Benevolence and Charity, Regulation of Television Broadcasting: First Meeting of IPA CIS Expert Advisory Board on Culture held

The first meeting of the IPA CIS Expert Advisory Board on Culture was held at the Tavricheskiy Palace. The meeting was attended by representatives of parliaments, experts from creative and public organizations, scientific and educational institutions, and executive authorities of the Commonwealth countries.

Chair of the Expert Advisory Board is Director General of the Russian State Library, President of the Library Assembly of Eurasia, and President of the Russian Library Association Vadim Duda.

General Director of the Belarusian Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre Ekaterina Dulova became Deputy Chair.

Advisor of the Model Law-Making Support Unit of the Expert and Analytical Directorate of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat Igor Minin was elected Executive Secretary.

According to Vadim Duda, the Expert Advisory Board has two important priorities. The first is the need to audit the legislation of the Commonwealth countries in the relevant field. There are a number of important and fundamental legal documents that require attention and analysis.

“Conceptual foundations, such as the preservation of the national library fund and the continuity of the work of national libraries, should unite us for many years to come,” said the Director General of the Russian State Library.

The Chair of the Expert Advisory Board called the work with intellectual property rights in the digital environment, including the digitization of library collections, performances and musical works, a second priority. He also noted that it is necessary to carefully work out common approaches to this issue. He also mentioned the issue of artificial intelligence as a direction for work.

The experts were presented with a draft concept of Recommendations on the Legal Regulation of the Implementation of the Fundamental Functions of Television Broadcasting. Other documents reviewed were the draft Model Law on Ensuring State Protection of Cultural Heritage at Water Bodies of the CIS Member Nations and draft of the Revised Model Law on Benevolence and Charity of the CIS Member Nations.

The next meeting of the Expert Advisory Board is scheduled for October-November 2025.