Status of the Artist was first used in a process launched by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that culminated in 1980 in Belgrade, when the General Conference adopted the Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist.

The 2010 Update was written by Garry Neil and published by the Canadian Conference of the Arts.

In the wake of the UNESCO Recommendation and the Canadian studies, artists in Canada and globally had been anticipating the introduction of concrete measures and programs that would improve their social and economic circumstances. It is fair to say there is profound disappointment about the slow pace of developments in virtually every country. On the 30th Anniversary of the Recommendation, the International Federation of Actors (FIA), which
represents more than 100 performer unions from around the world, and the International Federation of Musicians (FIM), which represents 65 musician unions, guilds and association from every continent, joined together to issue a Manifesto on the Status of the Artist^*.

The Manifesto calls for the following:
• New legal and institutional frameworks geared towards the atypical situation of performing artists.
• A core of employment rights for performing artists.
• Better coordination and clear information to facilitate mobility.
• Strong intellectual property protection for performing artists.
• Involvement of performing artists in decision‐making.

* The Manifesto can be found at http://www.fia-actors.com/uploads/manifesto_EN.pdf.

http://www.ccarts.ca/en/advocacy/bulletins/2010/documents/StatusoftheArtistReport.pdf