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Creative Commons Launches TAROCH Coalition for Open Access to Cultural Heritage

Creative Commons (CC) is proud to launch the TAROCH Coalition (Towards a Recommendation on Open Cultural Heritage), a collaborative effort to achieve the adoption of a UNESCO standard-setting instrument to improve open access to cultural heritage. We are grateful to the Arcadia Fund for supporting this initiative. Below we share an overview of TAROCH and invite mission-aligned organizations and institutions to apply to join. 

Fancily-dressed people gathered in a field surrounded by trees and a tall fence for the launch of a blue-yellow striped hot-air balloon held by long strings.
The Launch of Blanchard’s Balloon at The Hague in 1785 ” is marked with CC BY 1.0.

TAROCH At A Glance

  • TAROCH stands for Towards a Recommendation on Open Cultural Heritage.
  • TAROCH is a community initiative led by Creative Commons.
  • The mission is to encourage UNESCO Member States to draft and adopt a Recommendation (or other standard-setting instrument) promoting open solutions to enhance access to cultural heritage in the public domain.
  • The ultimate goal of the TAROCH Coalition is that cultural heritage is equitably accessible to all, in line with UNESCO’s broader mission and cultural and information policy, in particular intercultural dialog and cultural exchanges, thereby contributing to building more connected, resilient, and sustainable societies.

Who Drives TAROCH?

CC is the organization steering and funding TAROCH. The Coalition is led by representatives of a global, diverse community of organizations and institutions involved in cultural heritage and with an interest in open cultural heritage. While our individual missions differ, we all believe in the transformative power of open solutions and share a vision of fair and equitable access to cultural heritage. Meet the initial members of the TAROCH Coalition!

Image of Logos of TAROCH Coalition © 2024 ” by Creative Commons is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

For a complete and up-to-date list of coalition members, please refer to the Statement of Commitment.

Why Is Promoting Open Access to Cultural Heritage Important?

We believe that culture, including cultural heritage, is the foundation of humanity and that open access can contribute to helping people around the world to:

What are TAROCH’s Key Deliverables?

We aim to achieve the following by May 2026:

  • Develop and adopt a Statement on Open Access to Cultural Heritage for signature by civil society organizations and institutions.
  • Widely implement an advocacy strategy and disseminate advocacy tools and materials to promote the wider recognition of open access to cultural heritage.

The delivery of these two milestones will set the stage for on-the-ground advocacy efforts by a network of local ambassadors encouraging UNESCO member states to develop and adopt a UNESCO standard-setting instrument by 2029.

For More Information about TAROCH and to Read About Our Work To Date:

Read our 2024 report CC Strategic Workshop Reveals Big Opportunities for Open Access to Cultural Heritage.

Join the TAROCH Coalition

Any organization or institution supporting the mission statement of the Coalition can apply for membership in the Coalition.

For more information, contact us at info@creativecommons.org.

The post Creative Commons Launches TAROCH Coalition for Open Access to Cultural Heritage appeared first on Creative Commons.