UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

06/22/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/21/2022 18:43

The National University of Costa Rica discusses decent work in the cultural sector

The Centre for Research, Teaching and Extension in the Arts (CIDEA) of the National University of Costa Rica (UNA), has organised the Forum "Decent Work in the Arts", focused on the situation of artistic employment in Costa Rica, in the light of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations for Sustainable Development. The aim of this activity was to contribute to the public debate on the role cultural and arts workers play in society, and to compare perspectives on the multiple challenges facing cultural work in Costa Rica.

As in many countries, the COVID-19 pandemic in Costa Rica has generated serious economic and social effects for people engaged in arts and cultural work, while has exacerbated many challenges that existed even before the pandemic. Among the main challenges are the high prevalence of informal work and difficulties in accessing social protection mechanisms. This is in addition to the other major challenges of gender inequalities and the opportunities and challenges related to digitalisation.

UNESCO was invited to participate in this forum, which took place on Thursday 9 June 2022, at the Centre for the Arts on the University campus. The event was attended by Mr Alexander Leicht, Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office, Mr Pablo Solis, Dean of CIDEA, Ms Vera Gerner, Director of the Research, Arts and Transmedia Programme (iAT), Ms Claret Calderon, Secretary of the UNA Student Federation and Ms Edda Rodriguez Jimenez, teacher and researcher at the UNA School of Performing Arts.

Ensuring decent living and working conditions for cultural workers is a priority for UNESCO. It can contribute to reducing poverty, fostering social inclusion, promoting gender equality and respect for cultural diversity. Its impact on the 2030 Agenda is multiple and cross-cutting, as culture is a driver of social change.

Alexander Leicht, Director UNESCO San José

Since 2018, UNESCO has been accompanying Costa Rica's efforts to formulate public policy solutions that protect the economic and labour rights of the artistic and cultural sectors, in the framework of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, and the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist.

In this context, a proposal formulated by the UNA has been selected to receive funding from the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for artists and cultural professionals. The proposed project seeks to improve the monitoring of the working conditions of young artists in Costa Rica by formulating a public policy proposal through a participatory process that will involve the definition of indicators to measure decent work, as well as the review of national regulations related to the current promotion of art, formal employment and social protection affecting young artists. The project will start in the second semester of 2022.