The first collection of demonstration cases for "Protection and Promotion of Cultural Diversity in the Digital Environment" has been released by the International Centre for Creativity and Sustainable Development (ICCSD) under the auspices of UNESCO. This initiative supports the objectives of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (hereafter referred to as the "Convention"), specifically focusing on cultural diversity within digital environments.
The initiative aims to explore the forefront trends in preserving and promoting cultural diversity in the digital environments while fostering the development of digital cultural industries. It highlights innovative practices in cultural and technological integration, promoting fusion and innovation of cultural and tech enterprises, and enhancing global influence.
Tech-driven Cultural Innovation Showcasing Diverse Business Practices
The collection and recommendation of cases are open to enterprises and social organizations committed to using technological innovation to advance cultural development. The submissions cover a wide range of cutting-edge technological innovations, including artificial intelligence, extended reality, and big data, as well as emerging cultural formats such as cultural resource digitization, immersive performances, and digital cultural tourism.
An expert panel from the fields of digital technology, cultural integration, and cultural heritage preservation evaluated the submissions based on five standardized criteria: innovation, applicability, completeness, sustainability, and demonstration value. Based on this, 20 typical cases were selected. The panel unanimously agreed that the overall quality of the submissions was high, with many representing cutting-edge, innovative applications of technology in cultural sectors such as cultural heritage, tourism, and film. These cases showcase China's representative achievements in the integration of technology and culture and hold significant value for display and promotion.
Culture-Tech Integration Focus Fostering Global Impact
Based on the expert evaluations, ICCSD has published the first edition of the Demonstration Cases of Enhancing Sustainable Development through the Protection and Promotion of Cultural Diversity in the Digital Environment. (hereafter referred to as the "Case Collection"). This bilingual collectionvividly presents a number of projects that leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence to empower high-quality cultural development.
China is one of the founding signatories of UNESCO's Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. In recent years, the Convention has advanced efforts to protect cultural diversity in digital environments, with a particular focus on the impact of digital technologies on cultural industries such as music, publishing, film, and performing arts. This includes the adoption of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the Convention in the Digital Environment and the Open Roadmap for the Implementation of the 2005 Convention in the Digital Environment. The newly published case collection has received positive feedback from UNESCO's cultural diversity representatives, who praised it as a remarkable achievement, bringing together numerous examples of innovative applications of new technologies in the cultural field and advancing the sharing of successful case studies in multiple aspects.
2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention, ICCSD will continue to focus on its key theme of Protecting Cultural Diversity in Digital Environments, with an emphasis on international collaboration and specialized practices. ICCSD plans to launch a second round of case collection, focusing on frontier practices in technology-driven cultural innovation, and further promoting the exchange and sharing of innovative practices and successful experiences in the integration of culture and technology, both domestically and internationally.
Experts emphasized that the ongoing work to protect cultural diversity in digital environments marks a significant step forward in China's utilization of technological innovation to enhance cultural preservation. This effort not only helps maintain global cultural diversity, promote the development of cultural industries, facilitate international cultural exchanges and cooperation, and enhance cultural management levels, but also enhances China's cultural soft power and international influence, offering valuable insights and solutions to global sustainable development.
