DEVELOPMENT G20 Cultural Sector, Key to Global Economic Recovery

Hilmar Farid, Director General of Culture and Coordinator of the G20 Culture Ministers Meeting through a talk “Kebudayaan untuk Bumi Lestari” with Maudy Ayunda -

Documentation of the Directorate General of Culture

Cultural Sector, Key to Global Economic Recovery

Sira tracer, Karo -

Documentation of the Directorate General of Culture

Wor Fannaggi, Biak -

Documentation of the Directorate General of Culture

The Indonesian government is the host of the G20 Culture Ministers Meeting or the Culture Ministry Forum which will be held in the Borobudur Temple area, Central Java, on 12-13 September 2022. This forum is designed with the aim of promoting a global recovery agenda based on cultural potentials. Its two main objectives are (1) to build global consensus for a more sustainable new normal and (2) to initiate a global recovery agenda through the establishment of the Global Arts and Culture Recovery Fund. The purpose is an agreement among G20 countries on an integrated strategy to restore the global economy through recovery priorities for the cultural sector.

Five Major Issues

There are five main issues raised in the G20 Culture Ministers Meeting. First, regarding the role of culture as an enabler and driver of sustainable living. What is the role of art and culture in the transition from the Old Normal to the New Normal that can encourage more sustainable lifestyles? Questions about the best reasons to invest in the culture and arts sector will also be discussed.

Second, regarding the economic, environmental and social impacts of culture-based policies. What can encourage heads of state and government, ministers of finance, economy, education and culture, as well as business leaders and financial investors, and local authorities to pursue policies directed towards more sustainable lifestyles based on cultural resources? In addition, what economic, environmental and social benefits can lead them to apply new and more innovative approaches and invest more in the arts and culture sector?

Third, about cultural commoning or joint management of cultural resources that promote sustainable lifestyles at the local level. Cultural communication or collective participation in the management of cultural resources is increasingly being seen as the key to promote endogenously sustainable lifestyles. What can be learned from countries and/or regions that have provided breakthroughs in this practice? What can be learned from the best practices in countries with different levels of development?

Fourth, regarding the challenge of realizing a fair access to cultural economic benefits. What is the best alternative for deepening future

to the economies of every country in 2020 (a drop of more than 12% during the 2008 Financial Crisis). This impact is felt in every cultural subsector: 13% of museums worldwide are permanently closed due to the pandemic in 2020 (27% in Asia), revenues from the music sector in Germany fell by 75% in 2020, the average lost income experienced by every artist in the US reached USD 21,500 in 2020, as well as for other cultural subsectors.

The existence of a global funding scheme for culture has proven to be effective in encouraging an appreciation of cultural diversity and the cultural economy that grows on this foundation. One of the examples is the International

collaboration between member countries and the global community to achieve a fair and balanced distribution of cultural economy through effective support for the production and distribution of local content and talent? How can technology, and the benefits of modernization, be used to open up equal opportunities for the growth of the cultural economy and ensure fair appreciation for creators and artists affected by the pandemic?

Finally, about the form of international resource mobilization needed to mainstream sustainable recovery. What challenges must be overcome in the mobilization and allocation of domestic and international resources to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle? What forms and mechanisms should be taken in the resource mobilization strategy in order to accelerate the recovery of the cultural sector affected by the pandemic?

Global Recovery Fund for the Cultural Sector

To be able to answer these five issues, the G20 Culture Ministers Meeting will pioneer global gotong royong (working together) to restore the cultural sector that can play a role as a driver of a more sustainable world’s economic recovery. This gotong royong is realized through the establishment of the Global Arts and Culture Recovery Fund. This proposal is based on consideration of the severity of the impact of the pandemic on the cultural sector.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the cultural economy sector. According to a recent UNESCO report, 750 billion USD of the economic contribution of the global culture industry sector disappeared in 2020 (equivalent to Thailand’s total GDP in 2019), more than 10 million jobs in the global culture industry sector disappeared in 2020 (approximately 80 % of the jobs lost were in big cities), and there was a 21% decline in the economic contribution of the global culture industry sector

Seba’ Baduy, Banten - Documentation of the Directorate General of Culture

Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) which is managed by UNESCO. Since 2010, this funding platform has successfully funded 105 projects in 54 developing countries with a value of US$7.5 million enabling structural change in the cultural and creative sectors by investing in projects that strengthen governance and public policy, vocational and entrepreneurship training, market access, and participation and inclusion.

The Indonesian Presidency commits to initiating the development of the Global Arts and Culture Recovery Fund (GACRF) by providing an initial funding of USD 1 million. This funding platform is expected to be a platform for restoring the cultural economy

The Nyobeng Sebujit Ritual by the Dayak Bidayuh Tribe -

Documentation of the Directorate General of Culture

sector, especially in developing and less developed countries, which have been severely affected by the pandemic, with a focus on the community of artists and cultural workers working on projects to promote sustainable life. This platform is practices to create a sustainable New Normal. With GACRF, the global arts and culture sector can recover more quickly and again play a major role in encouraging the realization of the ideals of sustainable development. With the support of G20 member countries and UNESCO, it is expected that the GACRF can be launched on September 13, 2022, on the occasion of the G20 Culture Ministers Meeting.

Global Recovery Agenda

The restoration of the arts and culture sector can only be done if there is support not only for actors in developed countries, but also and especially for actors in developing countries. There will be no recovery of the global cultural economy if developed countries only focus on restoring the cultural economy sector in their own countries. This is where the global community can really benefit the gotong royong philosophy because the global cultural economy forms an ecosystem in which each country plays an important role in the movement of the entire supply chain of cultural products.

For this reason, GACRF is needed as a means to accelerate the process of recovering the cultural economy sector, especially in developing countries that have been severely affected by the pandemic. With this GACRF, the global arts and culture sector can recover more quickly and play a major role again in encouraging the realization of the ideals of sustainable development.

(Martin Suryajaya, Indonesiana).