Salient Points of the General Report of the Unesco Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies of Special Interest To Artists

Leonurdo, Vol. 5, pp. 73-76. PergamonPress 1972. Printed in Great Britain SALIENT POINTS OF THE GENERAL REPORT OF THE UNESCO INTERGOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE ON CULTURAL POLICIES OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO ARTISTS The Intergovernmental Conference on Institutional, Administrative and Financial Aspects of Cultural Policies was held by Unesco in Venice from 24 August to 2 September 1970. The purpose of the Conference was to examine, in particular, the following topics: the r81e of public authorities in defining and achieving the objectives of cultural development, the promotion and organization of cultural developmentby public authorities, research on cultural policies, international cultural cooperation and the role of Unesco in the field of cultural policies. The resolutions adopted by the Conference, its general report and the reports of the two Commissions that were established appear in the Final Report published by Unesco in Paris on 26 October 1970. Parts of the General Report of specialinterest to artists arepresented below. Introductorystatement 14. The Conference afforded striking evidence of the growing public awareness, everywhere, of the need to protect cultural values and invigorate cultural activities. Institutional, administrative and financial arrangements 15. It is increasingly realized that laissez-faire is no longer adequate to cope with these needs. Public financial support for culture grows although the rate of growth differs as between countries and isin manycasesstillinsufficient. Culturalneedsmay not, at first glance, appear as evident and pressing as some others, suchas health, education or welfare. Itis,therefore,necessarythat governmentsand other public authorities accept a clear responsibility for culture and formulate long-term policies. 16. Culture, then, closely follows the pattern set by education and science; no one any longer seriously questions the need for systematicplanning and long-term policies. 17. Present-dayinstitutional, administrativeand financial arrangements have to be considered in the broad context of social and technological changes in contemporary society. 18. Many delegations attempted to give a definition of culture, in order to enlarge and deepen this concept, which is obviously understood in different ways in different countries and parts of the world. While there is generalagreementthat the creative and performing arts fall within the definition of culture, some speakers felt that physical culture, open air activities and the particular ways and manners in which a society and its members expresstheir senseof beauty and harmony should be taken into account. It was also observed that science and technology are an integral part of contemporary culture. Cultural rights 20. The Conferencerecalled Article 27 (i) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which reads as follows: “Everyonehas the right freelyto participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.” 21. The Conference also unanimously endorsed the following view, expressed by the DirectorGeneral in his opening speech: “If everyone,as an essentialpart of his dignity asa man, has the right to share in the cultural heritage and cultural activitiesof the community ... -it follows that the authorities responsible for these comments have a duty, so far as their resources permit, to provide him with the means for such participation.’’ 22. It was on this wide agreementthat the Conference built its conclusions and recommendations. Basic social and economicfactors From the reflections and the vast amount of information submitted to the Conference by the participating delegations, it is possible to deduce some of the basic social and economicfactors which affect the cultural policies of nations. 24. In the technologically advanced countries the increasein leisure time and the rise in the educational level of the population are creating vast new possibilities for cultural activities. 25. The price that these countries are paying for their technological and economic advance is a 23. 73 14 Salient Points of the General Report ojthe Unesco Intergovernmental Conference growing threat to their social and natural environment -not only their inherited monuments and sites but also the possibility of harmoniously developing their urban and rural communities. There is a further threat in the intensive commercial exploitation of new technologies of communication which may render many existing cultural institutions and patterns obsolete and lead to the predominance of a commercial and cosmopolitan mass culture. The economic r61e of the travel industry is rapidly growing. Travellers are attracted by monuments , sites...