ACM’s Advocacy Program focuses on providing a platform for public dialogue about the policy and legal environment surrounding the cultural sector, and on raising the profile of Mongolian arts and culture. Through conducting surveys, international conferences, training workshops and public discussions, the Advocacy Program fosters communication and cooperation between the state, private and public sectors on policies and laws that support arts practice and cultural heritage in Mongolia. Media advocacy also plays a key role in increasing public awareness of the importance of arts and culture for social and economic development.

In 2008, the Advocacy program has expanded its activities in three key areas:

• Increasing public awareness of arts and cultural issues through media advocacy
• National cultural policy initiatives
• International partnerships in cultural policy and cultural development

National Cultural Policy Initiatives
The ACM has been successfully collaborating with arts and culture state and non-governmental organizations, individual artists and arts managers and policy makers. The relationship between ACM and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has continued to strengthen throughout the year, and collaborations on consultation with the arts and cultural sector and on cultural policy development have continued in 2008. Following the National Forum of Arts and Cultural Workers in December, 2007, the Ministry is developing a Master Plan for Arts and Culture setting out its vision for the sector towards 2020. ACM Chair N.Jantsannorov and Executive Director Ts. Ariunaa are serving as members of the working parties to formulate this plan.
The ACM was a part of the working group to formulate the government policy to support for civil society and NGOs. As a result of this effort, the government of Mongolia signed the Memorandum of Understanding for a future collaboration. In this regards, the Arts and Culture department of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has a future vision to delegate and partner with the ACM on different projects. In 2008, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the ACM have worked to get support from the government to organize the ‘Culture Naadam’ Festival. In September, 2008 the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science was partnering and providing funding to organize the National Arts Marketing workshop which was conducted by international experts in the field.

As the year 2008 was important year for Mongolia to elect the Parliament of Mongolia, the ACM Advocacy program assessed, made analysis the program of the Parties and published an advocacy article on the daily newspaper, proposing possible solutions on further development of arts and culture.

In 2009, the Advocacy Program will focus on copyright and intellectual property issue in the arts sector and will carry out a campaign, including a high-profile Advocacy Day and other mainstream media channels, in order to highlight copyright issue and introduce current situation facing artistic practice in Mongolia. Another important project that the Advocacy Program will implement is the Cultural Sector Privatization Survey, which was started in 2007 and will be completed in 2008. This project is aimed to carry our analysis of the cultural sector privatization experience in Mongolia, including review of relevant policy documents, and findings of recent local and international experiences and best practices and to provide the Mongolian government and policy makers with options for development of cultural sector privatization in alliance with current country cultural development issues and policies.

ACM Advocacy
In marking 5 years since its establishment, ACM undertook to promote arts and culture as an integral part of Mongolia’s development through several avenues. ACM initiated the inaugural Arts for Development Awards to recognize outstanding contributions to the promotion of and advocacy for the sustainable development of Mongolian arts and cultural heritage. These were ‘The Arts for Development Award for Guardianship of Cultural Heritage’, ‘The Arts for Development Award for Artistic Excellence’, ‘The Arts for Development Award for Business Leadership in the Arts’, ‘The Arts for Development Award for Outstanding World-wide Promotion of Mongolian Arts and Culture’ and ‘The Arts for Development Award for Leadership in Community Arts’. This ACM award will be carried out every five years. More on ACM 5th anniversary

Forums, Conferences, and meetings

Since its beginning in 2003, significant projects undertaken by ACM’s Advocacy Program include large-scale international forums on Arts and Culture Policy and Financing and Cultural Tourism. Policy surveys about Social Sector Privatization and Cultural Tourism were also conducted, and the resultant recommendations have been submitted to policy makers. ACM has been actively involved in working groups addressing law on non-profit organizations, tax law and law on culture, and has organized several public discussions dealing with these issues.

Capacity Building and Trainings on Advocacy

In order to enhance the arts advocacy capacity of the arts and culture sector, ACM has also held training workshops for arts administrators in Arts Leadership and Arts Advocacy.

International Partnerships

In recent years, ACM has established strong international partnerships with arts and culture organizations throughout Asia. One of the highlights of the Advocacy Program’s activities in 2007 was the meeting of the Asian Chapter of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies, hosted in Mongolia in July. Sixteen delegates from all over Asia and Australia attended this high-profile event, which significantly Mongolia’s cultural and artistic profile in the Asian region... more

Media Advocacy

The Advocacy Program has an increasing focus on building local awareness about the vital role of arts, culture, and heritage in the sustainable development of Mongolia. ACM’s media campaign has increasingly grown in 2008, in order to meet the program’s objective of raising the profile of arts and culture amongst the general public. As part of its regular activities, the program produces a quarterly newsletter, an Annual Report and takes care of the website content and updates at www.artscouncil.mn. In partnership with Mongolia’s leading English language newspaper The Mongol Messenger, ACM also maintains a media presence by producing a page each month on arts and cultural activities. In order to promote Mongolian arts and culture to the public and to keep the public informed about the arts and culture, the Advocacy program continued its monthly compilation, publication and distribution of cultural events calendar and produced 30 000 copies of the arts events calendar in partnership with Air Trans Co.Ltd.

A new, major shift in the Advocacy program was the Advocacy media campaign expanding its focus into advocating for an increased public awareness of the importance of arts in culture in human and social development through organizing the nationwide arts advocacy media campaign.

In March, 2008, the Advocacy Program started its Media Advocacy Campaign, including monthly TV program and monthly page on daily newspaper in order to raise public awareness on arts and culture and its role in the socio-economic and personal development, aimed to encourage further public engagement with arts and cultural events and issues....more on media advocacy

The Study on Arts and Cultural Issues and Research-based advocacy activities
\The ACM Advocacy program advocates for a more favorable legal environment and state policies that support the development of Mongolian arts and culture. Within the framework of this goal, the ACM conducts different studies and researches on different issues in the arts and culture sector, holds research based activities and provides recommendations, policy papers and necessary steps to take addressed to the policymakers. In the past years of activities, the ACM has conducted studies of “Social sector privatization” and “Cultural tourism”within the framework of the two large-scale international forums of “Arts and Culture Policy and Financing” and “Cultural Tourism”. Also the ACM initiated and conducted the studies and researches on 'Arts and Culture Sector Privatization Policy Survey' inclusive of a review of relevant policy documents, and findings of recent local and international experiences and best practices and case study done by the Open Society Forum. Another significant policy document the the ACM compiled was the 'Cultural Policy Compendium' profile of Mongolia for inclusion in the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, coordinated by the OSI-ACNP, Council of Europe Culture Committee and European Institute for Comparative Cultural Research.

Arts and Culture Sector Privatization Policy Survey | Cultural Policy Compendium |