UN - call for submissions on cultural rights and public spaces

Call for submissions for upcoming report: Cultural rights and public spaces. In her forthcoming thematic report to the General Assembly, the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights will consider in her next report how actors from across the cultural ecosystem access and use public spaces, identify the challenges they face and the strategies they develop to overcome them, and analyse the impact this has on their cultural rights.

She invites all concerned stakeholders, including States, United Nations agencies, academics, experts, artists, scientists, cultural workers and practitioners, as well as civil society organizations, to answer to the questionnaire (see website), in order to benefit from their diverse views and experiences.

The Special Rapporteur will address multifaceted issues at stake, such as impediments in public spaces to cultural expression, the organization of cultural events, the conduct of cultural practices and the use of languages. She will consider the presence or absence of cultural narratives in public spaces, for example in the form of symbols, memorials, architecture or advertising.

Please note that the term "public spaces" in its plural form aims at underlining the plurality and diversity of "public spaces" and their differences in nature and scope. Public spaces may include, for example, not only urban but also rural and natural spaces, real and virtual spaces. Various degrees of privatization may affect public spaces. This may require different measures be adopted to ensure the realization of cultural rights.

Submissions should be sent electronically no later than 20 May 2019 to srculturalrights@ohchr.org, using the email title: "Submission: Cultural rights and public spaces". Those submitting information should feel free to answer only specific questions that they find most relevant.

Kindly limit your responses to 2,500 words and attach annexes where necessary. To facilitate their consideration, it would be preferable if responses could be sent in the working languages of the OHCHR, English, French or Spanish.