Department of Political Science and Public Administration

Doctoral Dissertation in progress

«The role of NGOs towards inclusive and networked cultural multilateralism: the case of the Blue Shield»

Commencement date: December 20, 2022

Abstract

The proposed thesis aims at providing a systematic analysis of the normative, institutional and policy synergies developed between NGOs and multilateral cultural institutions, focusing on UNESCO and its cultural treaty-bodies established and functioning within the framework of its normative apparatus, in the light of Antonio Guterres’s call for inclusive and networked multilateralism.

The goal is to critically examine the evolution of the cultural governance system and to identify issues pertaining to NGO inclusiveness and participation, which need to be addressed, as well as show which mechanisms could be established or modified in order to achieve what the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has pinpointed as an overarching level of  [cultural] multilateralism that can function as an instrument of “[cultural] global governance”. In this context, we will examine whether NGOs can act as “crucial enablers” for a renewed international cultural inclusive and networked cooperation, as well as identify the mechanisms already in place for their participation and how they could improve towards this aim. How and in what ways can NGOs’ participation improve decision making processes and further enhance cultural multilateralism? Finally, a major goal of this thesis is to examine the impact of inclusive and networked cultural multilateralism on the landscape of global cultural governance.

The empirical part of the thesis will examine the contribution of Blue Shield to inclusive and networked cultural multilateralism.