Head of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam Michael Croft

The Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, adopted by UNESCO in 2005, was a milestone in international cultural policy. Vietnam ratified the Convention in 2007.

The 2018 Global Report is the second of its kind to design and monitor the implementation of the Convention. The report summarizes the achievements of countries in promoting cultural diversification and good practices to develop the cultural industry, as well as difficulties and pending issues since the first report in 2015.

Head of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam Michael Croft said: "This report is a treasure map. What we should be looking at and where we should be going in order to harness the power of the cultural industry for sustainable development. What we'll be looking at is something that can be a key driver for sustainable development and the promotion of human rights. I think moving forward what we would like to do in the future is to take the cultural report of Vietnam and publicize it more widely. I think it is important for a number of reasons. First and foremost in the country it can help spur the cultural industry of which it has enormous potential in Vietnam. Second, it will help spread the Vietnamese experience and best practices to the world."

Mr Croft appreciated Vietnam’s achievements including the adoption of the strategy to develop the country's cultural industries until 2020 and a vision towards 2030.