TEHRAN-Iranian music producer, festival manager, and composer Ardavan Jafarian has been appointed as the vice-president of the International Music Council (IMC) based at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris.

As the representative of Iran’s Music Publishers Guild (IPPG), Jafarian has been a member of the Executive Board of the IMC since 2019, Mehr reported.

In the latest session of the UNESCO International Music Council board, Jafarian was elected as the vice president of the Council upon the suggestion of Sheila Woodward, the president of the Council. “It was also decided that I would be responsible for the training and development of Arab countries within the Council,” Jafarian said.

“The 40th session of the executive board of the UNESCO International Music Council is comprised of representatives from the U.S., Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Mali, Brazil, Egypt, Thailand, and Kenya. Board members of this council are elected by direct vote of the members, and the management term for the board is two years. This new term marks my third as a representative of Iran on the council,” he added.

“The council's major activities over the past three decades include the adoption of the Five Music Rights Convention and efforts to implement it in different regions, supporting the development of non-governmental music organizations, establishing World Music Day, holding workshops and musical events to empower young musicians, and protecting the music of regions at risk. Additionally, guiding and supporting continental confederations are among the most important activities of the council in recent years,” Jafarian noted.

“The UNESCO International Music Council was founded in 1949 and has more than 177 institutional members from 150 countries. The council's other activities include approving legal support measures in the field of music and promoting fundamental music rights at the level of governments, legislative bodies, and global music activists. It serves as a consultative body for UNESCO, and its headquarters is located in UNESCO's main building in Paris,” he concluded.

IMC is the world’s largest network of organizations and institutions working in the field of music. The council promotes access to music for all and the value of music in the lives of all people.

The Executive Board is elected every two years and the members will serve, without any salary or reimbursement, a two-year term, which is renewable twice.

Through its members and their networks, the IMC has direct access to over 1,000 organizations in some 150 countries and to 200 million people eager to develop and share knowledge and experience on diverse aspects of musical life.

SS/SAB