IFACCA is delighted to present, From Symbolic Acknowledgement to Tangible Recognition: Pathways to harness the values of culture, its Dossier for MONDIACULT 2022 framing the collective response of our Members to the fast-evolving realities in which they strive to build a more sustainable and inclusive future for the cultural and creative sectors. The Dossier delineates the key values of culture; makes the case for activating and sustaining various pathways and actions to recognise these values; and presents a set of recommendations related to the issues faced by our National Members worldwide.
This Dossier has been prepared as an input for MONDIACULT 2022, recognising that the international community have a valuable opportunity at this historic meeting to identify concrete and viable solutions to ensure sustainable cultural and creative sectors worldwide, which are strengthened against potential future crises and well-integrated in the post-2030 agenda. This urgent call was conveyed by most IFACCA Members. As the Chair of IFACCA and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, Simon Brault, affirms, ‘Our sector needs to recover from the pandemic, but we should not go back to where we were before. The recovery must bring change and lead to a new reality which recognises that culture is as much a sector as it is a dimension of society’.
The Dossier, From Symbolic Acknowledgement to Tangible Recognition argues that we must have tangible recognition of the social and economic values of culture, if we are to shape a robust and forward-looking vision for future cultural policies. It recognises that culture’s value can be tangible and effective only if it happens in an all-embracing and transversal manner, implying cross-policy development and multi-stakeholder engagement. To achieve this value recognition for culture, the Dossier presents four key pathways that need to be pursued simultaneously: influencing the authorising environment; enhancing legislative frameworks; strengthening operating environments; and increasing and diversifying investment.
The Dossier articulates synergies among IFACCA Members, nationally and regionally; maps the plurality of their voices; and draws insights from global expertise in the field of cultural policy. It is built on the collective knowledge of our diverse membership, with information generated by Members and the Secretariat over the past decades and intelligence collected via consultation with Members in preparation for MONDIACULT 2022, through which National Members have shared short-, medium- and long-term concerns and priorities for cultural and creative sector development in their countries. The consultation was conducted in June-August 2022 through a National Member survey completed by 70 percent of the Federation (43 National Members) and five meetings of our Regional Chapters in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Pacific.
Read the Dossier here