While there is plenty of international activity at national government level including the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference – which we continue to monitor and analyse, this month we highlight the important role of cities in arts and cultural policy.

The extended 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in late September marked a significant milestone, as it witnessed the highest number of sites added to the World Heritage List in two decades.

In recent weeks, there has been a significant focus on cultural employment in different parts of the world. In late August in India, G20 Culture Ministers made a call to action, urging the integration of decent work goals into ongoing and future cultural policies. They call for adequate remuneration systems, comprehensive social protection, and support for transition to the formal economy where relevant. Additionally, the importance of a just transition to the digital environment is highlighted, along with the need for increased investments in skills training, technical assistance, and lifelong learning opportunities, particularly crucial for women, youth, and marginalised or vulnerable groups within the cultural and creative sectors (CCSs).

In the fast-evolving digital age, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force, presenting new opportunities for creativity, but also raising critical questions about the future of art and the role of human artists. Artists and designers are embracing AI-generated art and aesthetics, blurring the lines between human and machine. In Brazil, a recent a car ad which resurrected a treasured Brazilian musician who unexpectedly died in 1982 has generated much debate over the ethics of AI and its impact on the music industry. However, this is also exposing the technology’s inbuilt biases and misrepresentations.

The Report on the 9th World Summit offers insight into the knowledge, experience and perspectives shared by speakers and delegates on the topic of safeguarding artistic freedom at the 9th World Summit on Arts and Culture that took place in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2023.

This June, we say goodbye and thank you to the current Chair of the IFACCA Board, Simon Brault O.C, O.Q, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts. Mr Brault has served on the Board since October 2016 and was elected Chair in March 2019. His expertise, vision and leadership have been vital to the Federation’s work to lead global thought and action on arts and culture in public life, and ultimately to realise our members’ shared vision of a world in which arts and culture thrive and are recognised by governments and peoples for their contribution to society.