Recommendation Concerning the Status of the Artist Adopted by the General Conference of Unesco at Belgrade on 27 October 1980

Leonardo, Vol. 15, No.2, pp. 140-149, 1982. Pergamon Press Ltd. Printed in Great Britain. RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING THE STATUS OF THE ARTIST ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF UNESCO AT BELGRADE ON 27 OCTOBER 1980* The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, meeting in Belgrade from 23 September to 28 October 1980 at its twenty-first session, Recalling that, under the terms of Article 1 of its Constitution, the purpose of the Organization isto contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations, Recalling the terms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and particularly Articles 22, 23, 24, 25, 27 and 28 thereof, quoted in the annex to this Recommendation, Recalling the terms of the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, particularly its Articles 6 and 15, quoted in the annex to this Recommendation, and the need to adopt the necessary measures for the preservation, development and dissemination of culture, with a view to ensuring the full exercise of these rights, Recalling the Declaration of the Principles of International Cultural Co-operation, adopted by the General Conference of Unesco at its fourteenth session, particularly its Articles III and IV, which are quoted in the annex to this Recommendation, as well as the Recommendation on Participation by the People at Large in Cultural Life and their Contribution to it, adopted by the General Conference of Unesco at its nineteenth session, Recognizing that the arts in their fullest and broadest definition are and should be an integral part of life and that it is necessary and appropriate for governments to help create and sustain not only a climate encouraging freedom of artistic expression but also the material conditions facilitating the release of this creative talent, Recognizing that every artist is entitled to benefit effectively from the social security and insurance provisions contained in the basic texts, Declarations, Covenant and Recommendation mentioned above, Considering that the artist plays an important role in the life and evolution of society and that he should be given the opportunity to contributeto society's development and, as any other citizen, to exercise his responsibilities therein, while preserving his creative inspiration and freedom of expression, Further recognizing that the cultural, technological, economic, social and political development of society influences the status of the artist and that it is consequently necessary to review his status, taking account of social progress in the world, Affirming the right of the artist to be considered, if he so wishes, as a person actively engaged in cultural work and consequently to benefit, taking account of the particular conditions of his artistic profession, from all the legal, social and economic advantages pertaining to the status of workers, Affirming further the need to improve the social security, labour and tax conditions of the artist, whether employed or self-employed, taking into account the contribution to cultural development which the artist makes, Recalling the importance, universally acknowledged both nationally and internationally, of the preservation and promotion of cultural identity and of the role in this field of artists who perpetuate the practice of traditional arts and also interpret a nation's folklore, 'Also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish from Unesco, 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris. France. 140 141 Recommendation Concerning the Status of the Artist Recognizing that the vigour and vitality of the arts depend, inter alia, on the well-being of artists both individually and collectively, Recalling the conventions and recommendations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which have recognized the rights of workers in general and, hence, the rights of artists and, in particular, the conventions and recommendations listed in the appendix to this Recommendation, Taking note, however, that some of the International Labour Organisation standards allow for derogations or even expressly exclude artists, or certain categories of them, owing to the special conditions in which artistic...