The EU-Korea protocol on cultural cooperation: towards cultural diversity or cultural deficit?

In this article, the new practice of the Commission of the European Union to negotiate protocols on cultural cooperation in parallel with free trade negotiations is analyzed and critically discussed. The focus lies on the protocol agreed upon in 2009 by the European Union and the Republic of Korea. Within the EU, the Commission advocates in favor of this new practice in the framework of implementing the UNESCO Cultural Diversity Convention. However, critical member states and professional organizations claim that the protocol runs counter to the Convention's spirit. An analysis of the protocol shows that, above all, the historical background and institutional setup of trade-related international cultural policy has cluttered debate on the new practice. The article concludes with a set of policy recommendations

Digital development, inequalities & the Sustainable DevelopmentGoals: What does‘Leave No-One Behind’mean for ICT4D?

The United Nations’Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) place greatemphasis on inequalities and pledge toleave no-one behind. For thefield of digital development, this objective presents a particularchallenge. While digital technologies can be utilized to reduce certaininequalities, they are also linked to reproductive mechanisms,reinforcing existing inequalities. In the context of an increasingdigitalization of development, particular attention must therefore bepaid to the link between digital inequalities and the quest to leave no-one behind. This article analyses the integration of intersectionalinequalities in the SDG framework and the resulting need for coherentpolicies, and demonstrates the parallels between this challenge and thereproductive nature of digital inequalities. On this basis, we argue thatthe issue of digital inequalities should be mainstreamed indevelopment programming in order to avoid worsening existinginequalities through digital development

On media & communication : an introduction to communication sciences : theory and research

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