Participation in the Cultural Rights Plan of the Spanish Ministry of Culture

What

The Spanish Ministry of Culture is developing a Cultural Rights Plan that will detail actions to guarantee diversity in access, consumption and cultural production for citizens. The plan is structured through thirteen interconnected thematic axes: local development and community action, education, cultural mediation, gender equality, ethnic-racial diversity, linguistic diversity, disability, inequality, intergenerational culture, sustainability and Agenda 2030, digital rights, evaluation of cultural policies, and regulatory adaptation and good practices.

For each of them, different activities have been organized, including a program of meetings with experts who will help shape specific measures and actions. ZEMOS98 has facilitated and reported on two axes of work: digital rights, coordinated by Marcos García; and regulatory adaptation, coordinated by Beatriz Barreiro. In addition, we have participated as experts in the cultural mediation axis.

How

Between June and November 2024, ZEMOS98 has facilitated five virtual meetings with experts in the areas of regulatory adaptation of cultural activities, and the implementation of citizens’ digital rights. A group of around twenty people with diverse profiles and backgrounds participated in each of the panels; they have carried out a detailed diagnosis of the situation at the legislative level, emphasizing the challenges of the cultural sector to open itself up to better meet the cultural needs of citizens. In addition, during the process, each of the experts has proposed at least two specific measures or actions that will form part of the plan. Once this phase is completed, the Ministry will shape the final text, which will also include contributions from sectoral agents in culture and civil society. The Cultural Rights Plan will be presented within the framework of the international culture forum Mondiacult 2025, promoted by UNESCO and held in Barcelona at the end of that year.

Why

The Cultural Rights Plan is presented as a good opportunity to delve deeper into the idea that culture is a tool that engages in a committed and active dialogue with the challenges facing society, and that it does so in collaboration with other disciplines or areas of knowledge. In short, culture belongs to everyone and we all have the right not only to consume it but also to feel part of the production process and the dialogue that it generates.