UNESCO and The Nippon Foundation in cooperation with other partners are organizing an Artistes Open Dialogue in the framework of the True Colours Festival, the Asia-Pacific Festival of Artistes with Disabilities taking place on 23-25 March 2018 in Singapore City, Singapore. The Open Dialogue will be held on 24 March 2018.

The True Colours Festival(link is external) is the first time ever performing arts festival of music, dance and arts in the Asia-Pacific region, aiming to highlight the outstanding talents of artists with disabilities and to promote the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in society. This event brings the opportunity to raise awareness about their talents and change the negative impressions, stereotypes and discrimination towards artists with disabilities.

In this framework, the Artistes Open Dialogue will foster the exchange of opinions on appropriate measures for the promotion of artistes with disabilities with a range of different stakeholders such as representatives of governments, civil society, academics, industries, and last but not least artists with disabilities. This discussion will focus on the current situation of socio-cultural rights for persons with disabilities in the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide; the policies, strategies and programmes; and the improvements needed to ensure participation of artistes with disabilities and promotion of their art in society.

Among others, the young Mauritian singer Jane Constance and the Japanese violinist Eijin Nimura will join the Artistes Open Dialogue as UNESCO Artists for Peace, to share their personal experience as artists in the region. The former is recognized as a virtuoso of song and as a vibrant advocate for rights of artistes with disabilities, and the latter has shown strong dedication to social activities, such as the donation of artificial limbs to rehabilitation centres established in Bosnia-Herzegovina after the conflict in the region.

Along with the Festival and Conference, the Artistes Open Dialogue will conclude with an Outcome Statement. 

UNESCO believes that the socio-cultural integration of persons with disabilities is directly connected to the promotion of human rights, such as freedom of expression, access to information and knowledge using Information and Communication Technologies, and contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).