The ninth session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions has kicked off at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.

Within the session, representatives of 151 States Parties to the Convention and the European Union will discuss the state of implementation of the Convention worldwide and the major challenges facing the cultural and creative sectors in the post COVID-19 pandemic context, Azernews reports.

The Conference of Parties will determine the strategic orientations that will underpin the future activities of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions for the 2024-2025 period. It will also elect the Committee’s 12 new members.

At the same time, it will be invited to examine a concrete proposal aiming to rationalize the submission cycles of the periodic reports and a proposed revision to the Rules of Procedure.

The issue of strengthening collaboration with the stakeholders of the Convention, including civil society organizations, micro, small and medium-sized cultural enterprises and cultural institutions and organizations, will also be discussed.

Azerbaijan is represented at the session by the Culture Ministry and the delegation of Azerbaijan's Permanent Mission to UNESCO.

Speaking at the event, the head of the delegation, Deputy Culture Minister Saadat Yusifova congratulated the countries that recently joined the Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

The deputy minister outlined that Azerbaijan is committed to the values and principles of the Convention.

Saadat Yusifova also touched upon the state support for the development of creative industries. She pointed out that a separate department has been established for this field in the Office of the Culture Ministry.

Note that Azerbaijan has been a member of the UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee of the 2019-2023 Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions since 2019.

The adoption of the 2005 Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was a milestone in international cultural policy. Through this historic agreement, the global community formally recognized the dual nature, both cultural and economic, of contemporary cultural expressions produced by artists and cultural professionals. Shaping the design and implementation of policies and measures that support the creation, production, distribution of and access to cultural goods and services, the 2005 Convention is at the heart of the creative economy.

Based on human rights and fundamental freedoms, the 2005 Convention ultimately provides a new framework for informed, transparent and participatory systems of governance for culture.