The webinar 'Cultural Policies in Times of Digitisation: Experiences from the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean' was organised by the European Union-Latin America and the Caribbean International Foundation (EU-LAC Foundation) on 04 May 2021, in the framework of the 'Europe Week 2021 in Hamburg' (Europa Woche), an initiative of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The recording of the webinar is available on the Youtube Page of the EU-LAC Foundation.
The objective of the webinar was, in the first instance, to provide a space for dialogue between decision-makers in the field of cultural policy and a group of representatives of cultural management organisations from both regions. The event aimed to generate an exchange of challenges, opportunities and promising initiatives at the level of cultural policies, accompanied by a balance of similarities and differences in terms of digitisation and its implications for cultural policies. To this end, it sought to address the challenges and opportunities associated with the digitisation of cultural policies, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to provide a space for the presentation of best practices in digitisation from both regions.
The format of the event consisted of an opening segment and three thematic sections (1. Similarities and differences, 2. Opportunities and challenges, 3. Best practices) with presentations of about 10 minutes from each panellist. A series of questions from the audience were answered by the experts in the Q&A section during the course of the event.
The webinar was moderated by Anett Numa, Digital Transformation Advisor at e-Estonia. The inaugural panel consisted of Dr Adrian Bonilla, Executive Director of the EU-LAC Foundation, Claudia Gintersdorfer, Head of the Americas Regional Division of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Ambassador Mauricio Escanero, Head of Mission of Mexico to the EU and Representative of the Pro Tempore Presidency of CELAC in charge of Mexico, both in their role as Co-Chairs of the Board of Governors of the EU-LAC Foundation, as well as of Almut Möller, State Secretary of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
The three thematic sections were structured as follows:
Similarities and differences:
- Louise Haxthausen, UNESCO Representative to the EU;
- Natalia Armijos, Director-General for Culture, Organisation of Iberoamerican States for Education, Science and Culture.
Opportunities and challenges:
- Monica Urian, Policy Officer, Directorate-General for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, European Commission
- Octavio Kulesz, Director of Teseo.
Best practices:
- Gitte Zschoch, Director of the EU National Institutes of Culture;
- Toni Attard, Board Member of the Cultural Policy Makers Network and Founder and Director of Culture Venture;
- Natalie Urquhart, Executive Committee Member, Museums Association of the Caribbean and Director at National Gallery of the Cayman Islands;
- Clémentine Daubeuf (Deputy Director of KEA European Affairs).
