Culture, Cultures, and Cultural Rights

Abstract

Abstract This chapter considers the challenges of dealing with culture and cultures, as well as the ideas and substance of cultural rights, especially article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966 (ICESCR) — the core binding provision on cultural rights in the international human rights system. It examines the two new recent international texts relevant to cultural rights: General Comment 17 of the International Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (the Committee on ESC Rights), adopted in 2005; and the United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, also adopted in 2005. Finally, it offers some concluding reflections and suggests that there may be signs of a renaissance for culture and cultural rights.