The Tracker Culture & Public Policy
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The CULTURE Tracker & PUBLIC POLICY SPECIAL ISSUE A P R I L 2 0 2 1 This monthly Tracker is produced by UNESCO to monitor culture in public policy with regards to the UN Sustainable Development Agenda. It highlights developments within national and regional contexts, as well as emerging debates on culture's contribution to sustainable development. Drawing on a variety of sources, it provides a broad overview of cultural policy trends worldwide at the national, regional and international level and looks at ways in which countries integrate culture into other policy areas. CULTURAL POLICY HIGHLIGHTS CUTTING EDGE CONTENTS REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES CULTURE IN UN COVID-19 RESPONSE FIND OUT MORE CULTURE: A YEAR INTO COVID-19 Pataxó indigenous community Bahia (Brazil) Brastock/Shutterstock* MESSAGE FROM ERNESTO OTTONE R. ASSISTANT-DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR CULTURE OF UNESCO t has been one year since COVID-19 was I declared a pandemic. It catalysed a year marked by the escalation of a crisis of devastating proportions, impacting heritage and the creative industries, and exacerbating the vulnerabilities and inequalities of the sector at large. Since then, museums, cultural venues and World Heritage sites have been deeply affected by travel restrictions, lockdowns and physical distancing measures, which have impacted entire communities around the world. Artists and cultural workers are among those who have been – and continue to be – heavily affected by the restrictions and lockdowns. Many freelance workers, the lifeblood of many areas of culture, have been left without work from one day to the next. At the outset of the pandemic, UNESCO took decisive steps to combat the impact on the culture sector through strengthening global policy dialogue and promoting the continued access to culture. In April last year, when UNESCO convened 130 ministers of culture in an online meeting to discuss the pandemic’s impact on the sector, it activated and laid down the foundations for an ongoing global policy dialogue with its Member States to carry forward consolidated action in ensuring the sector is supported in crisis response strategies. Monitoring the impact of the pandemic has been essential to gauge the needs and gaps, and help Member States in shaping appropriate policies. This is also why UNESCO mobilized a broad network of actors within the scope of its work in culture to better understand the situation in order to develop adequate responses. UNESCO launched a wide range of monitoring tools to guide policymakers and practitioners in the various dimensions of cultural policies. This Tracker on Culture and Public Policy was initially published last April as a weekly global policy monitor and later consolidated into a monthly format beginning in September 2020. The past year has seen each of UNESCO’s Culture Conventions and programmes develop unique monitoring mechanisms to track the impact of the pandemic, ranging from monitoring World Heritage site closures, to carrying out surveys amongst Member States, site managers, living heritage bearers, and local authorities, among others. 2 Since UNESCO's Resiliart movement was launched last April, it has boosted the voices of countless artists and cultural professionals around the world to raise awareness about their first-hand experiences in order to inform policy. The Organization’s regional partners and regional development banks have also been instrumental in supporting this work on the ground, where it is needed most. We know what is at stake, which is why we are resolute in advocating for the integration of culture in recovery strategies and plans. The pandemic has shone a light on the vital contribution of culture to the full development of our societies While the year paints a picture of a sector that has struggled to survive in the face of huge financial strain, culture remains resilient and adaptable. Today, is this creativity, innovation and resilience that is also helping to keep our sector afloat. The pandemic has shone a light on the vital contribution of culture to the full development of our societies, and how it has adapted to changing circumstances. COVID-19 will leave its mark on how we operate both as a sector and as an Organization. It is also an occasion to look forward, and decide what steps are needed to move towards a more resilient and sustainable culture sector. Turning the page into a second year of the pandemic, our experiences have shown that we cannot continue in the same way as before. It is an opportunity to build back better. UNESCO Online Meeting of Ministers of Culture, April 2020 UNESCO 3 FACTS & FIGURES Over the past year 35% decline in artists' royalties (CISAC) 61% Swati H Das/Unsplash of global art fairs of artists considered cancelled leaving the culture sector (Art Basel and UBS) 12% (Res Artis and UCL) 72% loss in global film industry 20% of major film revenue (US$32 billion) (Omdia) festivals cancelled (Screendaily) Felix Mooneeram/Unsplash 64% decrease in global live music revenue (US$18 billion) (PwC) 60 to estimated drop in royalties from concerts, venues and 80% public performances (CISAC) Maxwell Collins/Unsplash 4 FACTS & FIGURES WORLD HERITAGE Itsukushima Shinto Shrine (Japan) SITE CLOSURES Alexander Schimmeck/unsplash APRIL APRIL 89% 2020 2021 50% of countries of countries Tourism accounts for almost 30% 87% fall in international tourist arrivals of the GDP of SIDS in January 2021 as compared to (WTTC) January 2020 (UNWTO) 70% Only 5% decrease in museum of museums in Africa attendance and SIDS can provide (UNESCO) online content (UNESCO) Patrick Robert Doyle/Unsplash 243 MILLION women and girls, aged 15-49, experienced 8.7% sexual and/or physical violence by an intimate partner in the past year rise in youth unemployment SINCE THE PANDEMIC (more than double the adult rate) violence against women, (ILO) especially domestic violence, has intensified (UN Women) 5 Focus on... Local Indigenous Gender Small Island & Urban Peoples Equality Developing States (SIDS) CULTURAL POLICY HIGHLIGHTS This section showcases a selection of the latest developments in cultural public policy from UNESCO Member States. Whilst reactive measures to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cultural sector are expected to largely guide cultural public policies throughout 2021, there are positive signs that countries and cities are transitioning from recovery measures to longer term strategies to build resilience in their cultural sectors. The Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia has issued a set of guidelines for the acquisition of art by Saudi artists aimed at government agencies and institutions. The guide supports efforts in creating a national art market, promotes intellectual property rights and strengthens relations between artists and buyers. Said Alamri/Unsplash The Ministry of Culture of France has In Japan, the Working Group for Art Market launched the Art History portal on its website, Revitalization has published a report on which hosts 5,000 free resources from over reigniting the art market in the country and its 400 partners and covers 20 different fields of future policy direction. The report is the art. The site aims to offer open access to outcome of discussions held over the past resources for educators and the general couple of months as part of the Cultural Policy public alike. Committee of the Council for Cultural Affairs. In Colombia, COP 80 billion (US$22.1 million) have been earmarked for 2021 to support over 3,000 artists, cultural managers and creators, in particular, senior citizens. The funding is part of the Periodic Economic Benefits BEPS programme administered by local authorities, which has already channeled more than 190 billion pesos (US$51.1 million), benefiting some 8,000 cultural workers. Michael Barón/Unsplash Milos Hajder/Unsplash In Nigeria, the Afro-Brazilian Cultural Centre in Lagos Island was unveiled, representing a move forward in recognizing Nigeria’s 100 years connection with Brazil through cultural tourism. The Centre aims to safeguard the narratives of Afro-Brazilian descendants, and build positive relationships with the government and the people of Brazil. 6 CULTURAL POLICY HIGHLIGHTS The Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism of Burkina Faso launched on 8 April the fifth edition of the Festival of Dance and Traditional Music of Colsama (FESTICO) in Bobo- Dioulasso. Held under the theme "Contribution of cultural actors to the promotion of cultural industries in a context of insecurity and COVID-19", the week-long festival was an occasion to showcase the resilience and solidarity of the cultural sector one year into the pandemic. Balafon, RheaFavero/Getty Images from Canva.com* In the United Kingdom, The Big Freelancer Report has been launched, which charts the challenges faced by the freelance workforce since the beginning of the pandemic and makes recommendations for change. The report was developed by an independent group of creators, supported by Freelancers Make Theatre Work and funded by Arts Council England. Spencer Imbrock/Unsplash In Kazakhstan, the Shanyrak National Arts In Lebanon, the French Institute and the Basil Centre has opened in the town of Tobol, Fuleihan Institute for Economy and Finance representing the first-ever art centre to be have published the study "The Economic established in the Kostanai region. The Contribution of the Cultural and Creative aim of the Centre is to promote Kazakh art Industries in Lebanon". It concludes that the in the region, particularly the creative cultural sector constitutes 4.7% of GDP, valuing achievements of traditional musicians and over US$2 billion, and puts forward singers, such as zhyrshy and kuyshi. recommendations for its future development in Lebanon. The Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Chile has stepped up efforts to reactivate the heritage sector by announcing a CLP 9 billion (US$12.9 million) funding injection for museums, libraries, World Heritage sites and organizations for the safeguarding of tangible and living heritage.