What is a "Quadrennial Periodic Report"?
The parties to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions undertake to submit a Quadrennial Periodic Report to UNESCO every four years. These reports serve to continuously monitor the implementation of the Convention in the respective countries. They also ensure that data on the arts, culture, and creative industries that is as comparable as possible is collected and made available at the international level, and that examples of national good practice are presented. Reporting is the responsibility of the relevant ministry at the national level. For this reason, these reports are also referred to as “Staatenbericht (state report)” in German.
In order to achieve the best possible international comparability, the reporting format, i.e. the specific design of the reports, is determined by UNESCO. In addition to a comprehensive presentation of activities in the four monitoring areas of the Convention, future priorities and (new) cross-cutting issues are also identified.
The activities, projects, and measures described in the reports are available on the UNESCO Policy Monitoring Platform. They are also included in the UNESCO Global Monitoring Report.
Preparation of the report
In Austria, the Contact Point within the Austrian Commission for UNESCO is responsible for coordinating and preparing this report. In close cooperation with the Federal Ministry Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport (BMWKMS) the Contact Point prepares this report on the basis of desktop research, consultations with other relevant federal ministries, the federal states, and, last but not least, comprehensive surveys of relevant civil society actors.
The report covers cultural policy measures, activities, projects, and initiatives that have been newly established or significantly developed by both government agencies and civil society during the respective reporting period. The 2024 Quadrennial Periodic Report covers measures taken in the period 2020-2023.
Involvement of civil society in reporting
The preparation of the national reports also serves as a forum for dialogue between civil society and government agencies on the progress made in protecting and promoting the diversity of cultural expressions, as well as on future priorities and existing challenges. This is because measures that promote a diverse arts and cultural landscape, as defined by the Convention, are not only taken by government agencies; civil society actors also make a significant contribution through their activities and projects.
Civil society actors and organizations are therefore called upon to contribute their examples of good practice and activities, and to outline the priorities they consider relevant for the future implementation of the Convention in Austria. This can be done in the form of an online survey, which the Cultural Diversity Contact Point uses to collect relevant measures. These measures will be reviewed for their relevance to the implementation of the Convention and included in the report if appropriate. In addition, the Cultural Diversity Contact Point, in cooperation with the BMWKMS, is also organizing an in-person workshop for and with civil society actors, which will provide an opportunity to comment on the draft report and collect further examples.
