Online Debate ResiliArt “Fair Culture” – 19 November 2020

Fair Culture – A Key to Sustainable Development

ResiliArt Online Debate on 19 November 2020 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. (CET)

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Commission for UNESCO in cooperation with the UNESCO Chair on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (University of Laval, Canada) invite you to a ResiliArt online debate on “Fair Culture – A Key to Sustainable Development” on November 19, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. (CET).

While the idea of fair trade to tackle poor labour standards and global inequalities has been widely implemented in some economic sectors over the last decades, it has not yet been applied to the culture and creative sectors.

At the centre of this online debate are questions on how to make value chains in culture and creative industries more sustainable and fairer, how to improve working conditions and how to promote fair market access for culture and creative professionals from developing countries. In the context of increasing global networking and digitisation, innovative approaches for fair production and fair exchange of cultural goods and services must be developed. These issues are also key objectives of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005).

The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbates existing inequalities, making this conversation even more urgent. When festivals are cancelled, when museums, concert halls and theatres close, then artists, culture professionals and creative entrepreneurs are left with few alternatives to reach their audience and earn income. Digital platforms do not yet provide fair remuneration for creators and most of the major players pay little attention to local artists.

We are therefore pleased to bring together for the first time on an international level experts and practitioners from the fields of fair trade, development cooperation, culture and creative industries. The online debate “Fair Culture – A Key to Sustainable Development” is part of the German Commission for UNESCO’s “ResiliArt” series and of the global UNESCO-led initiative “ResiliArt”.

In addition, the event will provide important insights for the ongoing study “Fair Culture – A Key to Sustainable Development’ commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and realized by the German Commission for UNESCO in cooperation with the UNESCO Chair on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions at University of Laval in Québec, Canada. The study investigates how fair trade principles and strategies for fair and sustainable value chains can be applied to the cultural and creative sectors.

Programme:

Moderator: Christine M. Merkel, Head of the Division of Culture, Communication, Memory of the World at the German Commission for UNESCO

Language: English

• Welcome by Prof. Dr. Maria Böhmer, President of the German Commission for UNESCO
• Opening remarks by Norbert Barthle, Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
• Presentation of key research questions of the study “Fair Culture – a Key to Sustainable Development” by Prof. Dr. Véronique Guèvremont, author of the study and holder of the UNESCO Chair on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions at University of Laval in Québec, Canada.

Moderated talk with:

• Dario Soto Abril, CEO of Fairtrade International
• Deepa Dosaja, Fashion designer from Kenya
• Giorgio Ficarelli, Head of Culture Sector of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO)
• Friederike Kärcher, Head of Division for Media, Culture, Creative Industries, Sport at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
• Kenza Sefrioui, Founder of the publishing house En Toutes Lettres in Morocco.

Please join the discussion! We look forward to hearing your ideas.

For registration, please use the registration form by November 18, 2020.