The impact of artificial intelligence on culture, copyright in the digital environment, artistic freedom, fair pay and decent work for arts and culture workers are some of the cultural priorities included in the G-20 leaders' declaration in Rio de Janeiro yesterday.
Under the Brazilian Presidency, the summit of the twenty largest economies in the world focused on three priorities:
- Social inclusion and the fight against hunger and poverty
- Sustainable development, energy transition and climate change
- Reform of global governance institutions
On the above objectives the leaders of G 20, recognized “culture’s power and intrinsic value in nurturing solidarity, dialogue, collaboration and cooperation, fostering a more sustainable world”. They also commited to the principles of inclusion, social participation and accessibility, for the full exercise of cultural rights confronting racism, discrimination and prejudice.
The G20 declaration encourages countries to strengthen international cooperation and exchange for the development of the creative economy and reaffirms commitment to the relevant UNESCO cultural conventions.
On copyright, the declaration calls for global engagement in the discussion of copyright in the digital environment and the impact of AI on copyright holders.
For those working in the cultural, arts and heritage sectors, the G-20 leaders call on states to promote cooperation to "address social and economic rights and artistic freedom, both online and offline, in accordance with intellectual property rights frameworks and international labour standards to promote fair wages and decent working conditions".
Finally, the declaration encourages the strengthening of the protection of cultural heritage, including historical monuments and religious sites, and supports an open and inclusive dialogue on the return and restitution of cultural property.
A week ago in Salvador da Bahia, the culture ministers of the twenty largest economies signed their declaration with the ambition to advance culture as part of the multilateral agenda.
The ministers of culture of the G 20 highlighted the role of culture “as an enabler and driver for sustainable development, and its potential to contribute directly and indirectly to the implementation of the sustainable development goal”. They also recognized the great potential of culture to bring forward climate action and more specifically:
- to encourage building on the opportunities of culture-related transformative practices
- to inform climate adaptation and mitigation strategies as well as solutions for climate actions
- to promote the necessary actions with regards to climate change
- to protect cultural and natural heritage from the impacts of climate change
- to stimulate more sustainable cultural practices
The declarations of the G-20 meetings include general principles, calls and reaffirmations in critical areas of political, social and economic life, which are non-binding but indicative of the stance and orientation of global governance.
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Photo: Mirta Toledo
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