Fifteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee
The fifteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was held online from 8 to 11 February 2022.
On this occasion, the third edition of the UNESCO Global Report entitled "Re/Shaping Policies for Creativity: Addressing culture as a Global Public Good" was launched.
The Committee adopted its work plan for 2022-2023. While reaffirming the fundamental role of the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) in the implementation of the 2005 Convention, the Committee approved funding for nine projects submitted under the Fund's twelfth call for proposals and adopted its provisional budget for the next two years. The Committee also reviewed and adopted the revised draft guidelines on the use of IFCD resources, which will be submitted for approval to the Conference of Parties in June 2023.
According to its intention to broaden and diversify the range of stakeholders involved in promoting the objectives of the Convention, the Committee confirmed the importance of improving consultations with micro, small and medium-sized cultural and creative enterprises within the framework of existing mechanisms, as well as the commitment of cultural institutions and organizations to promote access to diverse cultural expressions from their territory as well as from other countries of the world. It also considered different ways to strengthen collaboration with civil society organizations for the proper implementation of the Convention.
Working documents
Information documents
Participation of Civil Society
In accordance with Rule 7.4 of the and its Decision 1.EXT.IGC 5, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) having interests and activities in the field covered by the Convention who wish to participate as observers to a session or all sessions of the Committee, are asked to submit a written request to the Director-General of UNESCO. Only NGOs which meet the criteria provided by the to the operational guidelines of Article 11 (Role and participation of civil society) are eligible. The request must be accompanied by the documents mentioned in paragraph 2 of the Annex.
At its ninth session, the Committee requested the Secretariat to organize a working session between civil society representatives and the Bureau prior to the opening of the meetings of the governing bodies in order to address, inter alia, specific issues of importance to civil society (Decision 9.IGC 9). This year, the meeting between civil society representatives and the Bureau will be held on 7 February 2022 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Practical information concerning the online meeting
A. Registration
All participants, delegates, observers and those wishing to attend the fifteenth session of the Committee are strongly advised to register no later than 1st February 2022. This is to allow enough time to process all the relevant information and to ensure that all online arrangements are in place before the opening of the session.
Please complete the online registration form at the following address: . Participants without an active connection to the meeting allowing them to take the floor (see “Active Participants” below for more information) will be able to follow the session via an online webcast.
B. Modalities of the online meeting
The fifteenth session of the Committee will take place online on the Zoom platform and will be webcast via a link that will be available on the Convention’s website (/creativity/en/statuatory-meeting/fifteenth-session-intergovernmental-committee).
Technical setup and troubleshooting
It is suggested that participants check their technical setup in advance in order to ensure an optimal meeting experience. In this regard, participants should:
- Join the meeting on a laptop of desktop computer (not a phone or a tablet).
- Favour a wired connection to the Internet.
- Use a headset with a microphone, if possible.
- Download Zoom (free) in advance of the meeting through the Zoom Download Centre at: .
- Login 60 minutes in advance on the first day of the meeting.
When you first join the meeting, you should click on “Test Speaker and Microphone” and follow the instructions. Once you have joined the meeting, you will be in the “Waiting Room/Lobby” until you are let into the meeting by the host. Please note this may take some time on the first day of the meeting due to the number of participants.
You need to accept “Access the Microphone” and “Access the Camera.” The microphone and video, which can be found in the bottom left corner are ‘on’ when there is no red line over them. Participants’ microphones should be kept on mute at all times except when invited by the Chairperson to take the floor.
If you encounter technical difficulties during the meeting, it is suggested that you first try exiting and re-entering the meeting or try connecting from a different browser. You may also contact the help desk whose contact details will be made available here soon.
Active participants
The Zoom platform can accommodate up to 500 active participants. Active participants may take the floor during the debate and intervene using camera/audio. All other participants may follow the online webcast via a link available on the event webpage. Each State Party is guaranteed two active connection, with Committee Members receiving three. Intergovernmental and civil society organizations invited to participate in the session will receive one active connection per organization and each Category 2 Centre and UNESCO Chair will receive one active connection. Additional connections may be provided upon request and depending on availability.
Naming of speakers
All participants are required by the system to name themselves when they enter the meeting. It is suggested that participants use the format below for their names so that they can be easily be identified by the Chairperson:
- If you represent a Committee member:
CM-Country (Last name of the representative) - If you represent a State Party that is not a member of the Committee:
P-Country (Last name of the representative) - If you represent a State not Party to the Convention:
NP-Country (Last name of the representative) - If you represent an intergovernmental organisation:
IGO-Name of the organisation (Last name of the representative) - If you represent an NGO:
NGO-Name of the organisation (Last name of the representative) - If you represent a Category 2 Centre:
C2C-Centre name (Last name of the representative) - If you represent a UNESCO Chair:
UNESCO Chair - Name of the Chair (Last name of the representative)
Taking the floor
Participants who have an active connection are able to request to take the floor by pressing the “raise hand” button, which will display a blue hand beside the participant’s name. This button can be found at the bottom of the list of participants.
Once the blue hand is raised, it will signal to the Chairperson that the participant would like to take the floor and they will be added to the list of speakers. When the Chairperson calls on a participant to take the floor, they should unmute their microphone using the microphone button in the bottom right corner. Ideally, as long as the internet connection allows, participants should also use their video. After the participant has finished their intervention, they should put their microphone on mute again to avoid background noise.
Chat box
The chat box is located in the bottom right hand corner of your screen. It can be used to signal a technical problem to the Secretariat. It can also be used by participants wishing to raise a point of order. In this case, the participant should raise their hand to indicate that they wish to speak and type "Point of order" in the chat box. The discussion window should not be used to submit amendments. Amendments should be sent by Committee Members via e-mail to convention2005@unesco.org.
Information and exchange meeting
The Secretariat of the 2005 Convention is organising an online information and exchange meeting for the Members of the Intergovernmental Committee on 25 January 2022 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. (GMT +1).
The purpose of this meeting is to provide an overview of the provisional agenda and timetable of the fifteenth session of the Committee, as well as additional information on the modalities of the online meeting. This information meeting is also open to all Parties not Members of the Committee that would like to participate.
Please note that the meeting will be held on Zoom, with interpretation in English and French. You can register at the following address:
List of Participants
List of Participants
DCE/22/15.IGC/INF.2 REV