Celebrating 20 Years of UNESCO’s 2005 Convention

EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) and the UK Coalition for Cultural Diversity warmly invite you to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of UNESCO’s 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

📅 Date: Wednesday, 16 October 2025

🕒 Time: 3:00 – 7:30 pm

📍 Venue: Cyprus High Commission, London (13 St James's Square, London SW1Y 4LB)

Our distinguished guests, include

• Jo Platt - MP and Labour member of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee
• Delphine Jenart - Belgian visionary on creative strategy for AI
• Helen Epega - inspirational Nigerian / English opera singer and composer
• Delyth Thomas - Bafta nominated film director
• Deborah Annetts - CEO of The Independent Society of Musicians.

The event will end with a performance by the wonderful One World Orchestra.

Supported by: The Cyprus High Commission, The Embassy of Greece in the UK, The Embassy or Ireland in the UK and WBI-Embassy of Belgium.

About the organisers:

The UK Coalition for Cultural Diversity (UKCCD) is the UK’s leading civil society network supporting UNESCO’s groundbreaking 2005 Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. It acts as a consultative partner to UNESCO-UK and the UK government on implementing the treaty, which became law in the UK in 2008. UKCCD is a founder member of the International Federation (IFCCD), linking over 600 creator and cultural organisations worldwide, and works with European partners based in Brussels to strengthen inclusive, pluralistic cultural policy both online and offline.

More info here: https://ficdc.org/en/

EUNIC London (European Union National Institutes for Culture) is the network of cultural institutes and embassies from the member states of the European Union in London. A branch of EUNIC Global, the London network was established in 2007 and now has 37 members, who share knowledge and resources to promote cooperation and develop partnerships between European nations and UK organisations.

Deborah Annetts
Deborah is the Chief Executive of the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM), and former Chair of both ERA and Fair Trials International. She has also been Chair of the Creators’ Rights Alliance. She has led the ISM in a programme of growth and change and has seen the membership more than double in recent years to 11,000. She is a fearless campaigner. Under her watch, the ISM has developed a strong advocacy, policy and research function covering issues such as AI, Brexit, music and diversity.
Prior to working at the ISM, Deborah worked as an expert employment lawyer specialising in discrimination law, with 15 years’ experience in the City of London.
She is an Honorary Research Fellow at Queen Mary University, has been named by Woman’s Hour on its power list of women working in music, and was also named on the Music Week Roll of Honour in 2022.

Helen Epega
Helen Epega is a writer, librettist and composer, best known for creating Song Queen: A Pidgin Opera, the world’s first opera in Pidgin English. Creating works as The Venus Bushfires, she blends lyrical storytelling with African percussion and classical forms to explore identity, cultural memory and accessibility. This year, she wrote Of Earth and Quill, a one-woman opera debuting at Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival.
Her work has toured internationally and been featured by BBC, CNN, The Guardian and VICE Magazine. Helen is Chair of the Risk Committee and is committed to expanding the reach of inclusive, cross-cultural storytelling.

Delphine Jénart
As a digital creativity ecosystem builder at KIKK (Belgium), Delphine Jénart is a dedicated advocate and strategic consultant in the cultural and creative industries, leveraging over 20 years of expertise in cultural engineering, digital cultures, ecosystem facilitation and training to drive innovation and impact within the cultural and creative sectors.

Jo Platt MP
Jo Platt is the Labour and Co-operative Party MP for Leigh and Atherton.
She made history as the first woman MP for Leigh (2017–2019), inheriting the seat from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, for whom she was local election agent in 2015. Jo returned in 2024, reclaiming her seat as one of eight Labour “retreads.”
Jo has worked in advertising and marketing as well as serving as Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Wigan Council (2014–17); PPS to Angela Rayner (2017–18); and Shadow Cabinet Office Minister (2018–19). Between terms, she led the regeneration of a cotton mill in Leigh into a hub of small businesses and cultural organisations.
Now back in Parliament, she serves on several Select Committees and APPGs, including the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, and advocates passionately for Leigh and Atherton, ensuring their voices are heard.

Delyth Thomas
Delyth Thomas is a three-time Bafta-nominated director with credits ranging from dark brooding crime and high-end period drama to iconic family gems. Screen credits include Call The Midwife, Silent Witness, Victoria, Then You Run, The Story of Tracy Beaker and The Worst Witch. She also works as a voice director on video games.
Delyth is a board member of Directors UK and a long-term campaigner for better representation in front of and behind the camera. She was a key contributor to Directors UK gender equality reports Who’s Calling The Shots. She is also co-founder of the workplace culture app Call it! which allows users to check in anonymously once a day to let employers know if they have any concerns regarding working conditions, safeguarding, health and safety, or if they have experienced bullying or harassment.