On the occasion of the World Summit on Arts & Culture, UNESCO published today a report calling on States to enhance the protection of artists and culture professionals in emergency context. It recommends new monitoring and emergency assistance policies for artists at risk. UNESCO also announced a new investment of US$1 million to finance projects supporting artistic freedom in over 25 countries.

The new UNESCO publication Defending Creative Voices highlights that emergency situations – as armed conflict, unstable political contexts and natural disasters – exacerbate the pre-existing vulnerabilities. Artists face multiple threats, as online and offline harassment, brutal loss of income, legal prosecution, violence, censorship, silencing – and often lack minimal safety nets due to the precarious legal status.  

The report recommends that the international community develop tailored assistance to protect and promote artistic freedom in emergency context, built on UNESCO’s experience in protecting artists during conflicts – most recently in Iraq, Ukraine, and Yemen. It could also capitalize on best practices concerning press freedom for which a global action plan has been implemented by the Organization for more than ten years. 

The report suggests in particular: 

1. UN-wide monitoring of the artistic freedom in emergency context, that recognizes artists as a vulnerable group in need of specific attention,
2. A collaborative support programme for the safety of artist, and the protection of both  artworks and cultural spaces in emergency contexts,  
3. Tailored capacity building of judicial and legal actors to protect artists through investigations and prosecutions.

Recent cases have demonstrated the importance of emergency practical measures such as trainings on artistic freedom, temporary art residencies, temporary financial assistance for culture professionals, expedited issuance of visas and prioritization of artists within evacuation and resettlement programs with specific attention to women creators. 

US$ 1 million to better protect the status of the artist

To improve the resilience of artists in emergency context, the report also recommends stronger legal frameworks, with better legal recognition of the status of the artist. In this area, UNESCO announced today the investment of an additional US$ 1 million from the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme to finance projects in over 25 countries. 13 of these projects are led by governments, the 12 others by NGOs.

Governments will benefit from technical assistance to develop laws, regulations or policies in favour of artistic freedom, decent works and enhanced status for artists and culture professionals: Argentina, Côte d’Ivoire, Chile, Djibouti, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Mongolia, Senegal, and Zimbabwe; as well as countries members of CECC-SICA (Costa Rica, Belize, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama).

Civil society organizations will benefit from financial assistance to undertake training, advocacy, monitoring or research on artistic freedom and the status of the artist: Valerian Gunia Union of Young Theatre Artists (Georgia), Instituto Pensar (Brazil), CICADA (Cambodia), PEN International (Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia), Gerar–The Creative Hub (Ethiopia), Association for the Defence of Women and Peoples (Angola), Culture-Developpement (Togo), Ikirenga Artistic Freedom Initiative (Rwanda), Meemz Arts Initiative (Yemen), Action for Hope (Sudan, South Sudan), Safe Havens (global) and Freemuse (global).