Cultural diversity and media Cultural diversity and media pluralism have always been the touchstones of Europe's public service broadcasters, and they continue to be the driving force across all our services. It is part of our public service mission to foster cultural diversity in all our programmes, television, radio or on new platforms. On 8 January, the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 was officially launched in Ljubljana, Slovenia, highlighting the start of the first Slovenian EU Presidency. Many events will be organized throughout the year: click here for more information. EBU action on cultural diversity The EBU contributes to intercultural dialogue and the defence related to the concept of cultural diversity, through its international TV co-productions (see inlay right) and via a group of approximately 20 broadcasters who make up the Intercultural Diversity Group that has been active for the last ten years.
The EBU has created a number of tools to promote exchanges and sharing of experience. The Radio Day of European Cultures organised jointly with Prix Europa and held under the patronage of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe takes place every two years on the third Sunday of October. The third edition was held in October 2007. On average between 87 and 95 public service radio channels take part, creating one full day of pan-European cultural space. The action of the EBU in this field however goes beyond programmes as it is also involved in coordinating, raising awareness and promoting the exchange of experience and training. For upcoming events, please refer to the calendar below.
UNESCO convention on Cultural Diversity Technological changes and globalization are increasing the need for policies and regulations which promote cultural diversity and pluralism at the national, European and global levels. This is why the EBU has called upon all its Members to encourage governments to ratify as soon as possible the UNESCO Convention, which entered into force on 18 March 2007, in order for it to become an effective instrument in international negotiations, and especially in the GATS negotiations. Click here for a list of countries that have already ratified the convention. From April 26-28 2007 the German Commission for UNESCO organised the international conference "Cultural Diversity - Europe's Wealth. Bringing the UNESCO Convention to Life". As a result of the conference “Cultural Diversity – Our common wealth” was recently published, comprising a report and the keynotes of the conference as well as important contributions on the topics of film, music and media policies. Click here to download the full report. Cultural diversity calendar
Click here for 2007 cultural diversity calendar and 2007 news. | 
