UNESCO Convenes Expert Meeting on Cultural Rights
Jamaican cultural economist Deborah Hickling Gordon has been invited as an expert to a UNESCO meeting on implementing cultural rights.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Cultural
UNESCO will hold an Expert Meeting on the Implementation of Cultural Rights at its Paris headquarters on November 13, 2026, and Deborah Hickling Gordon of The University of the West Indies, Mona, has been invited to participate. The meeting will bring together experts and practitioners from diverse regions and disciplines.
Why it matters
Input from the meeting will shape a new UNESCO policy guidance note on equitable access to cultural life. The guidance is intended to help Member States and other stakeholders design policies that promote access to, participation in, and contribution to cultural life.
The expert meeting is scheduled for November 13, 2026, at UNESCO's Paris headquarters, building on the momentum of MONDIACULT 2025. The stub does not indicate how many experts will attend or what the final guidance note will recommend.
The players
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized UN agency that promotes international cooperation in education, science, and culture.
Deborah Hickling Gordon
Deborah Hickling Gordon is a Caribbean cultural economist and lecturer at The University of the West Indies, Mona, known for her work on cultural policy across the region.
Nayef Al-Fayez
Nayef Al-Fayez is UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Culture, overseeing the organization's cultural programs worldwide.
The details
Nayef Al-Fayez, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO's Culture Sector, extended the invitation to Hickling Gordon, a lecturer in cultural studies and the cultural and creative economy. Participants will identify practical approaches adaptable to different cultural and institutional settings.
Timeline
2013 to 2019: Hickling Gordon authored Jamaica's cultural economy framework.
November 13, 2026: UNESCO Expert Meeting on Implementation of Cultural Rights at Paris headquarters.
Cultural Policy Lineage
The meeting follows MONDIACULT 2025, UNESCO's World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development, and extends its agenda into a concrete policy guidance note on cultural rights. It continues UNESCO's effort to translate conference-level commitments into implementable national policy.
The guidance note aims to help governments and cultural institutions design policies that broaden public access to cultural life. Readers will see its effects only as member states adopt and implement the resulting policies.
The takeaway
Cultural rights depend on policies that ensure equitable access and participation, and expert input from diverse regions helps translate global commitments into practical national action. Stakeholders interested in cultural policy can watch for the forthcoming UNESCO guidance note.
What happens next
The UNESCO Expert Meeting on the Implementation of Cultural Rights takes place at Paris headquarters on November 13, 2026, with its input feeding into a forthcoming UNESCO policy guidance note.
Further reading
Explore more stories in our Cultural section for broader context on policy and heritage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Jamaica Observer.
