The 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist calls upon Member States to improve the professional, social, and economic status of artists by implementing policies and measures related to training, social security, employment, income and tax conditions, mobility, and freedom of expression. It also recognizes artists’ right to organize in trade unions or professional organizations that can represent and defend their members’ interests.
The Recommendation was adopted by the UNESCO General Conference at its twenty-first session in 1980. At the time, Member States recognized both the need to understand and strengthen the role of the “creative worker” and the need to improve the status of such workers, given the particular conditions of their profession and their contribution to development. Decades later, the Recommendation remains as relevant today as in 1980, given the ongoing challenges worldwide in the area of social and economic rights and the impact of digital technology on artists’ work.
In 2022, UNESCO wrote an overview of the Recommendation, highlighting these points:
Artists are central to social and economic development, with the cultural and creative industries accounting for 3.1% of global GDP and 6.2% of employment; supporting artists requires integrated cultural, labor, and social policies.
UNESCO’s 1980 Recommendation on the Status of the Artist calls on Member States to improve artists’ professional, social, and economic conditions, including training, employment, income stability, social security, mobility, and freedom of expression.
“Status of the artist” combines social recognition and legal rights, affirming artists’ moral, economic, and social rights regardless of employment status, and recognizing their right to organize collectively.
Key policy areas include: education and lifelong training; social protection adapted to freelance and intermittent work; fair taxation and income-stabilization measures; mobility and visa access; artistic freedom; gender equality; and protections in the digital environment.
Implementation is shared across actors: UNESCO monitors and supports implementation; Member States adapt laws and policies; civil society evaluates and advocates; and artists organize collectively to strengthen representation and bargaining power.