Greens support the development of the highest level of cultural diversity. This ranges from the preservation of different languages and cultural traditions to the most diverse range possible of cultural, visual, musical, written and oral expressions. We will promote a permanent and active dialogue among the different cultures. Greens support multicultural activities that lead to improved mutual understanding and communication among people coming from different cultural backgrounds.

Greens will work to enhance the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions approved by the General Conference of UNESCO in October 2005. However the UNESCO Convention is a toothless tiger compared to the WTO and the TRIPS agreements. Not only that the WTO prevails over the UNESCO because the hierarchy of norms is not established but also because the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM) gives the priority to the legal framework of the WTO.

Greens will work to reverse the hierarchy of norms and to promote the creation of a Dispute Settlement Mechanism that gives the UN Conventions priority over WTO and TRIPS agreements. Cultural goods (films, books, music, etc) must not be dealt with from a pure market standpoint. Greens favour a multilateral approach over a pure bilateral one.

Property rights must be balanced with conditions that assure cultural diversity and allow for a rich and varied creativity that reflects such cultural diversity. To achieve this, the UNESCO Convention must become robust enough to gain legal primacy over WTO rules.