International Forum of U40 Fellows, 21-24 October
The German Commission for UNESCO in cooperation with Bilgi University Istanbul and the International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity organised an International Forum of U40-Fellows from 21 to 24 October 2010 in Istanbul in the context of the international capacity building programme “U40 – Cultural Diversity 2030” as a follow-up to the U40 World Forum (Paris, June 2009).
The objective of this international meeting was to contribute to implementing the international agenda of the UNESCO Convention (2005) through transregional information exchange and analysis of data on the promotion of diversity of cultural expressions, raising awareness in underrepresented regions and enhancing the visibility of the Convention among young experts.
The Istanbul meeting was composed of 30 U40-Fellows (2009-2011) from all world regions. Additionnally, through a Call for Contribution and Participation the German Commission for UNESCO, the International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (IFCCD) and the Istanbul Bilgi University invited seven young cultural policy experts, excellent professionals, future decision makers and communicators from Turkey, the southern shore countries of the Mediterranean, West Balkans, the Caucasus, the Middle East and the Gulf States with proven competence and interest in relevant aspects of the UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
The results were summarised in the document “Network in Action” which was presented at the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Committee of the UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions on 29 November 2010 at UNESCO, Paris.