Abstract
This chapter demonstrates how and why UNESCO was the first UN Agency to forecast, three decades ago, the socio-cultural and economic role of crafts in a globalized world and within the creative economy. On the basis of relevant references to international conventions and conferences, the chapter argues that the originality of the UNESCO approach lies in its recognition of the dual role crafts as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and of the creative industries side by side with the establishment of linkages between designers and artisans. This implies a comprehensive policy based on the three pillars of coordination, complementarity and cooperation among all the concerned stakeholders from public and private sectors.
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Such as ‘Craftmanship of Nanjing Yunjun brocade’ (China), ‘Woodcrafting knowledge of the Zafimaniry community’ (Madagascar) and ‘Indonesian Batik’. Cumulative List available on www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/lists.
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Background paper by UNCTAD Secretariat for the meeting of the High-level panel on the creative economy and industries for development, Accra, Ghana, 20–25 April 2008.
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Source: UNESCO World Report “Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue”, 2009.
References
UNESCO. 1982. World Conference on Cultural Policies—Final Report. Paris: UNESCO Publishing.
UNESCO. 2001. Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. Available at http://Unescodoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001271/127160m.pdf.
UNESCO. 2003. Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage. Paris: UNESCO Publishing.
UNESCO. 2009. World Culture Report on Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue. Paris: UNESCO Publishing.
UNESCO/Craft Revival Trust/Artesanias De Colombia. 2005. Designers Meet Artisans: A Practical Guide. New Delhi, India: Published by Craft Revival Trust. Available at http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/resources/online-materials/publications/unesdoc-database/pdf.
UNESCO/Internationa Trade Centre. 1997. International Symposium on Crafts and the International Market: Trade and Customs Codification. Unpublshed Final Report.
UNESCO/UNDP. 2013. Creative Economy Report: Special Edition ‘Widening Local Development Pathways’. Joint United Nations/UNDP/UNESCO Publication. Available at http://www.unesco.org/culture/pdf/creative-economy-report-2013.pdf.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Commerce-UNCTAD. 2008. Background Paper on the Creative Economy and Creative Industries Prepared by UNCTAD Secretariat for the Meeting of the High-Level Panel, Apr 20–25, Accra, Ghana.
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Vencatachellum, I. (2019). UNESCO Approach to Crafts. In: Mignosa, A., Kotipalli, P. (eds) A Cultural Economic Analysis of Craft. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02164-1_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02164-1_3
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