WSIS Action Line C8: Key messages in preparation for the UNESCO MONDIACULT Conference in 2025
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Session 189
Harnessing Collaborative Solutions: Navigating Cultural Rights in the Digital Environment and the Impact of Artificial Intelligence
This session is part of UNESCO’s celebration of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (21 May 2024). Drawing inspiration from the principles outlined in the MONDIACULT Declaration together with the UNESCO Framework for Arts and Culture Education, the session will be addressing three key thematic pillars, each shedding light on critical aspects of cultural rights within the digital environment:
(i) Economic and Social Rights of Artists, Cultural Professionals, and Practitioners: This segment will delve into the socioeconomic dimensions of cultural rights in the digital age, emphasizing the rights of artists, cultural professionals, and practitioners to fair remuneration, recognition, and socio-economic security. Topics of discussion will encompass issues such as labour conditions, intellectual property rights, and the impact of digital technologies on the livelihoods and well-being of cultural workers, with a focus on fostering equitable and sustainable practices within the cultural sector.
(ii) Diversity of Cultural Contents, Linguistic Diversity, and Participation: Under this theme, the session will explore the importance of preserving and promoting cultural diversity, linguistic diversity, whilst examining accessibility and inclusivity of digital platforms. Participants will examine the role of digital technologies, including AI, in shaping cultural representations, narratives, and consumption patterns, as well as the implications for creativity and the promotion of multilingualism. Emphasis will be placed on strategies to safeguard and amplify diverse voices, ensuring that the digital ecosystem reflects the richness and plurality of communities while mitigating the risks of homogenization, marginalization as well as the digital divide and the implications in terms of cultural rights.
(iii) Culture and Arts Education: This segment will delve into the pivotal role of culture and arts education in nurturing and sustaining cultural and linguistic diversity within the digital realm. Key points for discussions will explore how education in culture and the arts can serve as a catalyst for fostering inclusivity, creativity, and multilingualism in digital spaces, as well as how to leverage digital tools for culture and arts education, whilst fostering media and information literacy.
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C8. Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content
The session will specifically address Action Line C8 "Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content". It will focus on the socio-economic rights of artists and cultural professionals, in particular fair remuneration, recognition and socio-economic security in the digital age, in line with the call of Action Line C8 to support local cultural industries and ensure sustainable cultural practices. In addition, the session will explore the role of digital technologies in shaping cultural representations, the importance of safeguarding diverse voices and promoting multilingualism, in line with the objective of Action Line C8 to support the development of local content and the digitisation of educational, scientific and cultural heritage to reflect cultural diversity. Furthermore, the session will highlight the importance of culture and arts education in promoting cultural and linguistic diversity in digital spaces, and advocate the use of digital tools to foster creativity and inclusivity. This complements the emphasis of Action Line C8 on strengthening policies that promote cultural and linguistic diversity through educational content and support for local cultural industries. Finally, the session will discuss the importance of accessibility and inclusivity of digital platforms for diverse cultural expressions, and the role of education in preserving cultural diversity, in line with Action Line C8's directive to support cultural institutions as key content providers and preservers of traditional knowledge, ensuring that digital media services are relevant to different cultures and languages.
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Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
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Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all
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Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies
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Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
The session's emphasis on socio-economic rights, including fair remuneration and recognition for artists and cultural professionals, directly aligns with SDG 5's goal of achieving gender equality by ensuring that women, who are often disproportionately represented in these sectors, have equal opportunities for economic empowerment and recognition in the cultural industry. Furthermore, disparities in cultural participation, exacerbated by the digital divide, pose a challenge to achieving gender equality. Limited access to quality arts education and digital literacy programmes can perpetuate gender inequalities in these areas, hindering women's empowerment and representation.
SDG 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all
Addressing fair remuneration and socio-economic security for artists and cultural professionals contributes to SDG 8 by promoting inclusive economic growth and decent work opportunities in the cultural sector. Supporting local cultural industries and ensuring the sustainability of cultural practices also aligns with SDG 8, which aims to promote sustainable economic development and employment opportunities for all in the digital environment.
SDG 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies
By focusing on the role of digital technologies in shaping cultural representations and promoting multilingualism, the session contributes to SDG 16 by promoting inclusive and diverse societies. By protecting diverse voices and promoting cultural diversity, the session supports the creation of just and inclusive societies where all people, regardless of their cultural background, have a voice and are represented.
SDG 17: Revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
The session's emphasis on collaboration and partnerships, as evidenced by its discussion on supporting cultural and media institutions and ensuring the relevance of digital media services to different cultures and languages, is in line with SDG 17's goal to revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development, in addition to focusing on the essential role of participatory processes and multi-stakeholder approaches in the governance of culture.
- UNESCO - Diversity of Cultural Expressions
- UNESCO 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
- UNESCO 1980 Recommendation Concerning the Status of the Artist
- UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
- UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education
- UNESCO Publication - ReIshaping policies for creativity: addressing culture as a global public good
- UNESCO Publication - Empowering creativity: implementing the UNESCO 1980 Recommendation Concerning the Status of the Artist