united nations development programme

South Africa

United Nations Development Programme United Nations Development Programme

South Africa

Global Human Development Report 2004

Cultural Liberty in Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse Today’s Diverse

WorldWorld

South Africa

United Nations Development Programme

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

South Africa


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

South Africa


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

South Africa


Five Myths vis Cultural Diversity

• People’s 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;

South Africa


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 ….

South Africa


Myths con’td

• ……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.

South Africa


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

South Africa


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

South Africa


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

South Africa


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.

united nations development programme

Documents