AGL at UNESCO’s “Artistic Freedom: The Road Ahead”

“Using the system empowers the system.” – Director Andra Matei

On February 13th, AGL Director Andra Matei delivered a compelling call for stronger legal defense of artists and artistic expression during a panel held at UNESCO Headquarters. She spoke as part of Artistic Freedom: The Road Ahead, an event hosted by the Permanent Delegations of Norway and Sweden to UNESCO, commemorating 20 years of promoting artistic freedom and civic engagement in the arts since the adoption of the 2005 Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Artistic Freedom: The Road Ahead was opened by welcoming remarks by the Assistant Director-General for Culture, Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, and included moving performances by Afghan singer and International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) resident artist Ghawgha, accompanied by musicians Anja Lauvdal and Marianna Sangita Røe. Halvor Hvideberg of The Permanent Delegation of Norway to the OECD and UNESCO, and Helena Sångeland of the Permanent Delegation of Sweden to UNESCO spoke passionately of the profound and integral role freedom of artistic expression plays in democracy, the challenges of digital competence in protecting artists online, and emphasized the importance of renewed commitment to defending artistic integrity. Unable to join the panel in person, UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassador for Artistic Freedom and Creativity, Deeyah Khan, delivered a moving speech via video.

The panel, which served as a centerpiece of the event, featured Director Matei alongside Abdullah Alkafri (Ettijahat – Independent Culture), Kathy Rowland (ArtsEquator), and was moderated by UNESCO’s Karalyn Monteil. Among the panelists’ powerful calls to defend artists and protect their fundamental right to create, express and inspire, Director Matei highlighted the complexities of navigating international legal frameworks and the urgent need to build legal capacity for artist protection.

Andra’s participation in this influential discussion provided AGL with a powerful platform to advocate for cross-sectorial capacity building in the artistic freedom domain and legal training to effectively leverage international frameworks—ensuring artists receive the critical support they need. Speaking to the complexity of these international frameworks, Andra described AGL’s groundbreaking capacity building programme The Art Of Defending Artists, conceptualised to provide participants with the skills and knowledge to successfully navigate regional and international mechanisms in order to defend artists. She told the audience, “it is a system that works, it is a system that can be used successfully to defend artists, but we need to learn to navigate it, and it is not an easy task.”