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Leipzig Initiative for a European Charter on Cultural Rights of Development

In the framework of the CIED Palermo Principles, the Leipzig EU CIED Conference under the German EU Presidency in June 1999 agreed to the adoption and implementation of the following principles and initiatives:

Preamble:

Understanding that the respect for cultural diversity requires the freedom to communicate within and among cultures and recognising that cultures flourish through peace and are destroyed by war and require full respect for human rights, the requirement of the protection of peoples, their human and material heritage, including cultural artifacts, is recognised as a principle.

In the interest of European citizens Local and Regional Authorities must:

a)      Ensure the development and promotion of culturally-oriented sustainability through enhancing the role of European communities and local self governance;

b)      Promote Access to knowledge through education and life-long learning so as to ensure inclusion in the cultural field for all;

c)      Ensure active local engagement as a culturally-based pattern of action through the promotion of Citizenship and of respect for cultural diversity;

d)      Recognize the importance of creativity, enhance the contribution of culture and cultural activities, including their innovative capacity, to economic development and well-being;

e)      Achieve excellence of practice in the management of cultural activities, and recognise that the funding of cultural activities and the protection of cultural heritage should be consonant with their non-exploitative nature.

to realize the above this the Initiative will:

Together with the Citizens and other cultural initiatives, associations, institutions all over Europe, the Initiative will:

1.      Establish a network working for “European Cities and towns as cultural based facilities for development” ;

2.      Work on an European report (Greenbook) on culture and development based on the CIED Good Practice Manual and also continue exploring the relationships between cultural heritage, innovation and sustainable development;

3.      Seek opportunities for investments in the cultural fields of economic development;

4.      Hold annual meetings of the Initiative on different topics in cultural based European Cities and towns and those which see to make culture an essential part of economic development;

5.      Organise the dissemination and exchange of experience and best practice on cultural-oriented sustainability;

6.      Promote the creation of a European Culture Fund to assist Communities, not least where the burden is greatest and to assist in generating public / private partnership;

7.      Work on political advocacy at local, regional, federal and European level for adopting and implementing the cultural rights of development for a more peaceful, democratic, sustainable development;

8.      Promote the central place of education and knowledge in the development of Cities, towns and localities;

9.      Disseminate to, engage with and include the newly emerging CEE countries in the Initiative;

10.  Ensure that this Initiative and the political declaration are transmitted and incorporated into activities, undertaken by UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the EU and other international organisations and assist in the optimal use of their programmes.

Leipzig, 19.6.1999

 

 

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