Report on the contribution of civil society to the promotion and protection of the diversity of cultural expressions in Asia-Pacific

This report focuses on the needs of civil society, the main challenges facing the cultural sectors in the region such as artistic freedom, dialogue with governments, gender equality, cultural policies and the treatment of culture in trade agreements. Due to the vastness of the Asia-Pacific region and the time allotted for the study, not all countries and regions in AsiaPacific are represented in this report. While some challenges and needs may be recurrent in a majority of countries, most are specific to local contexts and particular histories. It is therefore important to keep in mind that the findings of this research cannot be applied to the whole region and that further cooperation will be needed to reach out to civil society organisations that have not been included in this project. Finally, the dynamic and often fragile nature of the cultural sectors requires continuous dialogue with local civil society organisations, as new challenges constantly arise. In this respect, the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot yet be known, especially considering that in most Asia-Pacific countries the fight against the Coronavirus is still ongoing.