Mr Themba Wakashe

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POST RATIFICATION STRATEGY
Convention on the Protection and Promotion of
the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

• Mr Themba Wakashe
• Director-General
• Department of Arts and Culture

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BRIEF BACKGROUND

• In 2001, INCP Ministers of Culture agreed to make
  a submission to UNESCO as the UNs cultural body
  to develop a legal instrument on Cultural
  Diversity.
• The UNESCO Convention is a legally-binding treaty
  that will confirm the right of States to
  intervene in the cultural market. It is meant to
  give States the possibility to take measures they
  deem necessary for the protection and promotion
  of the flourishing of the diversity of artistic
  expressions.
• One of the purposes of the Convention is to
  prevent cultural life from being dominated by
  only a few players and to give consumers the
  possibility to choose from among the broad range
  of expressions that artists create and perform.
• On 20 October 2005, the UNESCO General Conference
  adopted the Convention on the Protection and
  Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

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INTRODUCTION

• South Africa is a member of UNESCO and the
  Department of Education is the lead department.
• South Africa serves on the Executive Board of
  UNESCO.
• The SA Ambassador to Paris, is also the SA
  permanent delegate to UNESCO.
• The SA National Commission for UNESCO, has a
  commission for Culture, that looks at the Arts
  and Culture Sector. The International Chief
  Director at DAC is appointed as Ex-officio
  Commissioner for Culture and serves on the
  Commission.
• South Africa plays an active role at UNESCO
  through the Africa Group, especially for lobbying
  support for promoting AU and NEPAD objectives.

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SA / UNESCO

• South Africa ratified the Convention on Cultural
  Diversity in December 2006 and was the 37th
  Country to deposit the instrument at UNESCO.
• The Convention came into force on the 18th of
  March 2007.
• South Africa was elected to Chair the 1st
  Conference of Parties (COP) in June 2007, under
  the chairmanship of Prof. Kader Asmal.
• At the 1st COP meeting, SA was elected to serve
  on the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) of the
  Convention for 4 years.
• The 1st Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) met in
  Canada in December 2007 and South Africa
  participated in the meeting.

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1st IGC ON THE CONVENTION

• The implications for South Africa as a member of
  the IGC are as follows
• - To develop the operational guidelines for the
  Convention
• - To establish an international fund for
  Cultural Diversity as per the provisions of the
  Convention
• - To identify new arrangements for International
  Cooperation
• - To ensure the participation of Civil Society
  in the implementation of the Convention and
• - To develop a post ratification strategy for
  the implementation of the provisions of the
  Convention

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POST RATIFICATION STRATEGY

• Review and update our national legislative
  framework to ensure alignment where there may be
  inconsistencies.
• Planned workshops nationally with all tiers of
  government to promote the Convention on Cultural
  Diversity and to encourage their active
  participation to achieve the objectives of the
  Convention.
• Planned workshops nationally with Civil Society.
  The effectiveness of the role of Civil Society
  will depend on its ability to obtain information
  from government about the measures planned to
  protect and promote cultural diversity, both
  nationally and internationally.
• Planned workshops with implementation agencies
  and associated institutions. The focus will be to
  align projects and programmes to promote cultural
  diversity and to protect and promote cultural
  expressions.

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POST RATIFICATION STRATEGY

• Create a media plan and enhance relations with
  SABC to create broader public awareness and to
  facilitate information sharing and exchange.
• Develop a work plan with various disability
  agencies that deal with cultural practitioners
  (Office of the Presidency Dept. of Social
  Development).
• Formulate a work plan with all provinces that
  have a large rural coverage and develop a
  database of all rurally based cultural
  practitioners e.g. Noria Mabasa and assessing
  infrastructure needs.

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POST RATIFICATION STRATEGY

• Prepare a report and provide information to
  UNESCO every four years on the measures taken to
  protect and promote the diversity of cultural
  expressions in South Africa.
• DAC to set up a national steering committee that
  will monitor and implement the post ratification
  strategy on the Convention. The steering
  committee will be made up of representatives from
  both government and civil society.
• Support from the people is important for the
  Convention to work. We need to induce active
  participation and support from NGOs, civil
  society and the mass media. These groups in
  particular should play a major role in
  disseminating the meaning and principles of the
  Convention to minority cultures at every level
  and in every genre.

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MAJOR POST RATIFICATION MEETINGS

• The following sessions for members of the
  Intergovernmental Committee on the Convention has
  been scheduled
• June 2008
• Extra-ordinary session at UNESCO. To discuss the
  draft guidelines on the use of the resources of
  the international fund for Cultural Diversity.
• December 2008
• 2nd Ordinary Session at UNESCO. To discuss the
  operational guidelines in conjunction with the
  use of the resources for the fund.

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ThankYou