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1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist

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UNESCO and the Status of the Artist

The 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist calls upon Member States to improve the professional, social and economic status of artists through the implementation of policies and measures related to training, social security, employment, income and tax conditions, mobility and freedom of expression. It also recognizes the right of artists to be organized in trade unions or professional organizations that can represent and defend the interests of their members.

The Recommendation was adopted by UNESCO General Conference at its twenty-first session in 1980. At the time, the need to understand and strengthen the role of the “creative worker” was already recognized by Member States as well as the need to improve the status of such workers considering both the particular conditions of their profession and their contribution to development. Decades later, the Recommendation remains as relevant today as in 1980 considering the remaining challenges worldwide in the area of social and economic rights and the impact of digital technology on the work of artists.

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Monitoring mechanism

 

Reporting on the action taken upon UNESCO’s recommendations is one of its Member States’ obligations under Article VIII of UNESCO’s Constitution. Every four years, the Secretariat therefore collects from Member States and National Commissions and from the various partners of the Organization, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), information on the implementation of the Recommendation. The Secretariat prepares a report based on the information collected for the attention of the Executive Board, which in turn submits it to the General Conference, in accordance with the specific multi-stage procedure for the monitoring of the implementation of UNESCO conventions and recommendations for which no specific institutional mechanism is provided.

With the adoption of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, a new impetus was given to the 1980 Recommendation. By recognizing the central role of artists in the creation and production of a diversity of cultural expressions, the Convention provides a new normative framework for the implementation and monitoring of the Recommendation.

 

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Latest consultation

In July 2022, UNESCO launched the fifth global consultation on the implementation of the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist. This consultation, which was open until mid-January 2023, aimed to:

  1. Map and monitor the policies, measures and initiatives implemented by Member States, NGOs and INGOs to support the status of the artist;
  2. Identify challenges and opportunities faced by Member States, NGOs and INGOs in the implementation of the 1980 Recommendation, and their specific capacity-building needs to revise existing laws and policies or implement relevant initiatives,
  3. Collect and share good practices that illustrate how the provisions of 1980 Recommendation can be translated into effective policies and measures to support artists and the emergence of sustainable cultural ecosystems.

The consultation focused on eight thematic areas: legal and regulatory frameworks; fair remuneration and access to financing; social and economic rights; digital environment; preferential treatment; artistic freedom; equality, inclusion, and diversity; and responses to COVID-19. UNESCO Member States, as well as national and international non-governmental organizations with extensive experience working with artists and cultural professionals were invited to participate. The information gathered through this survey was analysed and presented in a consolidated report that was examined by the 217th session of the Executive Board and transmitted by UNESCO´s Director-General transmitted to the 42nd session of the General Conference in November 2023. The consolidated report, a full analytical report, other related documents, as well as a complementary methodological guide for the participatory development of a law on the status of the artist can be accessed below.

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Fifth consultation on the implementation of the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist:

  • Report of the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations of the 217th session of the Executive Board (217 EX/45)
  • Report submitted to the 217th session of the Executive Board (217 EX/20.III)
  • Decision adopted by the Executive Board at its 217th session (217 EX/Decision 20.III

Consolidated report on the implementation of the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist:

See also: Methodological Guide for the Participatory Development of a Law on the Status of the Artist (2023)

Fourth consultation on the implementation of the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist:

  • Report of the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations of the 207th session of the Executive Board (207 EX/53)
  • Report submitted to the 207th session of the Executive Board (207 EX/23 Part VI )
  • Decision adopted by the Executive Board at its 207th session (207 EX/Decision 23.VI)
     

Consolidated report on the implementation of the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist:

Third consultation on the implementation of the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist :

Consolidated report on the implementation of the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist :

Second global consultation on the implementation of the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist :

Consolidated report on the implementation of the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist :

Contact

For additional information, please contact: status.artist@unesco.org