Ministers' Deputies / Rapporteur Groups

GR-C
Rapporteur Group on Education, Culture, Sport,
Youth and Environment

GR-C(2008)8            29 August 2008[1]

————————————————

Conference of Ministers responsible for Culture
(Baku, 2-3 December 2008):

“Intercultural dialogue as a basis for peace and sustainable development in Europe and its neighbouring regions”

Background document for the Baku Conference

Item to be considered by the GR-C at its meeting on 10 September 2008
——————————————

I.         Aims of the conference

II.         The emergence of intercultural dialogue

III.         The Council of Europe and intercultural dialogue

IV.        Addressing the challenge of diversity in cultural policy: the milestones

V.         The evidence base for policy

VI.        Arts, heritage and creativity in intercultural dialogue

VII.          The role of Cultural Ministers

* * * * *

Intercultural dialogue as a basis for peace and sustainable development in Europe and its neighbouring regions

I.          Aims of the conference

1.         The Baku Ministerial Conference offers a key opportunity to follow up the Council of Europe “White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue” and its recommendations, including on how Europe engages in dialogue with its neighbours. Promoting intercultural dialogue[2] contributes to the core objective of the Council of Europe, namely preserving and promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law; it is one of the current priorities of the Organisation set at the Third Summit of Heads of State and Government and exemplified through its “Faro Declaration” (both 2005).[3]

2.         Ministers of Culture from States Parties to the European Cultural Convention, as well as several Ministers representing states in regions neighbouring Azerbaijan – members of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) or the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) – will explore approaches to intercultural dialogue and opportunities for trans-national co-operation, using the unique potential of culture, the arts and heritage.

3.         Ministers might find it useful to identify initiatives to promote further closer links through intercultural dialogue particularly between South-East Europe and the Arab States or between the Maghreb, the Mashrek, the Gulf and the Black Sea region. What Europe could do to present itself to its neighbours as a multi-faceted space with a diversity shaped by interaction with other regions is a key issue to be studied, taking into account that some of these inter-regional relations (e.g. those between Europe and the Southern shores of the Mediterranean basin) are more developed than others. Building on the conference devoted to analysis of the common ground for intercultural dialogue and thematic panels dealing with cultural policy and heritage, the Baku Declaration to be issued on the 2nd day of the Ministerial Conference will highlight findings and inspire possible future action.

II.         The emergence of intercultural dialogue

4.         The phrase ‘intercultural dialogue’ had first appeared as a commitment in the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities of 1995. This was a product of the First Summit of Council of Europe Heads of State and Government in Vienna in 1993, which reflected not only on the unification of Europe but the wars in former Yugoslavia and more widely on the ‘upheavals of history’ and the national minorities they had left behind. The aftermath of ‘September 11’ in the United States gave intercultural dialogue additional political attention. But the core elements of the emerging international consensus on intercultural dialogue as a ‘fundamental aim of cultural policies’ (World Conference on Cultural Policies for Development, Stockholm 1998) have been shaped throughout the last decade. Key has been a recognition that cultural diversity is ‘as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature’ (Universal Declaration, 2001).

5.         Ten years ago, the terms ‘dialogue between cultures’ (Stockholm Conference) or ‘dialogue among civilizations’ (United Nations General Assembly proclamation of the Dialogue Year 2001) or ‘dialogue among cultures and civilizations’ (UNESCO) enjoyed wide currency. But since these terms implied that such dialogue would be conducted by ‘representatives’ and not by individuals and associations fully enjoying their human rights and their ‘freedom to make choices’ (UNDP), the term ‘intercultural dialogue’ is now increasingly used. UNESCO uses, in its Medium Term Strategy 2008-2013, both terms simultaneously; the European Commission (with the European Year for Intercultural Dialogue 2008) and the Council of Europe use mainly the term intercultural dialogue.

6.         It has been recognised from the outset that dialogue within Europe cannot succeed in the absence of dialogue between Europe and its neighbours. ‘Dialogue between peoples and cultures in the Euro-Mediterranean Area’, the report by a high-level advisory group established by the President of the European Commission and published in October 2003 (Prodi Groupe des Sages 2003), was the framework for the establishment of the Anna Lindh Foundation two years later. It set out three priorities: learning about diversity, promoting mobility and exchanges, and the media as instruments of equality and mutual knowledge.

7.         Dialogue, however, is not a guarantee of its own success, and widespread frustration about the shallow results of so many events motivated a number of organisations to convene a conference in June 2005 in Rabat, on ‘Fostering Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations through Concrete and Sustainable Initiatives’. The convenors and signatories of the ‘Rabat Commitment’ were ALECSO, ISESCO, UNESCO, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the Anna Lindh Foundation, the Danish Centre for Culture and Development and the Council of Europe. The actions pledged ranged from education (with a joint teacher-training programme on cultural diversity and religious pluralism by ALECSO, the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Council of Europe) to culture and communication. Cultural projects included ‘the power of music and musical creativity’ and the transformation of museums into multicultural spaces, as well as synergies between bi- and multilateral cultural agreements. (UNESCO: Dialogue/2007)

8.         ALECSO’s ‘Abu Dhabi Declaration on the Arab Position on Dialogue and Diversity’ (2006) established benchmarks for overcoming sterile ‘representative’ dialogues with participants mainly propagating their own achievements and cultural backgrounds. The ‘principles for dialogue among equals’ and the proposed methodology advocated ‘development of the spirit of self-criticism in order to eliminate the inherited and unfortunate tendency to overrate oneself and look down on the Other’.

9.         In this context, civil society as well as government has been seen as playing an important role. This was the focus of a Euro-Mediterranean conference in February 2006 in Algiers, ending with an ‘Algiers Declaration for Shared Vision of the Future’ and an action plan. The conference was organised by the European Movement together with its southern partners, including the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The Declaration addressed the lack of ownership of the Euro-Mediterranean process among citizens – and so the need to reach out to and involve civil society, side by side with intercultural education and integration of immigrants.

10.       More than 200 European and national civil society organisations recently established the ‘Rainbow Platform’ for intercultural dialogue. The ‘Rainbow Paper’ (January 2008) focused on migration, education and learning, including informal learning through arts and culture. In a similar vein, the Euro-Mediterranean Non-Governmental Platform proposes to ‘create a regional specific programme of support to contemporary artistic creation’.

11.       On a global scale, the UN project of an ‘Alliance of Civilizations’ resulted from an initiative by the Prime Ministers of Spain and Turkey. The Report of a High Level Group in November 2006 acknowledged that ‘the anxiety and confusion caused by the ‘clash of civilizations’ theory regrettably has distorted the terms of the discourse on the real nature of the predicament the world is facing’. Reasserting that cultural diversity was ‘a driving force of human progress’, the Report proposed building bridges through action on education, youth, migration and the media.

III.        The Council of Europe and intercultural dialogue

12.       This provides the backdrop for the White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue of the Council of Europe. The Third Summit of Council of Europe Heads of State and Government, meeting in Warsaw, in 2005, had charted a continuing path towards a Europe without dividing lines, based on democracy, human rights and the rule of law. But the Warsaw Declaration[4] still expressed concern about unresolved conflicts affecting parts of the continent, threatening the democratic stability of member states and their populations.

13.       The Summit committed member states to foster European identity and unity, based on shared fundamental values, respect for common heritage and cultural diversity. Diversity was to be rendered a source of mutual enrichment, inter alia via political, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. According to the Action Plan adopted at the Summit, intercultural dialogue is envisaged to promote reconciliation and tolerance, as well as contribute to the prevention conflicts and ensure integration. The plan aimed to strengthen co-operation and co-ordination within the Council of Europe and with other regional and international institutions, with the help of a co-ordinator for intercultural dialogue. It envisaged a new dialogue between Europe and its neighbouring regions (the southern Mediterranean, the Middle East and Central Asia), and recognised the role of the North-South Centre based in Lisbon and managed by the Council of Europe.

14.       Culture Ministers of the Council of Europe had already addressed intercultural dialogue in the Opatia Declaration of 2003, highlighting the specific role and responsibilities of Ministers of Culture for promoting intercultural dialogue and preventing conflicts. The Faro Conference of Culture Ministers in October 2005 generated: a co-operation memorandum between the Council of Europe and the Anna Lindh Foundation; a co-ordinated activity programme between the Council of Europe and ALECSO in education, culture, cultural and natural heritage, youth and sport, and a platform for intercultural dialogue and co-operation between the Council of Europe and UNESCO, open to other international or regional partners. It also advocated a White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue.[5]

15.       The preparation of the White Paper entailed wide scale consultation with most of the Signatory States to the European Cultural Convention and about 200 other stakeholders, including civil society, religious bodies and partners from regions outside Europe. It appeared from the consultation that old approaches to the management of cultural diversity – whether premised on the assimilation of members of minority communities to a prevailing official ethos or their collectivised recognition in the name of multiculturalism – were no longer adequate at a time when diversity was unprecedented and ever-growing.

16.       At their 118th Ministerial Session (Strasbourg, 6-7 May 2008), the Foreign Ministers of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe  launched the White Paper, ‘Living Together as Equals in Dignity’,[6] which offered a new conceptual framework and guidance on policy and good practice. It insisted that intercultural dialogue had to be founded on the universal values promoted by the Council of Europe, associated with a recognition of the equality of individual dignity and our common humanity: ‘The cornerstones of a political culture valuing diversity are the common values of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, pluralism, tolerance, non-discrimination and mutual respect.’

17.       Intercultural dialogue, the White Paper contended, had an important role in preventing ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural divides and in enabling us to deal with our different identities constructively and democratically. To advance dialogue, the democratic governance of cultural diversity should be adapted in many respects, democratic citizenship and participation should be strengthened, intercultural competences should be taught and learned, spaces for intercultural dialogue should be created and widened, and intercultural dialogue should be taken to the international level.  

IV.        Addressing the challenge of diversity in cultural policy: the milestones

18.       Cultural diversity constitutes a key concern for Culture Ministers. The World Conference on Cultural Policies for Development (Stockholm 1998) endorsed principles outlined in the Report by the World Commission on Culture and Development, ‘Our Creative Diversity’ (1996), in particular the appreciation of cultural diversity – ’a treasure of humankind’ and ‘an essential factor of development’ – and cultural creativity. Cultural policies ‘should aim to create a sense of the nation as a multifaceted community ... rooted in values that can be shared by all men and women and give access, space and voice to all its members’.

19.       The Council of Europe’s ‘Declaration on Cultural Diversity’ (2000) promoted ‘the co-existence and exchange of culturally different practices’ and ‘the provision and consumption of culturally different services and products’. UNESCO’s ‘Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity’ (2001) recognised multiple, overlapping and dynamic cultural identities of individuals and groups in its definition of cultural pluralism. Cultural diversity was qualified as living, and thus renewable, treasure ‘that must not be perceived as being unchanging heritage but as a process guaranteeing survival of humanity’. Similarly, ISESCO’s ‘Islamic Declaration on Cultural Diversity’ (2004) would foster ‘cultural exchange and interaction between innovators in Islamic countries and their counterparts from other countries, giving impetus to creativity’.

20.       The report of the World Commission on Culture and Development (1996) had prepared the ground for the new understanding of cultural diversity as humanity’s common heritage. Thus enlarging the previous notion of a world cultural heritage, the report proposed standard-setting also for ‘intangible heritage’. With reference to safeguarding cultural diversity, the Universal Declaration (2001) advocated specific standards for intangible heritage which were outlined two years later in the UNESCO Convention on this subject (2003). The convention covers five domains: oral traditions, including languages; performing arts; social practices; traditional knowledge, and traditional craftsmanship. It is the first cultural convention establishing a ‘human rights clause’ in stating that ‘consideration will be given solely to such intangible cultural heritage as is compatible with existing human rights instruments’ (Art. 2).

21.       This clause was considered necessary to prevent possible conflicts between standards on preservation and promotion of diversity and universal human rights. It was developed in UNESCO’s ‘Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions’ (2005). Article 2.1 states: ‘Cultural diversity can be protected and promoted only if human rights and fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression, information and communication, as well as the ability of individuals to choose cultural expressions, are guaranteed. No one may invoke the provisions of this Convention in order to infringe human rights and fundamental freedoms as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or guaranteed by international law, or to limit the scope thereof.’  In this context, it was possible to agree on the principle of ‘the recognition of equal dignity of and respect for all cultures’.

V.         The evidence base for policy

22.       One practical result of these developments has been new formats of cultural reporting, embracing diversity and intercultural dialogue. In 1998 the Council of Europe established an ambitious programme of reviews in the form of annually updated cultural policy country profiles. The ‘Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe’ now covers 41 countries and aims at servicing all 49 member countries of the European Cultural Convention. As a publicly available information tool, it is also used by an interested audience beyond Europe, inspiring policy making and research. Cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue are two of several thematic areas in which relevant information are collected and processed, including selection of good practices, legal and statistical data. The good practice section of the Council of Europe’s cultural policy information system ‘Compendium’ might be further developed to cover the wealth of experiences gained in the cultural sector, including in Europe’s neighbouring regions. The system is being offered as a tool for monitoring the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity at European level. The co-operation memorandum between the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Council of Europe of October 2005 was followed by the inclusion of exchange and co-operation with the Compendium project in the 2007-2009 medium-term programme of the Foundation.

23.       The Compendium is accompanied by the Council of Europe’s heritage policy and practices information system, HEREIN (European Heritage Network). These will be closely related, conceptually and technically, with the Programme of National Cultural Policy Reviews, Sectoral and Transversal Reviews, the Audiovisual Observatory of the Council of Europe and the Eurimages Fund in the initiative labelled ‘CultureWatchEurope’. This will provide a platform for exchange between governments and civil society, to help raise consciousness of key issues connected to cultural rights and responsibilities, to maximise synergies between different players and to act as an informal alliance devoted to developing knowledge, arguments, awareness and capacity on culture for democracy.

24.       The first World Culture Report of UNESCO (2000) was an experiment in covering world-wide trends and developments. The sections on cultural diversity included a first attempt at correlating statistical data on bio-diversity with those on cultural diversity (exemplified by linguistic diversity).The new Medium-Term Strategy of UNESCO for 2008-2013 seeks to develop further reporting and analysis on this issue.

25.       In recent years, ‘diversity monitoring’ has become a more general standard for reviewing the effects of policies aimed at social integration. Thousands of public institutions and private companies have included information on the ethnic, linguistic or even religious diversity of their employees and their customers in annual reports.

26.       Particularly interesting has been the inclusion of diversity monitoring in annual reviews of national media and international media associations. One of the first to apply this tool to content analysis of broadcasting was the study on ‘racism and cultural diversity in the media’ undertaken in 2000 and 2001 by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) in Vienna. It inspired the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Euro-Mediterranean Association of TV Broadcasters (COPEAM) to adopt such reporting for their constituencies and to publish guidelines, benchmarks and good practice in the management of cultural diversity by the media.

27.       The most comprehensive world report on diversity was published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as its ‘Human Development Report 2004: Cultural liberty in today’s diverse world’. This report found ‘little empirical evidence that cultural differences and clashes over values are in themselves a cause of violent conflict’. On the contrary, ‘it is often the suppression of culturally identified groups that leads to tensions’. It supported all ambitions for conducting intercultural dialogue as a dialogue among equals, as expressed in recent declarations.

28.       Another innovative format of reporting was presented by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January 2008 with the first issue, ‘Islam and the West’, of an ‘Annual Report on the State of Dialogue’. It related polls on public perception of Islam-West encounters in various countries to policy analysis and to programmes and projects. Culture and the arts were not directly the focus of this report, which advocated action mainly on migration, education, the media and inter-faith dialogue – though it did provide evidence of the ‘centrality of respect’ in Islam-West relations, and of cultural diversity within the countries covered.

29.       The recent report for the European Commission on national approaches to intercultural dialogue in Europe, published in March 2008, ‘Sharing Diversity’ (ERICarts 2008), proposed a more central role for intercultural dialogue in EU programmes and strategies. The report related data on public opinion to an analysis of diversity, mainly concerning migration, and activities in education, culture (arts and heritage), youth and sports. Taking inspiration from the Compendium information system, case studies and good practice featured throughout. The report provided evidence that visible differences play a major role in discrimination, while most EU citizens are supportive of diversity and intercultural dialogue. It also showed that intercultural dialogue had become increasingly important for national legislation and educational, cultural and social policies, including in relationship with EU policies.

VI.        Arts, heritage and creativity in intercultural dialogue

Challenges and Strategies for Cultural Co-operation for Dialogue

30.       Contemporary strategies for intercultural dialogue, as indicated, tend to emphasise education, youth and the media. Although fully justified, given present needs and within an enlarged notion of ‘culture’, renewed attention is called for to the core elements of cultural expression. In an international context characterised by an increasing number of verbal dialogue events, the creative arts and music provide a common language across linguistic, ethnic and religious frontiers and, along with cultural heritage (tangible and intangible), a source of mutual enrichment. The “White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue” ranks culture, the arts and heritage among the particularly important dimensions of dialogue: “The cultural heritage, ‘classical’ cultural activities, ‘cultural routes’, contemporary art forms, popular and street culture, the culture transmitted by the media and the internet naturally cross borders and connect cultures. Art and culture create a space of expression beyond institutions, at the level of the person, and can act as mediators.”

31.       In the ‘Rainbow Paper’, the European Foundation for the Arts and Heritage (EFAH) and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) expressed their ‘particular interest in demonstrating that art and culture have a special role in intercultural dialogue because they question prejudices and stereotypes, break taboos, trigger curiosity, play with images and words, inspire and connect. They have the potential to give an inspirational and educational dimension to political endeavours, and can provide the spark for citizens to become interested in the challenge of INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE.’ In a similar vein, the ‘Rabat Commitment’ (2005) called upon ‘all actors engaged in intercultural and inter-civilisational dialogue to tap the power of music and musical creativity’ (UNESCO: Dialogue /2007).

32.       The value of creative industries and heritage in cultural, social and economic terms has been widely recognised as essential to the processes of development, as well as to the enhancing oft local, regional and national identities. Proposals for cultural corridors that cross national boundaries are being explored by intergovernmental bodies and international agencies, as are the notions of inter-regional co-operation in sectors such as film production and distribution, festivals promotion and cultural tourism.

33.       The principle of co-ownership of cultural heritage across frontiers is also becoming ever more significant. Future joint activities between cultural experts from Europe and the Arab States region might focus on Europe’s Islamic Heritage, past and present (from Al Andalus to the cultural influence of the Ottoman Empire and vibrant cultural activities among migrant populations); Islamic Arts (the EuroMed project of the Museum With No Frontiers Association); and non-formal arts and music education for youth. Children must not be underestimated as ‘ambassadors for dialogue’ and experiences with music and choirs suggest that a Council of Europe initiative, in collaboration with partners, which combines the musical traditions and contemporary expression of different cultures should be explored.

34.       The cultural sphere is a domain of the active production, reproduction and renewal of the complex and evolving identities which are themselves the subjects of intercultural dialogue. It provides opportunities for the understanding of increasingly complex of identities, often multiple and shared, to be subjected to new perspectives, and for their contradictions to be explored in a non-threatening and often revelatory manner. It engenders new combinations of diverse elements of identity, through fusions and appropriations, which offer exciting innovations.  The co-habitation in one locality of different identities has been an important driver of creativity and prosperity, and the recognition of a diversified concept of heritage has become a central component of cultural policy that it relevant to today’s changing societies. The initiative co-ordinated by the Council of Europe resulting in a ‘European Manifesto for Multiple Cultural Affiliation’,[7] and the educational ‘Handbook on Values for Life in a Democracy’, with case studies and key questions, offer insights into the link between culture and heritage, and human rights, justice and freedom.

35.       Regional programmes for the enhancement of cultural and natural heritage, such as the joint action by the Council of Europe and the European Commission and the Council of Europe in South-East Europe,[8] and the Council of Europe’s Kyiv Initiative[9] foster approaches that promote peace-building and reconciliation in regions where countries are responding to common challenges in heritage management as a result of conflicts and war. Such programmes utilise heritage as a bridge to the understanding of diverse and often competing narratives about intercultural co-existence.[10]

Cross-Mediterranean Co-operation in the Arts

36.       The arts offer an essential means of encouraging intercultural dialogue. In February 2008, the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) published a comprehensive report on critical issues in arts co-operation between Europe and its Southern neighbours on the other shore of the Mediterranean (‘An Alternative Gaze’, 2008). The report described most arts exhibitions and festivals as ‘unilateral, not reciprocal’: art from Europe was brought to other countries and art from the Arab States region was brought to Europe, with ‘Otherness’ more in focus than exchange or co-operation. The report however evidenced a growing number of innovative projects, from music to arts festivals, organised by partners North and South and focused on exchange and joint production. Generally, the report gave some grounds for optimism, proposing support for more direct co-operation between arts projects in South-East Europe and in the Arab States region. Meanwhile, co-operative research between European and Arab philosophers and arts specialists generated the recent publication ‘The Arts in the Dialogue between Cultures’, reflecting the multiple perspectives in Europe and the Arab States on pictures in everyday life, on literature and music (C. Wulf, J. Poulain, F. Triki 2007-2008).

Museums

37.       As to specific instances of co-operation, the ‘Museum With No Frontiers’ (MWNF) is one of the few cultural projects of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership to develop its own structures and financing. It started by promoting the concept of digital (and thus widely accessible) museum collections and developed a co-operative approach between museum experts and artists. Two of the most interesting recent projects were the ‘Young MWNF’, bridging museum pedagogy and arts education in schools, and ‘Discover Islamic Art’, the first project on Islamic Arts jointly undertaken by specialists from Europe and the Arab States.

Culture and Music Festivals

38.       The Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean (BJCEM), founded in 1985, was the first arts festival organised in co-operation between local and national arts associations from North and South (today: 75 institutions in 20 countries). The Biennale invites young artists (under 30) to present their skills and talent in seven areas, which increasingly involve everyday culture: visual arts (including performance and other action in public places), applied arts (including fashion), show (theatre, dance and urban acts), literature, music (including DJs), gastronomy and moving images.

39.       The aim has been for many years to hold the Biennale in one of the Southern countries but the last project in Egypt could not be realised due to lack of local and European funding for such unconventional co-operative events outside Europe. Among the arts festivals breaking new ground and operating within an international art discourse, however, are the Istanbul and Sharjah Biennials and the new Art Dubai. Bringing arts to public spaces is a common feature: the Istanbul Biennial includes art production in public space, bringing artists together with shoppers.

40.       The European Arts Festivals Association recently expressed a keen interest in introducing more co-operation and exchange in European Arts Festivals. In their ‘Declaration on Intercultural Dialogue’ (Ljubljana, 8 January 2008), the arts promoters supported transforming multicultural into intercultural societies, strengthening the coexistence of cultural identities and beliefs, and looking respectfully at the differences of individual and local experiences. The Declaration expressed a commitment ‘to give artists from all over the world the opportunity of increasing and developing their artistic experience, thus initiating a process of mutual exchange of artistic excellence among different countries’, highlighting artists-in-residence programmes which allow ‘artists to live and work in new contexts and to combine their own experience with the local one’.

41.       As for music, the Marseille-based project Aide aux Musiques Innovatrices (AMI), founded in 1999, has inspired a wave of mutual interest and joint production between creators of contemporary popular music in Europe and the Arab States region. Euro-Mediterranean Music Festivals, recording of cross-over and joint performances, and awards for musical exchange have been organised. The ‘Monte Carlo-Doualiya Music Award for the Dialogue between Cultures’ was established in 2007 by Radio France Internationale in partnership with the Festival of Jerash, the Palestinian Edward Saïd National Conservatory of Music and the Austrian International Music and Media Centre. The award criteria focus on young performers’ creativity in using music to build bridges between countries and cultures.

Mobility

42.       Exchange of ideas in word and image, exchange of cultural goods and services, and exchange of persons are the three classical aspects of mobility reflected in virtually every international cultural agreement over the last 60 years. Almost every local cultural identity now includes elements that have found their way into the most remote and most closed communities, forming new ‘transcultural identities’ (Kevin Robins, Final Report on cultural policy and cultural identities for the Council of Europe, March 2006). Yet mobility of persons seems much more unevenly distributed than mobility of information, goods and services.

43.       ‘Free international movement of artists’ and their freedom ‘to practise their art in the country of their choice’ were among the international standards arising from the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist (1980). Yet artists and other cultural actors from many countries are in a particularly difficult situation.

44.       Data from the World Observatory on the Status of the Artist and the recent study on Artistic Mobility in the Mediterranean, undertaken by the Roberto Cimetta Fund in conjunction with the Council of Europe, ECF and UNESCO (December 2007), reveal the obstacles. Surprisingly, it is, in many cases, not the post 9/11 visa regime that is considered most important. Rather, it is the lack of funding opportunities and of relevant mobility programmes, followed by a lack of information about the few schemes available for artists and other cultural actors. In addition, funding schemes give support mainly on a case-by-case and individual basis. Even grant schemes which are deliberately based on the principle of equality (such as the Anna Lindh Foundation’s 2+2 formula for North-South co-operation) have noted a very significant dominance of project leaders and co-ordinators from the North, and have, therefore, embraced capacity-building among cultural actors in the South.

45.       A ‘comprehensive strategy for mobility in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership’, presented by the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Robert Cimetta Fund in autumn 2006 to several civil society and intergovernmental meetings, recommended ‘a coherent cultural strategy with measures for improving conditions of equal partnership between North and South’, including ‘training and provision of advisory services enabling cultural actors ... in the South to organise a larger number of exchange and co-operation projects in the South’. The strategy also proposed to ‘transform support schemes to individual mobility into fostering exchanges’.

46.       On mobility and information and communications technology (ICT), the 1997 World Congress on the implementation of the Recommendation on the Status of the Artist concluded that ‘the new technologies cannot be a substitute for direct contact between artists and their public or for traditional branches of the arts’. The Report on ‘Dialogue between Peoples and Cultures in the Euro-Mediterranean Area’ (Prodi Groupe des Sages 2003) similarly warned against restricting exchange and networking to virtual communication, since only meetings in physical locations, with face-to-face contact, could offer ‘experience of all aspects of dialogue’.

VII.       The role of Cultural Ministers in intercultural dialogue

VII.1.    Developing the common ground for Intercultural dialogue

47.       The Council of Europe’s “White Paper”, as well as the European and Euro-Mediterranean Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008, mark a turning point. Ten years after the Stockholm World Conference, it seems as if, finally, cultural policies are about to move centre stage on national and international agendas, integrating with social policies and other priorities, as proposed more than a decade ago by the World Commission on Culture and Development and by ‘In from the Margins’ the associated Council of Europe Report by the independent Task Force on Cultural Policies for Development (Strasbourg 1997). This is associated with what appears to be emergent common ground on cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and international co-operation.

48.       A new ‘European Agenda for Culture’ was presented by the European Commission in May 2007 and approved by the European Council in November 2007. This strategy ‘builds on the principles stated in the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the relevant international references’.

49.       The third Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Culture (Athens, 29-30 May 2008) signalled a new phase in Mediterranean cultural co-operation. According to its conclusions, it marked ‘the starting point of a fully-fledged Euro-Mediterranean Strategy on Culture, encompassing co-operation in both the dialogue between cultures and cultural policy’ – though a pillar of the European Agenda, declaring promotion of culture ‘a vital element in the Union’s international relations’, was not reflected in the conclusions. The new strategy will be elaborated by a group of experts before the next Culture Ministers meeting, scheduled for 2010. Meanwhile, the Franco-German initiative to upgrade the Euro-Med Partnership into a ‘Union for the Mediterranean’ could be an impetus for more cultural co-operation.

50.       The Alliance of Civilizations process held its first international Forum in January 2008 in Madrid. It set up important new instruments, such as the Rapid Response Media Mechanism to cope with major cross-cultural crises, and established partnership agreements with UNESCO, the League of Arab States, ISESCO, ALECSO and United Cities and Local Governments, with a memorandum of understanding to be signed with the Council of Europe and co-operation envisaged with the Union for the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the Islamic countries, at the 5th conference of Culture Ministers in Tripoli in November 2007, adopted the ‘Tripoli Commitments’ on renewing cultural policies in the Islamic world and adapting them to international changes (ISESCO, 2007).

51.       Cultural policies, coming ‘in from the margins’ to the core agenda, meet citizens demanding visible improvements on everyday issues of social cohesion, of living together in dignity and mutual respect, of opportunities for a decent life. This entails a human rights-based understanding of culture as an entitlement to access and creativity, and a recognition that cultural diversity between and within countries is a common heritage of humankind.  The preservation, development and management of cultural diversity and the promotion of creativity are essential for sustainable economic development, as well as all-round personal development, and should be pursued within an integrated policy approach.

52.       As for intercultural dialogue specifically, the complex and overlapping cultural identities of individuals must be recognised, with dialogue seen as an opportunity for learning. Individuals and associations should be seen as actors in civil society, in addition to government. And if priority fields are education, culture, and the media, priority participants are youth, migrants and women. These considerations invite governments to link international with national and local cultural policies, and to enhance the contribution of cultural policies to improving the quality of life of citizens at large.

53.       The ‘Intercultural Cities’ project, which has been developed as a joint action between the Council of Europe and the European Commission is a practical approach to developing intercultural models of urban governance at local level.[11] One strand of this project focuses on 12 pilot cities that have been selected to concentrate on a number of central themes, such as governance structures and leadership, the media, intercultural mediation and the role of cultural policies and action. Successful cities of the future will be intercultural; they will be capable of exploiting the potential of their cultural diversity to stimulate creativity and innovation, and so generate increased economic prosperity and a better of quality of life. Other projects of the Council of Europe, such the inclusion of Islamic art and traditions in its future series of exhibitions, and the development of the practice of Cultural Routesto feature intercultural connections[12][13] are initiatives that can offer model approaches.

54.       By recognising the importance of joint projects in the arts and cultural sectors between the Council of Europe Member States and those of ALECSO and ISESCO, and developing new proposals for action between countries which have not yet participated in projects, especially in partnership with civil society organisations and artists, there will be a more clearly focused transition between an understanding of the principles of intercultural dialogue and their realisation. 

VII.2.    Topics for discussion at two ministerial panels

55.       Ministers are invited to exchange views and discuss responses to urgent questions that can translate policies for intercultural dialogue into practice. Two panels could deal with:

1)         Cultural policy, programmes and initiatives and intercultural dialogue: new approaches and tools for the governance of diversity

How best can we ensure intercultural dialogue is made an explicit part of the cultural policies of states? How best can cultural activity be helpful in promoting intercultural competences? Which new joint actions will strengthen practical co-operation and have impact on the intercultural practices of cultural institutions and organisations?,

What needs to be done to enhance interaction between the various levels of intergovernmental and civil society co-operation in intercultural dialogue, particularly from the perspectives of the different regions that are represented at this conference?

How can regular exchange, co-ordination and interaction between the numerous national focal points for international intercultural dialogue programmes be improved?

How can Intergovernmental Organisations improve their services to Member States, to provide them with up-to-date and action-oriented information on new developments in intercultural dialogue, in particular new formats of monitoring and reporting on diversity and good practice exchange?

2)         Heritage and intercultural dialogue: from national to universally owned heritage

The Council of Europe Faro Convention promotes shared responsibility towards cultural heritage and emphasises the contribution of heritage to society and human development. Do Ministers agree with the proposal to promote more effectively a shared responsibility towards heritage?

How can local pride over World Heritage or masterpieces of intangible heritage be better linked with the idea of cultural diversity as a common heritage of humankind? How can heritage be managed to encourage dialogue rather than incite conflicts?

What common initiatives could be launched in the region hosting the conference?  Do Ministers support the idea of increased co-operate through trans-border heritage projects?

How can particular intercultural cities, cultural capitals or cultural routes. embrace the notion of a universally relevant and pluralistic heritage? How could cultural tourism be developed as an instrument for intercultural dialogue?

VII.3.    Possibilities for future action

56.       Based on the common ground for intercultural dialogue as set out above, international instruments on human rights and a human rights based understanding of culture offer an essential foundation for intercultural dialogue. With a view to contributing to the follow-up to the Council of Europe’s White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue and promoting the implementation of its recommendations, the Ministers responsible for Culture might envisage the following actions (tentative list). Proposed actions which are of the greatest relevance and importance to the regions represented at the conference might be considered as priorities, taking into account the interests both of the member states that are Parties to the European Cultural Convention and the other states that are participating in the conference.

·         Promotion of creative arts as a key instrument for intercultural dialogue;

·         Implementation of the UNESCO Convention on Diversity of Cultural Expressions;

·         Support for instruments for the mobility of artists (Cimetta, ECF, etc) and proposals for their expansion, transforming individual exchanges into multilateral exchange programmes;

·         Launch of  activities, such as  ‘Artists for Dialogue’[14] and an intercultural project involving children and music, with the creation of a fund for interested partners to join and support;

·         Exploring collaboration on cultural issues with the Alliance of Civilizations;

·         Developing partnerships with appropriate civil society organisations, networks and platforms, foundations and private sector businesses who are interested in supporting intercultural initiatives;

·         Follow-up to the Council of Europe White Paper in the field of culture;

·         Organisation of joint expert meetings between the Council of Europe and ALECSO on arts and heritage for dialogue, peace and sustainable development (re-enforcing the Faro agreement with ALECSO of 2005);

·         Exploring and developing collaboration on cultural issues and activities with ISESCO; 

·         Considering extending the Kyiv Initiative approach to inter-regional projects (South-West Europe / Maghreb, South-East Europe / Eastern Mediterranean, Central Asia, etc) Promotion of joint activities between cultural experts from Europe and the Arab States region, such as:
a) Art Exhibitions on Europe’s Islamic Heritage, past and present;
b) Islamic Arts within European Institutions (EuroMed project of the Museum With No Frontiers Association), and European Arts within Institutions of Arab States;
c) Non-formal arts and music education for youth.

·         Using major existing festivals as platforms for special activities that promote inter-cultural dialogue

57.       Joint reflection on heritage issues concerning shared heritage and co-ownership of heritage across frontiers

·         Bridging the networks of local and regional authorities in Europe and in the Mediterranean/Arab region, through promoting good practices, twinning arrangements and enlargement of the intercultural cities project to the Arab States

·         Invitation to non-members of the Council of Europe to join the Compendium project (in particular in the field of cultural diversity / good practices, management of cultural diversity) and possibly the European Heritage Network (HEREIN).

58.       Other actions may be proposed by participants at the conference.

59.       These would be pursued through the following mechanisms:

Processes of Co-operation:

·                     Joint activities by Council of Europe member states and non-governmental  or civil society organisations;

·                     Activities in the framework of the co-operation memorandum between the Council of Europe and the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation and of the co-coordinated activity programme between the Council of Europe and ALECSO in education, culture, cultural and natural heritage, youth and sport, as well as in the framework of the platform for intercultural dialogue and co-operation between the Council of Europe and UNESCO, open to other international or regional partners;

·                     Sub-regional activities;

·                     Activities between Council of Europe member states and partners from neighbouring regions

·                     Practical co-operation activities with ISESCO in the cultural field

·                     Inviting the participation of foundations and key businesses

·                     Extension to partners interested in the expansion of existing bilateral projects.

·                     Organising with a follow-up working meeting to the Baku Conference with high officials and other interested parties in 2009 to elaborate projects and monitor action

·                     Proposing a Conference for Ministers of Culture in 2010 to evaluate the preliminary outcomes of the Baku Conference (2008) and agree priorities for future action, in order to maintain the momentum of the process

Appendix 1

The Council of Europe fact sheet

Founded in 1949, the Council of Europe seeks to develop throughout Europe common and democratic principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights and other reference texts on the protection of individuals.

The Council of Europe has a genuine pan-European dimension. It has currently 47 member states[15] and one applicant country (Belarus). Observer states are the Holy See, the United States, Canada, Japan and Mexico.

The aims of the Council of Europe are:

·           to protect human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law

·           to promote awareness and encourage the development of Europe's cultural identity and diversity

·           to find common solutions to the challenges facing European society: such as discrimination against minorities, xenophobia, intolerance, bioethics and cloning, terrorism, trafficking in human beings, organised crime and corruption, cyber crime, violence against children

·           to consolidate democratic stability in Europe by backing political, legislative and constitutional reform.

The current Council of Europe's political mandate was defined by the Third Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in Warsaw in May 2005.

 
The main component parts of the Council of Europe are:

·           the Committee of Ministers, the Organisation's decision-making body, composed of the 47 Foreign Ministers or their Strasbourg-based deputies (Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives);

·           the Parliamentary Assembly, driving force for European co-operation, grouping 636 members (318 representatives and 318 substitutes) from the 47 national parliaments;

·           the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the voice of Europe's regions and municipalities, composed of a Chamber of Local Authorities and a Chamber of Regions;

·           the Secretariat recruited from member states, headed by a Secretary General (elected by the Parliamentary Assembly). The Secretariat is organised in Directorates General (among them Directorate General IV, dealing with education, culture and heritage, youth and sport) and Directorates.

For further details see www.coe.int 

Appendix 2

Bibliographical References

ALECSO and Dialogue among Cultures: Frame of Reference, Achievements and Strategic Prospects. Tunis 2005

ALECSO: The Abu Dhabi Declaration on the Arab Position on Dialogue and Diversity: Dialogue with the Other – Rationale and Principles (Abu Dhabi, 7 January 2006), in: UNESCO, Dialogue among Civilizations. Paris 2007, pp. 105-112

Alliance of Civilizations: Report of the High Level Group (New York, United Nations, 13 November 2006)

Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation and Arab League High Level Expert Group: ‘Overcoming Major Misconceptions in Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue’ (Cairo, 15-16 October 2006), in: UNESCO, Dialogue among Civilizations. Paris 2007, pp. 163-165

Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation and Roberto Cimetta Fund: Towards a comprehensive strategy for mobility in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Paris, September 2006

Cimetta Fund: Study on Mobility of Artists in the Southern Mediterranean. Final Report December 2007 (French). Study undertaken by the Roberto Cimetta Fund in conjunction with the Council of Europe, the European Cultural Foundation and UNESCO. 2007

Council of Europe: Compendium: Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe. 8^th edition 2007 (www.culturalpolicies.net)

Council of Europe: Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2000)

Council of Europe: European Cultural Convention (1954)

Council of Europe: Faro Declaration on the Council of Europe’s Strategy for Developing Intercultural dialogue (2005)

Council of Europe: Opatja Declaration on Intercultural dialogue and Conflict Prevention (2003)

Council of Europe: Report by the independent Task Force on Cultural Policies for Development ‘In from the Margins’ (Strasbourg 1997)

Council of Europe White Paper on Intercultural dialogue: ‘Living Together as Equals in Dignity’ (2008)

Derrida, Jacques: Hospitality, in: Lasse Thomassen, Ed., The Derrida-Habermas Reader, Edinburgh 2006,pp. 208-230 (original French, 1999)

EC/Commission of the European Communities: Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a European Agenda for Culture in a Globalizing World. Document SEC (2007) 570 COM (2007) 242 final, Brussels, 10.05.2007

ERICarts 2008: Sharing Diversity. Report to the European Commission on Intercultural dialogue in EU and candidate countries (Brussels, EricArts project group, March 2008)

EUMC (European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia): Report ‘Racism and cultural diversity in the media’, led by Jessika ter Wal. Vienna 2001

Euro-Arab Task Force of National Commissions for UNESCO, ALECSO, and ISESCO (2004): ‘The Euro-Arab Dialogue ‘Learning to Live Together’ – an inter-regional strategy’. Report by Fatma Tarhouni and Traugott Schoefthaler, in: UNESCO-IBE, Prospects 23, no. 4, 2004

Euro-Med Non-Governmental Platform and Euro-Med Forum of Cultures (FEMEC): Conclusions and Recommendations to the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Culture, Athens, 29-30 May 2008; Euro-Med Forum of Arts for Peace, Bari, Italy, 23-25 May 2008.

Euro-Med Partnership: Agreed Conclusions of the third Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Culture, Athens, 29-30 May 2008 (Partenariat EuroMed, doc. de séance No. 139/08 en date du 30.05.2008)

EuroMeSCo: Barcelona Plus. Towards a Euro-Mediterranean Community of Democratic States. Lisbon 2005

European Cultural Foundation (ECF): An Alternative Gaze. A shared reflection on cross-Mediterranean co-operation in the arts (February 2008)

European Festivals Association (EFA): Declaration on Intercultural dialogue. Signed in Ljubljana 7 and 8 January 2008. (www.efa-aef.eu)

European Movement: Algiers Declaration for a Shared Vision of the Future. Adopted by the Civil Society Congress convened by the European Movement and its Mediterranean Committee, Comité Algérie, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Anna Lindh Foundation, Algiers 24 to 26 February 2006

Gadamer, Hans-Georg: Truth and Method. London 1975 (orig. German: 1960)

ISESCO: White Book on Dialogue among Civilizations. Rabat 2002

ISESCO: Islamic Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2004)

ISESCO: Tripoli Commitments on ‘Renewing cultural policies in the Islamic World and adapting them to international changes’. Adopted by the 5^th Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers, Tripoli 21-23 November 2007.

Non-Aligned Movement: Tehran Declaration and Programme of Action on Human Rights and Cultural Diversity, adopted at the NAM Ministerial Meeting in Tehran, 3 and 4 September 2007. New York: UN General Assembly document A/62/464

Prodi Grope des Sages: Dialogue between Peoples and Cultures in the Euro-Mediterranean Area. Report by the High-Level Advisory Group established at the initiative of the President of the European Commission. Brussels, October 2003

Rabat Commitment on Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations through concrete and sustainable initiatives (ALECSO, ISESCO, OIC, ALF, UNESCO, Council of Europe, DCCD).16 June 2005), in: UNESCO, Dialogue among Civilizations, Paris 2007, pp. 11-23

Rainbow Platform: Practice makes perfect, a learning framework for Intercultural dialogue. The Rainbow Paper from the Civil Society Platform for Intercultural dialogue. Brussels 7 January 2008.

Report by the World Commission on Culture and Development ‘Our Creative Diversity’ (Paris: UNESCO 1996)

Robins, Kevin: Final Report on cultural policy and cultural identities for the Council of Europe, Strasbourg March 2006

Schoefthaler, Traugott: Adventures in Diversity. New Avenues for the Dialogue between Cultures. Bonn: German Commission for UNESCO 2007

Sharing Diversity. Report to the European Commission on Intercultural dialogue in EU and candidate countries (Brussels, EricArts project group, March 2008)

UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003)

UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005)

UNESCO: Dialogue among Civilizations. International Conference: Fostering Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations through Concrete and Sustainable Initiatives. Rabat, Morocco, 14-16 June 2005. Paris 2007

UNESCO: Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies for Development: Action Plan adopted on 2 April 1998 in Stockholm

UNESCO: Medium-Term Strategy 2008-2013. Paris 2008, pp. 25-27 (‘Objective 4: Fostering cultural diversity, Intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace’)

UNESCO: New Stakes for Intercultural dialogue. Acts of the International Seminar Paris, 6 and 7 June 2006. Paris: UNESCO 2008

UNESCO: Recommendation Concerning the Status of the Artist (1980)

UNESCO: Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001)

UNESCO: World Congress on the Implementation of the Recommendation Concerning the Status of the Artist, Final Declaration (Paris 16-20 June 1997)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Human Development Report 2004: Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World. New York 2004

United Nations: Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations. Adopted by the UN General Assembly on 9 November 2001 (document A/Res/56/6)

World Commission on Culture and Development: Report ‘Our Creative Diversity’. UN/UNESCO 1996

World Economic Forum: Islam and the West. Annual Report on the State of Dialogue (January 2008)

Wulf, Christoph, Jacques Poulain, Fathi Triki (Eds.): The Arts in the Dialogue between Cultures. Europe and its Muslim Neighbours. Berlin 2007 (German); Paris 2008 (French); Rabat 2008 (Arabic)