From June 18 to 20, the CDCE will be part of the delegation of coalition members from the International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (IFCCD) attending the 10th session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

The CDCE will speak to reiterate its strong support for the adoption of an additional protocol to the Convention, while calling for swift complementary action in the digital environment. It particularly encourages the implementation of the plan for Recommendations 2 to 11 of the Reflection Group and supports the prompt adoption of a general declaration by the Conference of Parties.

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The recommendation for an additional protocol to the 2005 Convention stems from a report published last December, signed by 18 experts tasked with proposing ways to improve the Convention’s implementation in the digital environment. The report states that such a protocol appears necessary “to complement, strengthen, and enrich the principles, rights, and obligations set out in [the 2005 Convention], in order to better achieve its objectives in the digital environment, especially in light of the growing challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI) systems.”

Back in February, during the Intergovernmental Committee meeting mandated to review the experts’ report, the CDCE expressed its support for this ambitious recommendation. However, instead of endorsing it immediately, the Parties requested a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the different legal options examined by the Reflection Group, including the technical and legal dimensions of a potential additional protocol aimed at reinforcing the Convention’s effectiveness online.

After a thorough review of these options, the CDCE reaffirms its strong support for a protocol. It notes with disappointment that the current timeline delays its potential adoption until 2029—whereas a scenario presented at the 18th session of the IGC would have allowed for adoption as early as 2027. The CDCE therefore urges the Parties to take concrete short-term action.

For the CDCE, these actions are both necessary and complementary. They would reaffirm the international consensus around the urgency of responding to the challenges posed by the digital environment. In the short term, a declaration would serve to articulate clear principles and guidelines for implementing the Convention in this constantly evolving context—particularly regarding transparency, the socio-economic conditions of artists, the uniqueness of human creativity, and the financial sustainability of cultural ecosystems—paving the way for a binding and effective normative instrument in the coming years.

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