UN expert kicks off new study on the impact
of advertising and marketing on cultural rights
GENEVA (7 February 2014) – The United
Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Farida Shaheed, is
launching a new study on the impact of advertising and marketing practices on
cultural rights, with an up-close look at their effect on cultural diversity
and human rights.
Ms. Shaheed will be looking at the effect
of commercial sponsorship on academic and artistic freedoms, as well as on the
content of art museum exhibits, among other issues. Her report will be
considered by the UN General Assembly in October this year.
“One underlying problem”, the human rights
expert said, “relates to the impact that advertising and marketing practices
may have on cultural diversity and the right of people to choose their way of
life”.
“The modification of our cultural and
symbolic landscapes through billboards or screens, the increasing encroachment
of advertising on our public space and the intrusion of advertising in schools
and universities are among the concerns I intend to address in this report,” she
explained.
The Special Rapporteur has already laid the
basis for her study through a first series of meetings with experts in New
York. She has also reached out to all UN Member States and other interested
parties to seek their views, for example on the use of private data for
commercial purposes, the use of neuromarketing or behavioural targeting, and
possible regulation to differentiate commercial speech from non-commercial
speech.*
“Many ethical and human rights issues are
at stake”, Ms. Shaheed stressed. “I am particularly interested in the
mechanisms that can ensure a variety of narratives and values in the public
space and through mass media, beyond what is often referred to as ‘commercial
culture.’”
The Special Rapporteur’s study on the
impact of advertising and marketing practices on cultural rights will be made
available online in September / October 2014, during the 69th session of the UN
General Assembly in New York.
(*) Check the Special Rapporteur’s webpage
on the ongoing study, including the questionnaire for all interested
stakeholders (deadline: 3 March 2014):
ENDS
Ms. Farida Shaheed took up her functions as
Independent Expert and then Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights
in August 2009. She has worked for more than 25 years promoting and protecting
cultural rights by fostering policies and projects designed in culturally
sensitive ways to support the rights of marginalized sectors, including women,
peasants, and religious and ethnic minorities. Ms. Shaheed has been the
recipient of several national and international human rights awards, and is an
experienced participant in negotiations at international, regional and national
levels. Learn more, log on to:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/CulturalRights/Pages/SRCulturalRightsIndex.aspx
See the Special Rapporteur latest reports: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/CulturalRights/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx
For inquiries and media requests, please
contact Ms. Mylène Bidault (+41 22 917 9254 / mbidault@ohchr.org) or write to
srculturalrights@ohchr.org
For media inquiries related to other UN
independent experts:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit
(+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)
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