Azerbaijani society is typified by cultural diversity, so all laws on culture are geared to satisfy a broad range of cultural requirements. Some laws are general (e.g. the Law on Culture of 2012), others more specific (e.g. the laws on cinematography, town planning, museums and publishing). The Law on Culture spells out the state policy’s principles and aims and lays down the duties of government and local authorities in this area. It guarantees the right of individuals to engage in creative activity, promotes international contacts and co-operation, prevents the state from monopolising culture, and covers preservation and development of the cultural identity and heritage of Azerbaijan and ethnic minorities, historically resident in its territory. It also provides measures to promote creativity and public agencies and organisations working in the cultural sphere.
The Law on Culture (2012) is intended tp legalise all trends and expertise of current cultural policies and practices, such as arts management, cultural marketing, fundraising, producing, etc. State interference is limited to prohibiting any material that is pornographic or which encourages violence, racial, national or religious intolerance or drug addiction. Effective legal sanctions back these prohibitions.
The development of legal guarantees for the arts and culture in the Republic of Azerbaijan includes:
- Complex improvement of national cultural policy legislation;
- Enhancement of international conventions and bilateral agreement implementation mechanisms; and
- Perfection of existing practice on cultural and authors’ rights protection.
Table 2: List of existing cultural legislation
| Title of the law | Year of adoption |
| On Culture | 21 December 2012 № 506-IVQ |
| On Copyright and Related Rights | 5 June 1996 № 115-IQ |
| On Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments | 10 April 1998 № 470-IQ |
| On Cinematography | 3 July 1998 № 515-IQ |
| On Library work | 29 December 1998 № 611-IQ |
| On Museums | 24 March 2000 № 839-IQ |
| On Publishing | 30 may 2000-ci il № 887-IQ |
| On Legal Protection of Azerbaijani Folklore Samples | 16 May 2003 № 460-IIQ |
| On Protection and Development of Azerbaijani Carpet Art | 7 December 2004 № 799-IIQD |
| On Theatre and Theatre Activities | 29 December 2006 № 222-IIIQ |
Source: Milli Majlis (Parliament), 2021.
Table 3: International legal instruments implemented by the Republic of Azerbaijan in the cultural field
| Title of the act | Year of adoption |
| International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights | 1992 13 Aug 1992 a |
| Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its I and II Protocols | 1993 (Protocols on 1993 and 2000) |
| Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage | 1993 16/12/1993 R |
| Black Sea Convention on Cooperation in the fields of Culture, Education, Science and Information | 1995 |
| Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees concerning Higher Education in the States belonging to the Europe Region | 1996 |
| Universal Copyright Convention | 1997 |
| Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property | 1997 |
| European Cultural Convention | 1997 |
| Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works | 1998 |
| Convention for the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage of Europe | 1999 |
| European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production | 1999 |
| UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects | 2000 |
| Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage | 2006 |
| Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe | 2008 |
| Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions | 2009 |
Source: Milli Majlis (Parliament), 2021.
Comments are closed.