In 2018, the heads of all cultural authorities in the UAE agreed on the importance of having a country wide cultural strategy to unite all efforts in the cultural sector of the country towards a more strategic, sustainable, and ambitious direction. The Culture Agenda 2031 is the first country-level strategy for the cultural sector in the UAE, with a roadmap of 7 strategic objectives and 75 strategic initiatives from 2018 until 2031.
The Strategic Objectives of the Culture Agenda are:
1. Celebrate national identity, heritage, and cultural authenticity
2. Strengthen the relationship between the community and the cultural sector
3. Support talent in the cultural sector
4. Provide high-quality cultural infrastructure
5. Build a holistic and sustainable cultural ecosystem
6. Introduce the concept of the cultural and creative industries in the UAE
7. Strengthen the role of culture in international relations
All of the initiatives assist in the implementation of the 2005 Convention, and some are innovative approaches to ensuring the protection and implementation of principles that uphold cultural diversity in the UAE, and they include the following initiatives:
* Include UAE intangible heritage in school curricula
* Teach Emirati handicrafts; and encourage training, development and promotion of this heritage while also responding to current and future market needs
* Develop a comprehensive Arabic language strategy
* Study the needs of different segments of society (children, disabled, youth, elderly, residents, etc.) from the cultural sector and develop a plan to provide those needs
* Encourage all residents to participate in cultural events implemented in the UAE
* Strengthen cultural diversity awareness in the country
* Develop mechanisms to ensure that different segments of society can enjoy cultural products and spaces
* Ensure the availability of cultural outlets and programs in all areas of the country and for all
* Provide volunteering opportunities in the cultural sector
* Ensure the provision of cultural education for all ages, with high-quality, and in line with best practices
* Develop a plan to promote community awareness of culture's role in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals 2030
* Develop a national plan to support talent in the cultural sector
* Develop a framework to discover cultural talent
* Provide comprehensive care and support for cultural talent in all its different stages
* Provide awareness to families, institutions, and community members about the importance of supporting cultural talent
* Ensure the availability of training opportunities in major cultural projects implemented in the country
* Ensure the availability of cultural spaces in every city
* Provide spaces and labs to encourage cultural and artistic experimentation
* Develop a plan to collect cultural data to support planning and policy development
* Develop a funding framework to support the cultural sector
* Assess the IP system to support the cultural sector
* Ensure sustainable cultural tourism in the country
* Ensure culture is a main component of other sectoral policies, strategies, and initiatives
* Study and assess the status of all of culture's subsectors and develop plans to enhance them
* Support research initiatives in the cultural sector
* Study and assess the role of foundations and non-profit organizations and develop a plan to make them an active participant in the cultural ecosystem
* Establish a national committee mandated with the development of the cultural and creative sector in the country
* Develop a strategy to nurture and grow the CCI sector in the country
* Establish a sustainable cultural development fund to support individuals, entrepreneurs, and institutions
* Study domestic cultural consumption patterns and develop plans accordingly
* Support the establishment of cultural markets (digital and non-digital)
* Develop an export strategy for local cultural products
* Strengthen cultural relations and exchange at the regional and international levels
* Contribute to the protection of cultural heritage around the world
* Strengthen culture's role in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals 2030
Since 2018 and the launch of the culture agenda, the cultural sector has taken deliberate steps to implement some of the initiatives.
The Culture Agenda 2031 was able to put the first roadmap for the cultural sector in the UAE and unify all efforts across the country. Since 2018, many policy initiatives and programs have been successfully implemented, some of which include the following:
* Talent Policy for the Cultural Sector was launched in 2018
* Golden Visa to grant a 10-year residency visa for creatives and professionals in the cultural sector was launched in 2018
* Abu Dhabi and Dubai have launched their cultural and creative strategies and the Ministry of Culture and Youth has started in developing the national strategy which is planned for completion by 2021
* And many other initiatives highlighted in different sections of this report
COVID-19 has changed the international narrative and the cultural sector in the UAE has had to reorder its priorities over the next few years. To ensure sustainability, continuity, and the creation of livelihoods in the cultural sector, support for the creatives will be prioritized in the next few years. A few initiatives are considered an absolute priority now, and they include:
* assessment of the IP system and its impact on the creative sector;
* policy and regulations support for freelancers and workers in the creative sector;
* ensuring a sustainable and diverse funding framework to support the creative sector.