International Cultural Policy Conference
Thursday 5th October
The Compendium of Cultural Policies & Trends, in collaboration with Arts Council Malta, is pleased to announce the upcoming International Cultural Policy Conference 2023 in Malta. The international cultural policy community is invited to engage in debates addressing the pertinent theme of “Right to Culture” on 5 October 2023.
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After the success of the last International Cultural Policy Conference in Bucharest, the organisers look forward to more in-depth discussions and exchanges – this time with a stronger focus on interactive formats to include various perspectives from people with different backgrounds.
Conference Theme
The Right to Culture is a universal, inalienable and interdependent fundamental right that refers to the right of every human person and all peoples to participate in, contribute to and enjoy cultural life. This includes the freedom of individuals and groups to express, preserve, and develop their diverse cultural identities and traditions. It safeguards each person’s entitlement to develop and express their humanity through language, art, knowledge, values, and beliefs.
An ever-changing world and times of crisis challenge and influence art and culture, as well as cultural policy. Crises oftentimes correlate with intensified exclusion of marginalised and disadvantaged people. It is therefore of utter importance to protect and promote cultural diversity and accessibility, cultural democracy, and artistic freedom in order to protect each individual’s right to culture.
In this context, this year's programme of the International Conference on Cultural Policy will focus on the theme of the “Right to Culture”, as it is not only important to recognise that culture is a fundamental right, but also to discuss how we commit to advocating for a universally accessible Right to Culture in the future.
It is essential to look more closely at this point in time how the cultural sector and cultural policy are dealing with issues pertaining to the principles of cultural rights or how they address related challenges and opportunities in the near future.
The organisers have therefore put together a programme of speakers and experts from different cultural and national backgrounds, as well as artists who have struggled to express their art freely, in order to shed light on diverse perspectives and bring together people from different fields.
Any questions regarding the International Cultural Policy Conference should be addressed to hello.acm@artscouncil.mt