A/HRC/55/44/Add.1 and offers museum visits in several languages (such as Arabic, English, German, Farsi and Kurdish), thereby contributing to countering stereotypes and discrimination against certain nationalities. It has also developed into an international network, including more than 29 institutions and 130 mediators across Europe. 2. Participation in cultural decision-making 48. The Special Rapporteur was concerned by the fact that decision-making channels do not include many persons with diverse characteristics, giving the impression that public structures do not enable everyone to participate fully in the common vision of the society and mainstream culture. There was a sense that cultural diversity, vibrant as it is, was to remain in peripheral spaces. 49. While some civil society stakeholders focused their work on the right of all to fully and freely take part in cultural life, their experience was that their demands for this right were not heard by the authorities. Most of the funding schemes available support short-term, project-based formats that are not appropriate for building the long-lasting dynamics needed to implement this right. 50. The Special Rapporteur met with a collective of journalists and media professionals dedicated to increasing diversity in the media. Their experience was that the added value of multicultural perspectives on the national and international news was not recognized. Access to the profession for persons with diverse backgrounds was made difficult by stereotypes that limit access to unpaid internships. Once hired, they were confronted with the persistent expectation that they should only cover topics linked with their own background, and were rarely involved in the writing teams creating content for television and radio productions, in particular in public-owned media. These are specific areas where the authorities could actively foster more diversity, which would in turn contribute to normalizing diversity, reducing stereotypes, promoting better mutual understanding and strengthening democracy. 51. In a similar way to the Multaka project, the programme for diversity agents of the 360° Fund for New City Cultures has led to some persons with diverse backgrounds being hired in cultural institutions that voluntarily participate in the programme. Those agents are asked to develop processes aimed at increasing diversity of the staff and of the audience of the institutions, as well as to bring multiple perspectives to the content and activities of the institutions. The Special Rapporteur commends this programme but found its success precarious. In one participating arts institution, for example, the diversity agent noted that the European-centric conception of what constitutes art was impeding the inclusion of diversity in the permanent collections. A single diversity agent, hired on a project basis for a set period of time, with limited influence and budget, cannot sustainably transform the culture of such an institution. While the programme should continue, it would need strengthening to ensure longer commitment that may lead to lasting changes. 52. The Special Rapporteur was told that anonymous application processes for employment were being discussed and tested in multiple fields, as measures to counter discrimination and increase diversity. She encourages public authorities at all levels, as well as cultural and educational institutions, to consider such an approach, possibly as a temporary measure, in order to improve the representation of diversity in the workforce. More generally, the Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to conduct studies on the presence of persons with various backgrounds in the cultural sector, in the same way as it should on the presence of women,9 with a view to improving inclusivity in cultural institutions. 53. The Special Rapporteur identified various voluntary actions taken, in particular at the local level, to increase cultural diversity in decision-making positions in public administration. In Berlin and Cologne, for example, she was told about regular advisory board meetings with Sinti and Roma representatives, and of consultations with migrant and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations on drafts of local implementation strategies for the laws that concern them. In Berlin, an advisory council with persons from various backgrounds regularly discusses matters of participation and integration with the 9 GE.24-01816 See German Commission for UNESCO, “Re¦Shaping cultural policies 2020: strengthening gender equality and cultural diversity” (Bonn, 2020). 11