United Nations Development Programme

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South Africa
Global Human Development Report 2004 Cultural
Liberty in Todays Diverse World
United Nations Development Programme
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The Report Contextualises the Issue of Cultural
Diversity

• Identifies Global Threats
• Racism
• Sexism
• Xenophobia
• Ethnicity Nationalism
• Religious intolerance
• Cultural hegemony
• Economic, social and political discrimination

• Outlines Global Challenges
• Recognising that cultural diversity is an
  inescapable feature of the landscape of politics
  in the 21st century
• Managing cultural identities through policies
  that explicitly recognise diversity

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The Report Articulates a Normative Perspective

• Cultural diversity flourishes within a
  rights-based, democratic context
• Cultural determinism is an obstacle to freedom,
  equitable development and self-determination
• Cultural identities are fluid, multiple and
  dynamic
• Multicultural policies are a way to build diverse
  and unifies states

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Cultural Liberty Core Assumptions of Report

• Cultural liberty is a vital part of sustainable
  human development
• Cultural liberty is a human right
• Cultural liberty is a simple notion, but
  profoundly unsettling for narrower agendas of
  identity politics
• States need to find progressive ways of forging
  national unity amid cultural diversity

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Five Myths vis Cultural Diversity

• Peoples ethnic identities compete with their
  attachment to the State, so there is a trade-off
  between recognising diversity and recognising the
  State
• Ethnic groups are prone to violent conflict with
  each other in clashes of values, so there is a
  trade-off between respecting diversity
  sustaining peace

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Myths Continued

• Cultural liberty requires defending traditional
  practices, so there could be a trade-off between
  recognising cultural diversity other human
  development priorities such as progress in
  development, democracy human rights
• Ethnically diverse countries are less able to
  develop, so there is a trade-off between .

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Myths contd

• Respecting diversity and promoting development
• Some cultures are more likely to make
  developmental progress than others, and some
  cultures have inherent democratic values while
  others do not, so there is a trade-off between
  accommodating certain cultures promoting dev
  democracy.

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The Report Identifies Five Central Policy Domains

• Policies for ensuring political participation
• Policies for ensuring religious freedom
• Policies for ensuring legal pluralism and access
  to justice
• Policies for ensuring equitable treatment of
  languages
• Policies for ensuring access to socio-economic
  opportunities

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Global Threats and Challenges to Cultural Liberty

• Poverty, unemployment and inequality
• Forces of globalisation and cultural
  homogenisation
• Stigmatisation and Stereotyping
• Gender violence and discrimination
• Migration and refugees
• Xenophobia and related violence
• Religious and ethnic intolerance
• Neglect of indigenous minorities

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Report Provides Roadmap for Building
Multicultural Democracies

• Multicultural policies that explicitly recognise
  cultural differences
• Policies that address the cultural exclusion of
  minorities and other marginalised groups
• Political and governance mechanisms that ensure
  inclusion
• Legal systems that conform to international
  standards of human rights and gender equality
• Legal systems that accommodate customary
  law/practices
• Multiple language policies that ensure full
  democratic participation
• Public spending regimes that promote equity and
  inclusion

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Report Conclusions Critical Issues for
Reflection

• Building humane just societies requires both
  freedom equity
• Cultural diversity gives people in societies the
  opportunity to enjoy a wide range of cultural
  choice
• Exercise of cultural liberty may lead to
  reduction in cultural diversity
• Need for liberty equity in assessing the
  demands of social inclusion contingent merits
  of cultural diversity,
• Unexamined traditionalism is not part of the
  exercise of cultural liberty.