In December 2014, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (hereafter referred to as 'the Committee'), requested the Secretariat to submit a report summarising the work undertaken on digital issues in the framework of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (hereafter referred to as “the Convention”) as well as the debates of the Committee (Decision 8.IGC 12). This report features as an Annex to this document.

The debates of the Committee began in December 2012 at its sixth ordinary session when concerns were raised about technological developments since the adoption of the Convention, the impact this has had on the cultural value chain model (creation, production, and distribution of diverse cultural expressions), and the potential implications of the digital revolution for decision-making in the culture sector. It was observed that such challenges were relevant to all Parties and it was therefore proposed that the Convention’s governing bodies exchange good practices in this area. It was also proposed to add this issue to the future work of the Committee as a means to ensure that the implementation of the Convention is modern, effective, and dynamic and that the current challenges to promote a diversity of cultural expressions are included on the agenda of the Convention's governing bodies.

2015 Digital issues and their impact on promoting the diversity of cultural expressions.pdf