The pandemic has had an immense impact on all of our lives, and the path to a new normality is in many ways still uncertain. Numerous human rights mechanisms, including Special Procedures mandates, have already raised their voices to warn about the impact of the pandemic on human rights and to provide guidance about the human rights issues to keep in mind when taking measures to counter it (see the dedicated page here).

For their next thematic reports to the General Assembly or the Human Rights Council, a group of Special Procedures mandate holders have decided to analyse more closely the effects of the crisis and have joined together to develop a questionnaire. The questionnaire is meant to assist the human rights experts to obtain information and elaborate comprehensive recommendations on the measures taken by national, federal and local governments to protect their population and ensure the enjoyment of human rights, including particular groups at risk of discrimination or social exclusion. It consists of a section with joint questions for all mandates, and specific questions for each mandate.

The Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights, Ms. Karima Bennoune, is part of this group. Her report of March 2021 to the Human Rights Council will focus on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the exercise of cultural rights and on the role of culture and cultural rights in responding to the pandemic.

The joint questionnaire is attached and can also be consulted online on this page. Questions of particular interest to the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights are published on page 9, and you are also invited to respond to the common questions.

Submissions should be sent electronically no later than 19 June 2020 to registry@ohchr.org, using the email title: “Response to joint questionnaire of special procedures”.

The campaign #culture2030goal has released a Statement on Culture and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its official launch took place on 21 May 2020, the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The date illustrates the commitment of the campaign to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the need to ensure that culture is at the heart of the UN Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals.

Check out the concept note of the meeting for more information.

The UCLG Culture Committee and the City Council of Rome have been working together to elaborate "The 2020 Rome Charter. The Right to Participate Fully and Freely in Cultural Life is vital to our Cities and Communities", as a contribution to the global conversation on culture and development.

The Charter was first launched on 29 May 2020, on the occasion of the Executive Bureau of UCLG and it was approved at the World Council of UCLG on 13 November 2020.

The Charter is the result of a large consultation process that included several online expert meetings and seminars with key cities, organisations, experts and networks, organised between April and October 2020, finalizing with the Rome Hybrid Conference held in Rome from 1 to 3 October 2020, where the Charter was officially presented. The photos of the conference have been collected in a dedicated photo gallery, and the #2020RomeCharter hashtag will allow you to read about the event in social media.

The final document is available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Croatian, Russian, Arabian and Turkish.

This interview between Luca Bergamo and Emilia Saiz, facilitated by Teatro di Roma, explains the Charter.

More info: www.2020romecharter.org/

The UCLG Committee on culture and partners in the #Culture2030goal campaign have released a Statement on 'Culture and the COVID-19 pandemic', framed in our commitment to the 2030 Agenda and the need to guarantee culture is at the heart of the UN Decade of Action for the SDGs.

#CultureCovid19 #Culture2030Goal

More info: www.agenda21culture.net/advocacy/culture-2030-goal

De Gruyter has recently published a new anthology on local cultural policies entitled "Kann Kultur Politik? – Kann Politik Kultur?" and edited by Michael Wimmer, and to which Jordi Baltà Portolés, consultant and expert for the Agenda 21 for culture contributed with a text on cultural rights and governance of local cultural policies that includes a wide range of local examples from active cities of Agenda 21 for culture.

More information here.

The UN Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights current mandate holder, Karima Bennoune, will address the topic of “Cultural rights and climate change” and is now  looking to consult a wide range of stakeholders, including cities, local governments, States, United Nations agencies, academics and experts, artists, scientists, cultural workers and practitioners, as well as civil society organizations in this regard.

Should you wish to contribute directly or to disseminate the message in your circles, please find below the call for contributions.

In light of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 outbreak and of their commitment to safety and well-being of SDG partners globally and in Bonn, the organizers of the SDG Global Festival of Actions have made the decision, in consultation with the German Federal Government, local authorities in Bonn and other key stakeholders, to postpone the event.

However, some virtual sessions will be maintained, including a session entitled 'Culture as the key to unchain the SDGs in cities'', which will be held via Zoom on 1 April 2020 at 15h00, and in which the coordinator of the Committee on Culture of UCLG will be participating.

More info: https://globalfestivalofaction.org/

The Cultural Heritage in Action peer-learning programme was launched by a consortium led by EUROCITIES with KEA, ERRIN, Europa Nostra and Architects’ Council of Europe. The programme is addressed to local and regional policy makers to exchange knowledge on cultural heritage, with a focus on participatory governance, adaptive reuse and quality of interventions on heritage.

The aim of Cultural Heritage in Action is to empower cities and regions to strengthen their cultural heritage policies and initiatives and to develop innovative solutions to preserve cultural heritage assets. It is one of the actions of the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage.

In this contexte, a catalogue of 30 good practices from EU cities, regions, non-urban and rural areas will be produced, and 12 peer-learning visits bringing together 20+ participants per visit will be organised.

The consortium is now looking for local practices that are innovative, inspiring for other cities and regions and have a real impact on the ground. A call is open until 27 March 2020 to identify 30 practices that will be featured in a catalogue.

In June 2020 a call for participation to peer-learning visits will be launched. It will be open to representatives from local and regional authorities and to cultural heritage stakeholders.

More info: http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/Cultural-heritage-in-Action-joi...

EuropeAid has recently released a call for initative and action grants addressed to Non-State Actors and Local Authorities from all countries and regions, entitled 'Local Authorities: Partnerships for sustainable cities 2020'. The call includes cultural aspects as follow: "The fight against inequality and marginalisation requests also integrated urban development actions, which include the use of culture as factor promoting aggregation and inclusiveness (e.g. cultural urban development in marginal areas and restauration of cultural heritage in historical urban centres)."

More info: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-services/index.cfm?ADSSChc...

The European Network of Cultural Centres, together with TransEurope Halles will organise on next 4-7 June 2020 a joint Conference entitled "Cultural Impact Now!" in Ebeltoft, Denmark.

This meeting is to be the largest event of its kind in Europe, gathering 400+ professionals from independant and public cultural and social-cultural centres in order to learn about, discuss and evaluate the impact of arts and culture from a critical and holistic perspective.

If you work at a cultural centre — no matter what type — this is the most important event for you this year!

More info: https://encc.eu/activities/events/cultural-impact-now-early-bird-registr...