37 C/4 - Medium-term Strategy.pdf

Culture and Intangible Cultural Heritage field:

VII. Strategic objectives

Strategic Objective 6

Supporting inclusive social development and promoting intercultural dialogue and the rapprochement of cultures

90. All societies face new questions about social justice and cohesion, about cultural diversity, about ethics, about the role of young people, about new forms of communication and citizens’ participation. UNESCO’s task will be to develop a future-oriented understanding of the dynamics at work, to assist countries in managing social transformations that are supporting and conducive to universal values of peace, justice, non-discrimination and human rights, to harness new opportunities for social progress and to point to the social implications of policies in education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. Inclusion has to rest on universal application of human rights, ethic principles and the empowerment of people through their access and effective participation in the knowledge society. Creating an enabling environment and reaching out to its most disenfranchised segments, such as migrants, persons with disabilities and minorities including indigenous peoples, is a central concern to bolster living together in harmony and promoting mutual understanding within and among culturally diverse societies to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.

91. All UNESCO programmes will apply a human rightsbased approach.

92. Young women and men are vital actors of innovative initiatives in response to global challenges. Their energy, creativity and critical spirit in identifying solutions and building bridges and networks across groups have been demonstrated in several regions. More than ever, it is now time to improve investment in research, policies and programmes to create enabling conditions for youth, including the most vulnerable and marginalized and especially young women to prosper, exercise rights and engage as responsible social actors. UNESCO will leverage its multidisciplinary expertise to enable young women and men to engage in their societies and harness their full potential as drivers of constructive change. UNESCO’s approach will be operationalized through three complementary, transversal and interlinked axes around which the Organization’s work on youth will be articulated, building on past experiences and lessons learned:

(a) Policy formulation with the participation of youth, where UNESCO will provide policy advice, build institutional capacities and share practices to support Member States in developing, implementing and reviewing inclusive public policies affecting youth with their full participation, taking into consideration excluded or marginalized young women and men.

(b) Capacity development for the transition to adulthood, which will focus on developing the necessary set of skills to empower young people to become autonomous, to make transitions to adulthood and citizenship and to engage as valued social transformations actors for inclusive development.

(c) Civic engagement, democratic participation and social innovation, emphasizing three specific aspects of engagement: (i) Youth participation in decision-making and democratic consolidation; (ii) Youth leadership, entrepreneurship and social innovation to promote employability, sustainable livelihoods and to address social inequalities and poverty reduction; (iii) Youth-led action to prevent conflict and participate in building and consolidating peace.

The work under the latter axis is fundamental as it not only complements but allows investments in the previous two to be maximized.

93. Across all proposed axes, particular attention will be paid to promoting gender equality and addressing the concerns of African youth. An operational strategy on youth is complementing the Draft 37C/4 document. It provides an assessment of UNESCO’s work to date and detailed information on the type of actions that UNESCO will be undertaking, as well as coordination and key implementation modalities..

94. Sport is one of the most powerful vehicles to deliver essential messages about human rights, about development and about peace, and about rapprochement among peoples. It is also the best way to reach out and bring in young women and men. UNESCO must take every opportunity that sport offers as a learning tool – to eliminate doping through application of the Anti-Doping Convention, to pass on positive values and civic skills to promote solidarity for a sustainable world, to forge new channels for youth participation in public and political life. More broadly, physical education and sport offer a framework for action, for promoting health of individuals and their communities, for social inclusion and cohesion, for sustainable development and ethical practices in sport. The Organization will work to provide policy advice and reinforce institutional capacities to support Members States in the formulation of inclusive policy and delivery in these areas.

95. All countries today are undergoing profound social transformations. These transformations reflect demographic increases, rapid urbanization, the impact of new information and communication technologies, along with the rise of new democratic aspirations and also the consequences of crises and natural disasters. These are opening vast new opportunities for inclusive development. Transformations are also giving rise to new challenges of deepening inequality, exclusion, and even tensions within societies, as globalisation brings people with different cultures ever closer together. In this context, the need and the demand for social cohesion and intercultural dialogue has never been so urgent. Across the world, societies are calling out for support in designing and implementing more effective policies for lasting peace and sustainable development, to ensure respect for the human rights and dignity of every woman and man and to deepen social justice.

96. UNESCO has a unique role to play in providing support to societies undergoing transformation and transition at a time of globalisation. UNESCO has the mandate and experience to accompany the design and implementation of policies of inclusion and access to all members of society – access to quality education, access to cultural life, access to the creation and sharing of knowledge, including scientific advances, access to information and means of communication. Policies for inclusion in education, culture, the sciences, communication and information are essential for strengthening social resilience and providing individuals with the tools and knowledge they need to make the most of the opportunities of change. Such policies are vital also for building greater respect and mutual understanding. UNESCO must continue to work as a catalyst of policies to enhance and release the full potential of all individuals and all societies..

97. In ever more diverse societies, UNESCO will take forward its core humanist mandate to foster “mutual understanding and a truer and more perfect knowledge of each other’s lives.” UNESCO has an unparalleled experience to support Member States in designing innovative polices for deeper dialogue and mutual understanding. UNESCO works to strengthen the fabric for open and inclusive societies, through activities across a broad range -- including intercultural exchanges, cultural networks, the arts, sport, the integration of young people and the promotion of inter-generational dialogue. The promotion of inter-cultural dialogue is especially vital at a time when societies face new forms of inequality, exclusion, violence and bigotry, compounded by local tensions and conflicts. Promoting respect, tolerance and mutual understanding requires education for all, sharing of scientific knowledge, resilient cultures, and accessible communication and information networks. These are the foundations for lasting peace and sustainable development between and within societies.

98. UNESCO will strengthen its support to Member States through a more focused, higher-profile, more forwardlooking and rights-based strategic approach. To create new synergies and enhance effective delivery, it is proposed to establish in the framework of the 37 C/5 a Centre for Social Transformations and Intercultural Dialogue. The mission of the Centre will be to support Member States in developing innovative policies to accompany and anticipate social transformations, on the basis of sharper work to map out social needs and stronger foresight in its fields of competences.

99. The new Centre for Social Transformations and Intercultural Dialogue will bring together and redeploy a number of activities, currently dispersed throughout the Secretariat, that work to promote social cohesion, intercultural dialogue and foresight and anticipation, in order to support Member States and to provide UNESCO’s action with greater coherence, impact and visibility and bring it closer to the field.

100. The new Centre will strengthen UNESCO’s contribution to engaging the social dimension of sustainable development. The importance of this dimension was underlined in the Outcome Document of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) and in the report to the UN Secretary-General Realizing the Future We Want for All, which placed emphasis on promoting inclusive social and economic development. This is an essential component for laying sustainable foundations for the development of all societies today. Inclusion and access to all to enjoy the benefits of cultural, social, economic and political life are essential to bolster ‘living together’ and promote mutual understanding. 101. Building on the action of the new Centre, accompanying social transformation for social inclusion and intercultural dialogue will be a cross-cutting strategic objective and priority for the 37 C/4 and a separate, dedicated thematic focus area for the 37 C/5 document. This will allow UNESCO to support Member States in developing more coherent, holistic and innovative approaches to promote inclusion and mutual understanding. 102. Acting across the five functions of the Organization, the Centre will pursue three strategic directions:

◗ The first strategic direction will be to strengthen the links between scientific research and policy-making in relation to social transformations and cultural pluralism. This will build largely on the experience of the MOST Programme and will include support to the development and implementation of policies by reinforcing human and institutional capacities, namely at the national level, including the issues raised by access to information and new means of communication.

◗ The second strategic direction will be to lead focussed initiatives in education, culture, the sciences, communication and information that support the emergence of more inclusive societies and greater intercultural dialogue. The Centre will make the most of existing UNESCO tools and networks to promote more just and inclusive societies – including relations with civil society, cities, local governments and private partners. Efforts will draw on UNESCO’s institutional partnerships, including with the UN Alliance of Civilizations, ISESCO, ALECSO, the Council of Europe, the African Union and other intergovernmental and international organizations and initiatives. Furthermore, action will also be taken in response to the lead role entrusted to UNESCO by UN General Assembly resolution 67/104 for the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013-2022).

◗ The third strategic direction will be to consolidate UNESCO’s function as a global laboratory of ideas and foresight and anticipation, to map out current and future needs and to design innovative proposals for the development of public policies, bridging research, policy and practice. This strengthening of UNESCO’s foresight capacities is all the more important to adapt and anticipate further changes in view of the longer programming cycle.

103. The new Centre will promote inclusion on the basis of the universal application of human rights and ethical principles as compass directions for stability and social cohesion in times of turbulence and transition. UNESCO’s longstanding experience in the promotion of ethics, across all its areas of competences, shall be instrumental to enable the Organization to foster inclusion and strengthen social fabrics.

104. As mainstreamed throughout UNESCO’s work, the new Centre will promote social inclusion on the basis of the empowerment of people and will support the inclusive participation of youth in social transformations, with a special focus on promoting gender equality and addressing the concerns of African youth.

105. The new Centre will build on the longstanding experience of the intergovernmental Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme, in order to strengthen links between research, practice and policymaking, and to support Member States in developing and implementing policies to accompany social transformations, namely through human and institutional capacity-building.

106. The new Centre will support Member States in designing and implementing public policies that promote living together and facilitate rapprochement of countries, communities and individuals. This will also be linked to the pursuit of the General Conference resolution on a plan of action for the culture of peace and nonviolence. UNESCO will seek to widen and create opportunities and spaces for dialogue and cooperation, through cross-cultural projects, transboundary initiatives and intercultural dialogue, with a view to fostering meaningful exchanges between people of different and multiple cultures. Work to safeguard and promote cultural heritage is important to bring together people, communities and societies, by highlighting common ties and experiences and by providing places for dialogue, civic engagement and reconciliation. Local communities are especially important in this respect, as are local and indigenous peoples as custodians of unique knowledge and experience for sustainable development. Intercultural dialogue must mobilize not only States and official representatives but civil society as a whole. Interreligious and interfaith dialogue are components of a broader intercultural dialogue -- faith and creeds, as cultural and social phenomena, deserve to be better known and understood in order to avoid stereotypes and misunderstandings. In situations of crisis and especially after conflicts, intercultural dialogue can play a vital role in peace-building and reconciliation.

107. The new Centre will leverage expertise across the Organization to enable transversal and interdisciplinary collaboration. At the same time, it will offer substantive support, technical advice and backstopping in its areas of competence. Likewise, the Centre will function as a catalyst for enhanced cooperation with outside partners – reinforcing synergies with the UN system and other key stakeholders at the global regional and national levels and capitalizing on existing partnerships and collaborative arrangements. Partnerships with renowned research institutions, think-tanks and national research institutes and the global network of UNESCO Chairs are instrumental for building requisite institutional capacities.

108. In sum, the new Centre will combine multiple roles – as an observatory of social and cultural transformations, as a future-oriented laboratory of ideas to inform policies, as a platform for intercultural dialogue and human rightsbased strategies, and as a reference and catalyst for intersectoral, inter-agency and international cooperation as well as for capacity-building. The high profile and visibility offered by the Centre will increase the outreach of UNESCO on a crucial pillar for lasting peace and sustainable development, and open new venues for innovative partnerships and cooperation.