Organizer Information
The German Commission for UNESCO (Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission e.V.) is Germany's national liaison body for all UNESCO-related matters, founded in 1950 as a chartered non-profit association with up to 114 members drawn from government, culture, science, and civil society. Headquartered in Bonn, it advises the German federal government on UNESCO-related cultural policy and serves as the national contact office for several UNESCO conventions, including the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. In cooperation with numerous partners, the Commission initiated and drafted the Fair Culture Charter, which calls for humane working conditions for artists and cultural workers worldwide. This tender is issued as part of the ongoing implementation of that Charter.
Title & Description
Call for Tender: Discussion Papers on the Implementation of the Fair Culture Charter
The German Commission for UNESCO invites tenders from qualified experts, researchers, and practitioners to produce three sector-specific Discussion Papers translating the Fair Culture Charter's principles into concrete practice — one each for the music sector, the book and publishing sector, and the performing arts sector. Each paper must analyse the sector's value chain, map key stakeholders, examine how financial value is created and distributed, and identify structural inequalities and barriers, with particular attention to actors from the Global South. The papers should also assess the feasibility of a potential Fair Culture certification or label from an audience perspective, and close with actionable policy recommendations. Applicants apply for one specific sector paper.
Theme
Implementation of the Fair Culture Charter — addressing structural inequalities in global cultural cooperation and the cultural and creative sectors, sector by sector (music; book and publishing; performing arts).
Categories
- Research
- Article
- Nonfiction
- Culture
- Art Management
- Writing
- Sound/Music
- Literature
- Performance
Eligibility
- Open to qualified experts, researchers, and practitioners
- Must demonstrate recognised expertise in the selected sector, extending beyond OECD countries
- Must have at least basic familiarity with UNESCO normative frameworks and cultural diversity policies
- Must know cultural and creative industries and value-chain analysis
- Must have experience in policy analysis and drafting policy-oriented publications
- Must have excellent writing skills in English
- Experience working with stakeholders from the Global South is highly desirable
- Applicants must specify clearly which of the three Discussion Papers they are applying for
Program Benefits & Awards
- Paid contract to research, draft, and deliver one Discussion Paper
- Fee amount is proposed by the applicant in their own financial offer (gross, indicating VAT), covering research, consultations, drafting, revisions, and delivery of final outputs — no fixed fee is set by the commissioning organization
- DUK retains the right to request reasonable revisions following peer and editorial review
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Financial offer and full application submitted by email to info@fair-culture.org, with kamm@unesco.de and lotta.dyes@unesco.de in copy.
Key Dates
- Deadline for Submission of Offers: 13 September 2026
- Negotiation and Selection: 18 September 2026
- Submission of Draft: 1 November 2026
- Review and Revision by DUK: 13 November 2026
- Final Submission: 27 November 2026
Location
Bonn, Germany
Additional Details
- Final deliverable: one Discussion Paper in English, maximum 20 pages (approx. 80,000–100,000 characters including spaces, including a 1–2 page executive summary, excluding cover page, references, sources, and annexes), plus a list of references and sources and a final editable Word version
- Papers must follow a set structure: Executive Summary; Sector Analysis (value chain and stakeholder mapping, value creation and distribution, potential alternatives to value chains, the audience perspective/labelling, good practices and case studies, global perspectives as appropriate, options for Fair Culture certification/labelling); and Policy Recommendations
- Papers should be evidence-based, analytical, policy-oriented, and practical rather than purely academic
- AI use is permitted if all AI-produced statements and sources are independently verified and AI use is openly documented
- Right of use: DUK receives the exclusive and unlimited right to use the results once payment is made to the Contractor; the Contractor's own right of use is limited strictly to personal, non-commercial purposes, and transfer of rights to third parties is excluded