The 36th Session of the General Conference of UNESCO agreed to:
1. Adopt and support the The Seoul Agenda: Goals for the Development of Arts Education
2. Designate the fourth week of May as International Week of Arts Education
3. Support a Third World Conference on Arts Education.
The full resolutions as recorded at the UNESCO General Council are outlined below (Thanks to Canadian and German Commissions for UNESCO)
The World Alliance for Arts Education (WAAE: International Drama Education Association, International Society for Education in Art, International Society for Music Education and World Dance Alliance) has been active in developing and advocating for these initiatives.
Thanks go to the Korean Arts and Culture Education Services (KACES) and the Korean delegation at the 36th UNESCO General Conference for their advocacy for arts education during the conference in Paris. A statement from KACES re the announcement may be found at http://www.artezine.kr/english/view.jsp?articleldx=1498
2012 will see the inaugural celebration of the International week of Arts Education
Item 5.13 – Implementation of the "Seoul Agenda: Goals for the Development of Arts Education", outcome document of the Second World Conference on Arts Education
The General Conference,
Recalling 35 C/Resolution 40 on the promotion of arts education,
Taking into consideration 185 EX/Decision 44,
Having examined document 36 C/55,
1. Welcomes the positive results of the First and Second World Conferences on Arts Education (held in March 2006 and May 2010) which highlighted the importance of high-quality arts education for all and of strengthening cooperation among various stakeholders (national authorities, local governments, teachers, artists, researchers associations and NGOs) and through the network of UNESCO Arts Education Observatories and Chairs to the development of best practices and the reinforcement of the position of arts education in schools and in societies;
2. Invites Member States to ensure the follow-up to the Second World Conference by employing the strategies proposed in the Seoul Agenda and by implementing in a concerted manner the action items set out therein for the renewal of education systems;
3. Requests the Director-General to provide support for the mobilization of extrabudgetary resources for the holding of the Third World Conference on Arts Education and to ensure appropriate intersectoral cooperation between the Culture and Education Sectors of UNESCO in promoting and integrating arts education, in particular in the context of the education for all (EFA) and education for sustainable development (ESD) plans;
4. Decides to proclaim the fourth week of May as the International Arts Education Week and to encourage all Member States, civil society, professional organizations and communities to organize relevant activities on that occasion at the national, regional and international levels.