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EUNIC – Siena Cultural Relations Forum

Rod Fisher, Associate Lecturer in ICCE, participated in the first Siena Cultural Relations Forum, organised by EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) and the University of Siena in Pontignano, Italy, from 11-14 June. The Forum, supported by the EU’s Creative Europe programme, brought together more than 40 cultural relations policymakers and practitioners, academics and researchers from around the world to build bridges between the theory, policy and practice of cultural relations. There was a risk that such a mix of participants might not have yielded any consensus, but in fact there was general agreement on the steps that needed to be taken to ensure the impetus for action was maintained.

The context for the Forum was the moves by the European Union to develop a strategic approach to the employment of culture in its external relations, and its desire to generate a new spirit of dialogue, mutual listening and learning, capacity building, co-creation and global solidarity. This was very much in line with the recommendations of “Engaging the World: Towards Global Cultural Citizenship”, the 2014 report of the Preparatory Action on Culture in EU External Relations (http://cultureinexternalrelations.eu/) to which Rod and Dr Carla Figueira from ICCE made significant contributions. The event also took place in the context of a new co-operation agreement between EUNIC, the European Commission and its European External Action Service to develop joint cultural activities in countries where conditions are favourable.

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