2017 Civil Society Activity Report is Now Available Online

Marking a new beginning for civil society participation in the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity, the questionnaire study, initiated for monitoring CSOs’ awareness and implementation of the Convention, has been completed. A civil society activity report has been published in the context of results to the questionnaire, conducted by the cultural diversity coalitions that carry out the advocacy of the UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in different countries of the world.

During the preparation of this report, which has been produced with limited time and resources, a large number of civil society representatives congregated. Together with the June 2017 Civil Society Organisations Forum held at the Conference of Parties, a renewed and dynamicinteraction was achieved between civil society representatives, CSOs and the bodies governing the Convention. This first civil society Activity Report confirms how CSOs daily engage in a diverse range of activities which protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions worldwide.

The report establishes that CSOs need support to fully benefit from the new ways of dialogue adopted by the parties and the secretariat agreed in the 9th and 10th Ordinary Sessions of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC in the long term) and emphasises work towards solutions.