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The meeting was convened by UNESCO and the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage of Chile, in the framework of the 31^st World Press Freedom Day Conference hosted by UNESCO and the Government of Chile, and took place at the NAVE Creation and Residency Center. The event was made possible thanks to the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals, which is funded by Norway. 

UNESCO’s role in promoting artistic freedom dates back decades, notably through the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist, followed by the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. On occasion of the meeting, Ernesto Ottone R., Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, stated, “The culture sector does not exist in a vacuum. Climate change and digital transformation tangibly affect artists and culture professionals around the world, threatening their livelihoods and cultural rights. At the same time, they play a crucial role in sensitizing the public and inspiring changes that put us on course for sustainable futures.” In turn, Esther Kuisch-Laroche, Director of the UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Santiago, stressed the need to discuss, reflect and, above all, take action, in view of multiple common global challenges. 

The event also reinforced the ongoing efforts led by the Chilean Government, with the collaboration of UNESCO and other partners, to improve working conditions of cultural workers in the country. Carolina Arredondo Marzán, Minister of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, stressed that this agenda requires considering the implications of artificial intelligence. She noted that “technology should be at the service of people, and not the other way round. Artificial intelligence cannot signify a possible devaluation of human work and artistic and creative freedom".

Artists and culture professionals greatly contribute to economic development, innovation and the building of community, but their importance often remains unrecognized, explained Patrick Kabanda, a Ugandan artist and international expert. In light of the precarious conditions that many among them continue to work in, Heidemarie Meissnitzer, Counsellor for Arts, Culture and Audiovisual at the Permanent Representation of Austria to the European Union shared valuable insights emerging from a produced by a group of experts of EU Member States that she co-chaired. She stressed the relevance of facilitating cultural professionals’ job stability, access to social protection, opportunities for skills development and life-long learning, as well as of collective bargaining, fair practices, cross-border mobility, and guaranteeing artistic freedom. These recommendations are in line with those of UNESCO’s report , which is based on the findings of the latest global consultation on the implementation of the 1980 Recommendation Concerning the Status of the Artist. 

On the impact of AI, experts recommended going beyond a “techno-utopia/technophobia dichotomy”, a point in particular raised by Nicolás Madoery, Director and content coordinator of , an Argentina-based peer-to-peer training programme, music and technology learning community, and Alejandra López Gabrielidis, postdoctoral researcher and coordinator of the PhD Unit at BAU, College of Arts & Design Barcelona. They noted that AI exacerbates existing tensions, prejudices and inequalities if nothing is done to counter such challenges. Madoery emphasized the need to think critically, collaborate and tackle the concentration of digital content and related revenues. López Gabrielidis called for generating new data that can contribute to cultural diversity and transcending a competitive logic in connection to machines, concluding that the rapid development of generative AI will push human creativity to find new solutions. 

Artists have a unique power to foster public understanding, mobilization and behavioral change regarding environmental matters, as well as to generate new ideas, explained Thiago Jesus, a Brazilian Senior Projects Manager for Indigenous Exchange & Climate Action at . Highlighting that while fashion is one of the most polluting industries it can also be a vehicle for inspiring messages, Nkwo Onwuka, founder of leading Nigerian sustainable brand , exhorted young creatives to “learn from the past, live in the now, and believe in the future”. Monserrat Moya Arrué, a Chilean lawyer specialized in social, environmental and cultural projects solicited building alliances across sectors and integrating cultural heritage and creativity into international debates on climate change. 

Calling attention to the increasing attacks faced by artists and activists who express themselves on environmental issues, Marita Muukkonen and Ivor Stodolsky, co-founders and co-directors of , and , advocated for humanitarian visas, sustainable funding structures and networks of solidarity in support of the critical voices for the environment.

The recording of the event is available for viewing in and in .

Learn more about the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals here.