The 10th session of the Conference of Parties to the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), kicked off on June 18 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The session will run through June 20.
Azerbaijan is represented at the event by its Permanent Delegation to UNESCO and a cultural delegation led by Saadat Yusifova, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
In her address at the opening session, Deputy Minister Yusifova noted that 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the 2005 Convention, emphasizing its role as a crucial framework for strengthening cultural policy and ensuring equitable access to cultural expression.
She outlined Azerbaijan’s efforts to develop cultural and creative industries within the framework of the country’s Socio-Economic Development Strategy for 2022–2026.
Highlighting the consequences of Armenia’s policy of aggression and ethnic cleansing, the Deputy Minister drew attention to the forcible displacement of over one million Azerbaijanis. She noted that these individuals were systematically deprived of access to their cultural spaces and their right to cultural expression – acts that, she stressed, are in direct contradiction to the principles of UNESCO’s 2005 Convention.
The session is expected to define the strategic directions for the Intergovernmental Committee on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions for the 2026–2027 period.