As a first step towards the recovery of the cultural and creative economy
The "Cultural Summit" kicks off with a global study on the impact of "Corona"
The Cultural Summit, in its previous sessions, served as a platform for exchanging views and experiences from around the world.
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The organizers of the Abu Dhabi Cultural Summit, which was launched hypothetically yesterday morning, revealed that the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, in cooperation with UNESCO, has launched a global study on the impact of the Corona pandemic (Covid-19) on the cultural economy.
While the participants in the summit stressed that the world's recovery from the "Covid-19" pandemic requires continuous cooperation and open dialogues, not only from the government side and major global institutions, but this should also include the general public, artists, and creators, in various fields of creativity. Whether they work individually or within small organizations, addressing all levels of society.
They stressed the importance of studying the conditions that cultural work is going through around the world, in order to stop the challenges it faces, and thus find realistic solutions to these challenges, and not leave creative people in the face of what market policies impose, without providing them with support to continue their projects.
Global study
The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay, stressed the need to work to recover from the repercussions and challenges of the "Covid-19" pandemic, not only because of the pivotal role that culture plays in the rapprochement of different peoples and cultures, but also because It plays an influential role in the economy, as the creative economic contribution in the world reaches billions of dollars annually, despite the reduction in its impact, explaining in her speech that this importance was the reason for the United Nations General Assembly declaring in 2021 the 'International Year of the Creative Economy for the sake of Sustainable development », as well as choosing the Abu Dhabi Cultural Summit for this topic as the title of its discussions this year.
Azoulay explained that facing the pandemic and dealing with it requires first understanding and measuring it, as a basic and first step, so that the extent of the pandemic and its implications can be determined. Therefore, a global study on the impact of the "Covid-19" pandemic on the cultural economy was launched with the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi, to reach Figures about the pandemic.
Stressing that addressing the current situation does not only require obtaining studied numbers, but also professional expertise and visions, that contribute to finding successful solutions, which is what the Cultural Summit seeks to achieve by hosting an elite of thinkers and professionals in cultural and creative work.
3 challenges
Ozilai pointed out that the ResiliArt discussions launched by UNESCO nearly a year ago, at the height of the epidemic, witnessed 240 debates, with the participation of artists and professionals from more than 110 countries, to discuss the pandemic, and to discuss how to rebuild cultural sectors.
Through these discussions, we reached recommendations that were included in a guide entitled "Culture in Crisis", through which three main challenges were highlighted, the first being the digital economy and its amazing expansion, just as this digital technology creates many opportunities, in both Creativity, it also needs to better protect and promote cultural diversity.
In the absence of appropriate regulations, digital technology can lead to more risks than opportunities for creativity.
As for the second challenge, it is related to the first, which is socio-economic, and focuses on ensuring decent living opportunities for creative people from their activities, which requires not only thinking about their wages, but also defending them, and granting them a professional status that preserves their existence.
While the third challenge is related to peace, which culture helps to build, culture is the universal language of musicians, artists and creators from all fields, which everyone understands. Therefore, it may play a role to unify efforts between the Middle East and the Near East, which is what UNESCO worked to implement in the period. In the past, in Beirut or Mosul, by focusing on the rehabilitation of heritage, and the revival of cultural life to lay the foundations for peace.
An example of this is the efforts of UNESCO, with the continuous support of the United Arab Emirates in particular, to rehabilitate the Al-Nuri Mosque, the leaning Al-Hadba beacon, the Al-Tahira churches, and the Clock in Iraq, which symbolize the cultural diversity of these world cities.
She expresses her thanks to the United Arab Emirates for these efforts.
Open platform
The head of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, explained that the Abu Dhabi Cultural Summit represents an open platform for cultural communication with the world, to raise and discuss various pressing issues at the present time, and work to develop solutions to them.
He added during his speech at the opening session yesterday morning: “The Cultural Summit - Abu Dhabi enables us to communicate culturally with the world, to make sure that all voices are heard, not only the voices of large institutions and institutes or policy makers, but also the voices of small organizations, artists, performers, and musicians. , Teachers, and all those interested in cultural and creative work.
Hence, the role of the Cultural Summit emerges, as it collects these voices and works to communicate their opinion and ideas, to ensure the achievement of interaction between all competencies and ecosystems, and from here, we can start formulating effective solutions to our problems and the challenges that may face us.
Addressing the current situation requires professional expertise and insights that contribute to finding successful solutions.
240 debates with the participation of artists from more than 110 countries, to discuss the impact of the pandemic.
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