Third Civil Society Forum

The third edition of the Convention's Civil Society Forum will take place online on 31 May 2021 from 12.30-5.45 pm (UTC + 2 hours)

Register here! 
 

The Civil Society Forum is a biennial event, held before each session of the Conference of Parties, which provides an interactive framework, with an adaptable agenda, to enable coordination amongst civil society actors that are active in the fields covered by the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

The Forum's main goals are to:

• To provide a space for civil society organisations and professionals interested and/or operating in the fields covered by the 2005 Convention to exchange on challenges and solutions relevant for the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions
• To enable civil society representatives to formulate joint recommendations to inform the work of the governing bodies of the Convention, and in particular the future activities of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
• To raise awareness on the objectives of the Convention and encourage its implementation among a larger community of civil society representatives

The Forum will be divided in three sessions:

• 12:30-1:30pm: Opening, presentation of the objectives of the Forum and summary of the preparatory work (in plenary);
• 1:45-3:45pm: Four parallel thematic sessions, during which participants will discuss distinct topics and adopt recommendations (break-out groups);
  • Breakout group 1: Culture and sustainable development
  • Breakout group 2: Sustainable ecosystems in the cultural and creative sectors
  • Breakout group 3: Civil society participation in the monitoring and implementation of the 2005 Convention, as well as in the work of its governing bodies
  • Breakout group 4: Digital environment, rights, and trade
• 4:00-17:45pm: Presentation of the work of the break-out groups, discussion on the organisation od future editions of the Forum and adoption of all the recommendations and decisions (in plenary)
   

Each session will be introduced by two or three speakers and facilitated by a moderator, who will introduce the main findings and tentative recommendations that emerged during the preparatory working meetings and encourage discussions among participants. Live interpretation in Arabic, English, French and Spanish will be provided during both plenary sessions, and in English and French during the thematic sessions. 

The full programme, including the names of speakers and moderators, will be made available here at a later date.

Civil society representatives are invited to register by 21 May 2021 at the following address: https://unesco-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0ucuGgrTsrG9zE4ZqwqEYua6rPi5lImZ8h. Please note that civil society organizations that wish to participate in the Forum will be garanteed two active connections.