2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression Quadrennial Periodic Report 2016-2019 - United Arab Emirates General Information Describe the multi-stakeholder consultation process established for the preparation of this report, including consultations with relevant ministries, public institutions, local governments and civil society organizations Official letters were sent to 103 stakeholders including federal and local governments, private and public institutions and civil society organizations, inviting them to appoint a focal point within their organizations who can work with the UAE National Commission to prepare the UAE’s QPR for the period 2016-2019. One-on-one meetings were held with each stakeholder to discuss the objectives of the report and address any questions regarding the report. All stakeholders provided their input to the report in writing. In many cases, multiple follow up phone calls and meetings were held with stakeholders to further refine the responses. Further, the National Commission team conducted extensive desk research to find examples of good practices. The responses from stakeholders were studied, and together with the results of the desk research served to shape the report as seen below. The UAE National Commission has had to edit, paraphrase, summarize, and supplement some information submitted by partners to ensure a holistic narrative, accuracy, readability, and suitability for the purposes of this report. Furthermore, it must be noted that the information provided in the report is a reflection of the data available at the time of writing and that, in some cases, what is included in this report may be adapted, refocused or amended. 1 Executive Summary The objectives of the UAE’s cultural policies are to enrich the cultural ecosystem, develop an integrated system that contributes to the economy, support the creation of cultural jobs and businesses, and provide cultural services and programs that have a strong and sustainable impact for all individuals. The UAE Culture Agenda 2031, launched in 2019, aims to enhance cooperation with all stakeholders in the cultural field and to define roles and responsibilities, as well as to avoid duplication and to ensure integration of roles. It serves as an essential step to support and integrate efforts in key sectors such as education, economy, foreign affairs, environment, creative industries, and community development, among others. Culture and Creative Industries (CCI) is a new concept around the world, and the strongest CCI strategies were issued between 2010 and 2015. The UAE officially incorporated the terminology in 2018 in the UAE Culture Agenda 2031 and is in the final stages of developing a national CCI strategy. Local authorities have made headway in developing local CCI strategies. For the UAE, policy making in culture is new, it started in 2019 when the Ministry of Culture and Youth was restructured, introducing a radical shift in its role to be a regulator and policymaker of the cultural sector in the UAE, a role much called for by organizations and individuals in the country. As reflected in the UAE’s report, policy comes in many forms including laws, funding, investments, creating spaces, among others. The UAE report used the approach of complex entries, grouping policies, measures and initiatives in themes to create a narrative for the cultural ecosystem of the UAE. When a policy or measure is being implemented by many stakeholders, an effort is made to show the contribution of as many partners as possible. This approach is important as it reflects the realities on the ground, when many partners contribute to the realization of the UAE’s cultural objectives. It must be noted, however, that there is sometimes overlap and repetition across the entries as the template of the report divides entries into sections, but initiatives sometimes are formed to serve multiple goals at the same time. Therefore, when an initiative serves different goals, it is included again to highlight its contribution to each goal. Further, while the report template requires a yes or no answer as to whether the measures and policies specifically target youth, the reality is that in many cases youth are one of a number of groups specifically targeted and therefore both yes and no will reflect this. What has been reported here is not exhaustive, as the UAE has achieved much in the cultural sector over the years and there are many committed players that contribute to creating a multidimensional ecosystem. It is, however, an attempt at addressing the various elements that relate to the 2005 Convention. In this regard, the UAE report includes measures which began before 2016 but were not previously reported, or which have reached a higher level of maturity and had an impact on the cultural ecosystem in the period after 2016. 2 The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the international narrative and the cultural sector in the UAE has had to reorder its priorities over the next few years to ensure sustainability and continuity. A few initiatives are considered an absolute priority now, and they include assessment of the IP system and its impact on the creative sector, policy and regulations that support freelancers and workers in the creative sector, and ensuring a sustainable and diverse funding framework to support the creative sector. In addition, the cultural industry will have to examine the role of virtual spaces and their use as a means of enriching experiences in physical spaces. The shift to online programing because of the pandemic has allowed conversations and experiences to be more inclusive and diverse, presenting at once an opportunity and challenge to ensure continuity beyond the period of lock-down. It has also called for the formation of a better understanding of the digital cultural economy and the protections and support required to allow it to flourish. 3 Goal 1 Culture and Creative Sector Key Questions 1. A Ministry (or agency with ministerial status) is responsible for cultural and creative sectors: Yes ☐ No 2. Regional, provincial or local governments or administrations have decentralized responsibilities for policies and measures promoting the cultural and creative sectors: Yes ☐ No 3. Regulatory frameworks and sector specific laws, policies and/or strategies supporting the cultural and creative industries have been revised or adopted during the last 4 years. Yes ☐ No If yes, has at least one of them been designed through interministerial cooperation (involving different departments responsible for policy areas, such as communication, education, ICT, trade, foreign affairs, labor, finance): Yes ☐ No 4. Specific education and training programmes in the arts and the cultural and creative sectors are established, including: Digital literacy programmes for creation and experimentation Technical and vocational education and training programmes in: Cinema/Audiovisual arts Design Media arts Music Performing arts Publishing Visual arts ☐Cultural management Tertiary and university education degrees in: Cinema/Audiovisual arts Design Media arts Music Performing arts ☐ Publishing Visual arts Cultural management 5. Specific measures and programmes have been implemented over the last 4 years to: Support job creation in the cultural and creative sectors 4 Encourage the formalization and growth of the micro/small and medium-sized cultural enterprises 6. Statistical offices or research bodies have produced data during the last 4 years: related to cultural and creative sectors evaluating cultural policies Statistics Share of cultural and creative sectors in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (in USD) Please provide whenever possible disaggregated data by sector Share of employment in the cultural and creative Please provide whenever possible disaggregated data by sector, age, sex and type of employment. Total public budget for culture (in USD) Please provide whenever possible the share allocated by cultural sectors/domains (in %) 5 Measure 1 Name of policy/measure: Restructuring of Ministry of Culture Name of agency responsible: UAE Government Cultural domains covered by the Policy/measure: cinema/audio arts; design; media arts; music; publishing; visual arts; performing arts; cultural and creative sectors. Website: www.mckd.gov.ae Describe main features of the policy/measure After a series of assessments, consultations, and best practice studies in 2017 and 2018, the Ministry of Culture was restructured in January 2019. There was a radical shift in the role of the Ministry in this restructuring, as the Ministry used to implement programs and initiatives across the country, this led to duplications with the mandate and role of many local cultural authorities. Furthermore, there was a clear absence for cultural policymaking at the federal level in the UAE. 2019 marked a transition for the Ministry of Culture to be a regulator and policymaker of the cultural sector in the UAE, a role much called for by organizations and individuals in the country. Furthermore, a sector responsible for the cultural and creative industries was established in the Ministry as a result of the 2019 restructuring. For the first time, ensuring greater economic impact of culture on the UAE GDP has become priority and also nurturing jobs and SMEs in the cultural sector. In July 2020 the mandate of the Ministry of Culture was further broadened to include media and youth, now the Ministry of Culture and Youth. To ensure a wholistic framework