UNESCO calls for more protection for artists under attack

Paris [France], May 5 (ANI/WAM): The international community must provide greater protection to artists caught up in armed conflict, political instability, and natural disasters, the UN Educational, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said in a new report titled Defending Creative Voices, published on Thursday.

Emergencies tend to exacerbate the vulnerabilities people who work in the arts already experience, as they face multiple threats such as online and offline harassment, loss of income, legal prosecution, violence, censorship, and silencing.

Creatives also often lack minimal safety nets due to their precarious legal status, according to the report.

In 2021, a record 39 artists were reportedly killed in 12 countries, and 119 were imprisoned in 24 countries, UNESCO said, citing data from Freemuse, an independent international non-governmental organization (NGO) that advocates for freedom of artistic expression and cultural diversity.

Additionally, more than 1,200 violations of artistic freedom worldwide were documented that year.

UNESCO oversees the Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which entered into force in 2007.

Although 152 countries that have ratified the treaty, only 27 per cent have developed or supported safe spaces for artists.

Just over half, 53 per cent, have independent bodies that receive complaints or monitor violations and restrictions to artistic freedom.

The UN agency also announced a new investment of $1 million to finance projects supporting artistic freedom in more than 25 countries. Of the projects, 13 are government-led and the others are run by NGOs.