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| WHO WE ARE | WE BELIEVE | FOUNDING STATEMENT | FOUNDING PRINCIPLES | HISTORY |
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Who we are:
 The International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD) is a world wide network of artists and cultural groups
dedicated to countering the homogenizing effects of globalization on culture.
The INCD represents individual artists and cultural
activists, cultural organizations and creative industries. We come from all continents, sectors and disciplines of the cultural community, ranging from new media artists
to traditional artisans. Organizations from more than fifty countries belong to the network.
We are a democratic membership organization with an active Steering Committee. The Network is guided by our Statement of Principles and member decisions.
We believe:
Current trade agreements do affect the arts and cultural expression. We need to redress
the imbalance between concerns for cultural diversity and economic imperatives and promote the full social, human and economic development aspects of a commitment to
cultural diversity. Therefore:
Governments must not enter into any agreements that constrain local cultures and the policies that support them
A new international agreement should be created, which can provide a permanent legal foundation for cultural diversity
Why should artists care about globalization?
In many parts of the world, the voices of local artists are being drowned out by imported
entertainment. Multinational entertainment industries, ever larger and more concentrated,
spread a homogenized global culture. Trade bodies such as the World Trade Organization
(WTO) worsen the situation by limiting the ability of nations to support their own artists and cultural institutions. Likewise international financial institutions such as the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) limit funding for cultural and other programs as a condition of much-needed loans.
Artists and audiences around the world envision a different kind of globalization: one which
encourages cultural production within nations, and authentic exchange among them; one which encourages the dynamic coexistence of a diversity of cultures. As pressure grows to
include more cultural sectors in bilateral, regional, and global trade agreements, cultural
groups around the world are uniting to make a counter-proposal: the creation of a new international instrument for cultural diversity.
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Founding Statement
- The International Network for Cultural Diversity comprises artists, creators, cultural workers, producers
and those who bring the artistic creation to local and global audiences. We are non-governmental organizations and individual activists working for cultural diversity. We
represent the world's arts and cultural communities and its living heritage, our past and our future.
Founding Principles
- Expression through arts and culture is a fundamental part of human society.
- Cultural diversity strengthens us all and must be maintained and promoted as an important part of
sustainable development.
- The fruits of artistic creation are more than conventional goods and services, each is unique and all are
an integral part of human societies.
- Cultures should have the opportunity to interact with each other, enriching artistic expression and
expanding choices.
- Market forces alone cannot ensure the creation and sustainability of cultural diversity at the national
and international levels.
- States and citizens have a right and a responsibility to implement policies and programs that support
diverse artistic and cultural activities and to protect these from unwanted interventions from outside political or economic forces.
- Recognition and preservation of the cultures of indigenous peoples and traditional cultures requires
special attention.
- Governments must not enter into any agreement that constrains local cultures and the policies that support
them.
- A new international agreement should be created, which can provide a permanent legal foundation for
cultural diversity.
Culture and Trade
- Current trade agreements do affect the arts and cultural expression and "exempting" culture from
their terms appears to be insufficient to permit states and citizens to retain the broad scope of policy making necessary in the era of globalization. We need to redress
the imbalance between concerns for cultural diversity and economic imperatives. We need to promote the full social, human and economic development aspects of a commitment
to cultural diversity.
- Culture is broad, it touches all aspects of society. But there is a particular challenge at this moment,
between culture and commerce, culture and trade. The pivotal role of the recorded media for cultural expression in today's world means the challenge is most acutely felt
in this area
History - Our Story
- March 1998 Stockholm, Sweden. UNESCO's Conference on Culture for Development concludes that globalization is undermining local and traditional cultures, and that cultural groups should form global networks to counteract this trend
- June 1998 Ottawa, Canada. Canadian Heritage Minister Sheila Copps invites Ministers of Culture to a conference in Canada which founds the International Network for Cultural Policy (INCP). The Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA), in collaboration with the Swedish Joint Committee of Literary and Artistic Professionals (KLYS) organize a parallel non-governmental conference
- November 1998 Stockholm and Ottawa. The emerging non-governmental network creates a steering committee, which begins to meet regularly by teleconference.
- August 1999 Steering committee members elaborate guiding principles for the network and meet with cultural activists in Mexico prior to the second meeting of the ministerial INCP.
- December 1999 Seattle, USA, INCD representatives bring cultural issues to the WTO meetings and counter- meetings, which galvanize the anti-globalization movement.
- September 2000 Santorini, Greece, 70 cultural representatives from 21 countries gather to found the INCD. Steering committee members report the formation of the INCD to the third meeting of the network of Ministers of Culture.
- August 2001 Durban, South Africa, INCD representatives bring cultural issues to the UN World Conference against Racism in South Africa.
- September 2001 Lucerne, Switzerland, At the second conference of the INCD, Towards a Global Cultural Pact, 85 delegates from 33 countries agree to the Lucerne Declaration, calling for the development of a new international instrument for cultural diversity which would create a permanent legal foundation for the protection of cultural diversity.
- November 2001 Doha, Qatar, the INCD sends a representative to the WTO ministerial to monitor the ongoing trade negotiations.
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