.
--> http://www.mediatrademonitor.org/cris-unesco.php
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Cultural diversity and WSIS
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* Cultural diversity
Source: World Electronic Media Forum
The projection of cultural diversity through the media has contributed to
the enrichment of the human community, and to the promotion of peace and
communal harmony amongst the diverse civilizations of the world. But in many
parts of the world there still remain significant concerns about one single
global culture expanding to dominate media content. With the so-called
Information Society, and the rapid development of multi-media and convergent
technology, will the cultural gap widen along with that of the information,
knowledge and digital divide?
--> http://www.wemfmedia.org/cultural_diversity.htm#report
* Will the real WSIS please stand-up?: The historic encounter of the
³information society² and the ³communication society²
Source: Communication Rights in the Information Society
Seán Ó Siochrú
Understanding the encounter at the WSIS requires an inquiry spanning over
thirty years, covering two main strands that converged in Geneva last
December. One, the Œinformation society¹ debate, takes in the role of
information, the internet and the Œdigital divide¹ and can be traced to the
1970s. The other, the Œcommunication debate¹, encompasses broader issues of
knowledge ownership and use, media diversity and communication. Its defining
moment came in the early 1980s with the MacBride Report of UNESCO. Although
each has its (uniquely compromised) history, only one, the latter, is likely
to have a future.
--> http://files.crisinfo.org/cris/gazette_paper_final_sean.rtf
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Related Choike's in-depth reports
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* World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
--> http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/703.html
* World Trade Organization
http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/385.html
* The right to communicate
--> http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/1215.html
* Lack of diversity in the media
--> http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/1109.html
* GATS - Trade in Services
--> http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/1169.html
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- "WSIS Papers" and "Choike" are projects of the
Instituto del Tercer Mundo (ITeM) - Third World Institute
- "WSIS Papers" is supported by the
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
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