Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions: conclusion of the UNESCO Convention, adopted in Paris on 20 October 2005

PURPOSE : to conclude the UNESCO Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expression.

LEGISLATIVE ACT : Council Decision 2006/515/EC on the conclusion of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

CONTENT : the Council has adopted a decision on the conclusion by the European Community of the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions. The convention on cultural diversity was adopted at the general conference of UNESCO in Paris on 20 October 2005. It establishes a series of rights and obligations to protect and promote cultural diversity.

The purpose of the proposal is to authorise the European Community to approve and, consequently, become a party to the UNESCO convention, together with the Member States.

The objectives of the Convention are as follows:

§         to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions;

§         to create the conditions for cultures to flourish and to freely interact in a mutually beneficial manner;

§         to encourage dialogue among cultures with a view to ensuring wider and balanced cultural exchanges in the world in favour of intercultural respect and a culture of peace;

§         to foster interculturality in order to develop cultural interaction in the spirit of building bridges among peoples;

§         to promote respect for the diversity of cultural expressions and raise awareness of its value at the local, national and international levels;

§         to reaffirm the importance of the link between culture and development for all countries, particularly for developing countries, and to support actions undertaken nationally and internationally to secure recognition of the true value of this link;

§         to give recognition to the distinctive nature of cultural activities, goods and services as vehicles of identity, values and meaning;

§         to reaffirm the sovereign rights of States to maintain, adopt and implement policies and measures that they deem appropriate for the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions on their territory;

§         to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity in a spirit of partnership with a view, in particular, to enhancing the capacities of developing countries in order to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions.