UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural

Diversity
The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity is a
declaration adopted unanimously by the General Conference of the
UNESCO Universal
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Declaration on Cultural
(UNESCO) at its thirty-first session on 2 November 2001. It [2] Diversity
calls on nations and institutions to work together for the Created 2 November 2001
preservation of culture in all its forms, and for policies that help to Location UNeDocs[1]
share ideas across cultures and inspire new forms of creativity. It
interprets "culture" in a broad sense and connects the preservation Purpose Cultural diversity
of culture to central issues of human rights. It defines a role for
UNESCO as a space in which different institutions can develop ideas on cultural diversity, which has been
a theme of many of UNESCO's activities in the years since. The primary audience of the declaration is
UNESCO's member states as well as international and non-governmental bodies, but other organisations
and individuals have also been inspired by it.

Contents
Background
Content
Related activities
References
External links

Background
Writing of the declaration began in October 2000, at the request of Kōichirō Matsuura, Director-General
[3]
the UNESCO's Executive Board. The General Conference of 2 of UNESCO at the time the
November 2001 which adopted the declaration was the first declaration was adopted
ministerial-level UNESCO meeting to take place after the
September 11th attacks in the United States. In the words of
Director-General Kōichirō Matsuura, the declaration allowed states to react against the attacks, and
fundamentalism in general, by affirming "that intercultural dialogue is the best guarantee of peace" and
rejecting the idea of an inevitable clash of cultures. He named it as "one of the founding documents of the
new ethics promoted by UNESCO". The declaration spells out general principles that member states are
expected to implement, working with private and civil organisations. It was published with an outline
action plan listing various ways to promote cultural diversity.[4]

Content
The declaration defines "culture" as "the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional
features of society or a social group", noting that this includes lifestyles, value systems, traditions, and
beliefs in addition to creative works. Earlier UNESCO documents had used "culture" to mean
masterpieces; around the time of this declaration, UNESCO started using "culture" in a broader way that
matches its use in anthropology.[5] The declaration contains twelve articles.[2]

Article 1 states that "as a source of exchange, innovation and creativity, cultural diversity is
as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature. In this sense, it is the common
heritage of humanity and should be recognized and affirmed for the benefit of present and
future generations."
Article 2 identifies cultural pluralism ("policies for the inclusion and participation of all
citizens") as a policy response to, and promoter of, cultural diversity.
Article 3 identifies cultural diversity as one of the roots of development, where
"development" means individual flourishing as well as the growth of an economy.
Article 4 specifies that cultural diversity may not infringe upon human rights guaranteed by
international law.
Article 5 affirms linguistic rights as cultural rights in accordance with International Bill of
Human Rights.
Article 6 affirms the freedom of expression, media pluralism and multilingualism.
Article 7 calls for "heritage in all its forms [to] be preserved, enhanced and handed on to
future generations" to support creativity and inter-cultural dialogue.
Article 8 asks that cultural goods "must not be treated as mere commodities" but must be
recognised as bearers of values and meaning.
Article 9 calls on each state to "create conditions conducive to the production and
dissemination of diversified cultural goods" with appropriate policies.
Article 10 calls for international cooperation so that developing and transitional countries
can build viable cultural industries.
Article 11 affirms the importance of public policy and of partnerships between private, public,
and civil institutions, given that market forces alone cannot protect cultural diversity.
Article 12 defines the role of UNESCO: to incorporate the principles of the declaration in
other international bodies, and to act as a forum in which many kinds of organisation can
develop ideas and policies in support of cultural diversity.

The action plan connects cultural diversity to human rights more explicitly than the cautious language of the
articles. It mentions linguistic diversity, free expression, the protection of indigenous languages and
knowledge, and the free movement of people.[5]

Related activities
Other UNESCO activities since 2001 continue the theme of protecting and promoting cultural diversity.
These include the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural
Expressions; the 2018 Recommendation concerning the Protection and Promotion of Museums and
Collections, their Diversity and their Role in Society; and the designation of 2019 as the International Year
of Indigenous Languages.[6] The 2005 convention builds on the 2001 declaration by naming linguistic
diversity as a fundamental part of cultural diversity and stating that cultural diversity depends on the free
flow of ideas.[7] UNESCO made a submission to a 2002 UN report on Human Rights and Cultural
Diversity, quoting part of the declaration to emphasise that cultural diversity must not be used to infringe the
rights of minorities and that cultural diversity requires the protection of individual freedoms.[8] In
September 2002, the Johannesburg Declaration identified "our rich diversity" as a strength that should be
used to achieve sustainable development.[3] A 2003 United Nations resolution named 21 May as the World
Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, which continues to be celebrated,[9] and 2021
was designated the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development.[10]

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the declaration in 2011, the then UNESCO Director-General Irina
Bokova called a special session of the General Conference to discuss progress and announced "Open
UNESCO", a permanent interactive exhibition at the organisation's headquarters in Paris.[11][12] For the
declaration's 20th anniversary, an official book was published by the Khalili Foundation, featuring essays
on cultural diversity by artists, intellectuals, and leaders. UNESCO Assistant Director-General Ernesto
Ottone called for the international community to "create or strengthen social protection of artists, cultural
professionals and heritage practitioners as core actors creating and safeguarding [...] cultural diversity
around the world."[6] Organisations whose leaders said they were influenced by the declaration included
the Commonwealth of Nations, the International Labour Organization, the Caribbean Community,
Europeana, and the Prince's Trust.[13][14][15][16][17] UNESCO also scheduled a World Conference on
Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development for September 2022 in Mexico.[6][18]

The composer and conductor Daniel Barenboim is one of the public figures who identifies the declaration
as an inspiration: "Each and every one of us has his or her own responsibility to foster these values in his of
her area of action." Barenboim leads the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra — composed of musicians from
Israel, the Palestinian territories and Arab countries — which has been designated a UN Global Advocate
for Cultural Understanding.[19] Sumi Jo, the South Korean soprano and UNESCO Artist for Peace, says
she was inspired by UNESCO's commitment to cultural diversity to use her singing to bring together
different cultures.[20]

References
1. "UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity" (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/482
23/pf0000128347). unesdoc.unesco.org. 2002. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
2. "Universal Declaration of Cultural Diversity" (https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanis
ms/instruments/universal-declaration-cultural-diversity). Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner of Human Rights. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
3. Langfield, Michele; Logan, William; Craith, Mairead Nic (2009). "Intersecting concepts and
practices". Cultural Diversity, Heritage and Human Rights: Intersections in Theory and
Practice (https://books.google.com/books?id=sjaMAgAAQBAJ). Routledge. p. 7. ISBN 978-
1-135-19070-5.
4. Matsuura, Kōichirō (2002). "Cultural Diversity: a Vision". In Stenou, Katérina (ed.). UNESCO
Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity: a vision, a conceptual platform, a pool of ideas
for implementation, a new paradigm (Cultural Diversity Series No. 1) (https://unesdoc.unesc
o.org/ark:/48223/pf0000127162). UNESCO. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
5. Stamatopoulou, Elsa (2007). Cultural Rights in International Law: Article 27 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and Beyond (https://books.google.com/books?id=yDD_ssy97
Q4C). Leiden: BRILL. pp. 77–79. ISBN 978-90-04-15752-1.
6. Ottone, Ernesto (2021). "Foreword". UNESCO The Universal Declaration on Cultural
Diversity: Marking the 20th Anniversary. London: Khalili Foundation. pp. 13–15. ISBN 978-
1-3999-1149-8.
7. UNESCO (2009). Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue (https://books.goo
gle.com/books?id=KUU8HV3ruX8C). UNESCO. p. 30. ISBN 978-92-3-104077-1.
8. Stamatopoulou, Elsa (2007). Cultural Rights in International Law: Article 27 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and Beyond (https://books.google.com/books?id=yDD_ssy97
Q4C). Leiden: BRILL. p. 72. ISBN 978-90-04-15752-1.
 9. "World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development" (https://www.un.org/en/obs
ervances/cultural-diversity-day). United Nations. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
10. Guterres, António (2021). "Special message". UNESCO The Universal Declaration on
Cultural Diversity: Marking the 20th Anniversary. London: Khalili Foundation. p. 12.
ISBN 978-1-3999-1149-8.
11. Bokova, Irina (13 July 2011). "Celebration of the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the
UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity" (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/4822
3/pf0000193892). unesdoc.unesco.org. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
12. Bokova, Irina (2 November 2011). "Address by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO
on the occasion of the Special Plenary Session of the 36th General Conference for the
Celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity;
UNESCO, 2 November 2011" (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000213794).
unesdoc.unesco.org. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
13. Scotland, Baroness Patricia (2021). "Harnessing a commonwealth of culture". UNESCO
The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity: Marking the 20th Anniversary. London:
Khalili Foundation. pp. 120–121. ISBN 978-1-3999-1149-8.
14. Ryder, Guy (2021). "Valuing diversity in building a human-centred recovery". UNESCO The
Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity: Marking the 20th Anniversary. London: Khalili
Foundation. pp. 124–125. ISBN 978-1-3999-1149-8.
15. Barnett, Carla (2021). "Caribbean culture: A regional perspective". UNESCO The Universal
Declaration on Cultural Diversity: Marking the 20th Anniversary. London: Khalili Foundation.
pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-1-3999-1149-8.
16. Verwayen, Harry (2021). "Sharing and promoting Europe's cultural diversity online".
UNESCO The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity: Marking the 20th Anniversary.
London: Khalili Foundation. pp. 108–109. ISBN 978-1-3999-1149-8.
17. Townsend, Jonathan (2021). "Supporting young global citizens". UNESCO The Universal
Declaration on Cultural Diversity: Marking the 20th Anniversary. London: Khalili Foundation.
pp. 132–133. ISBN 978-1-3999-1149-8.
18. "MONDIACULT 2022 | UNESCO" (https://www.unesco.org/en/mondiacult2022).
www.unesco.org. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
19. Barenboim, Daniel (2021). "Music as a shared, lived and reflected practice". UNESCO The
Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity: Marking the 20th Anniversary. London: Khalili
Foundation. pp. 75–78. ISBN 978-1-3999-1149-8.
20. Jo, Sumi (2021). "A soprano's song to the world". UNESCO The Universal Declaration on
Cultural Diversity: Marking the 20th Anniversary. London: Khalili Foundation. pp. 84–85.
ISBN 978-1-3999-1149-8.

External links
Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf000012
7160) in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

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