Impact through research, investigation, reporting, policy engagement, and advocacy
Grounded in a human rights approach and aligned with the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the program focuses on improving the laws, policies, and systems that shape artists’ lives and work.
GPA centers the experiences of artists and cultural workers who face censorship, persecution, displacement, or barriers to participation in cultural life. By combining careful research with active engagement in global policy spaces, the program helps ensure that artistic freedom is recognized as essential to open, democratic societies.
These focus areas reflect the real‑world challenges artists face and highlight where policy change can make a meaningful difference:
Freedom of Expression – Supporting strong protections so artists can create, share, and challenge ideas without fear of censorship or retaliation.
Artists’ Rights – Advancing recognition of artists as rights‑holders whose work, labor, and voices deserve protection.
Artist Mobility – Promoting policies that make it easier for artists to cross borders, collaborate internationally, and continue their work safely.
Asylum & Refugee Rights – Advocating for fair asylum systems that recognize threats to artistic expression as a legitimate basis for protection.
Cultural Rights & Heritage Preservation – Protecting cultural practices, heritage, and creative expression from erasure, destruction, or political misuse.
Independence of Cultural Institutions – Supporting cultural spaces and institutions that operate free from political pressure or interference.
We produce research and reports that document trends on the suppression of artistic freedom around the world. Our research is designed to be practical and accessible, offering clear insights and evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, advocates, and international institutions.
We engage directly with governments, multilateral institutions, and civil society partners to push for stronger protections for artists. GPA contributes to international human rights processes and policy discussions, helping bring artistic freedom into conversations where it has often been overlooked, and to ensure that artists’ experiences and concerns inform policy decisions.
Collaboration is central to AFI’s approach. We work alongside artists, cultural organizations, human rights groups, and policy partners to strengthen collective advocacy for artistic freedom. By sharing knowledge and building networks, the program helps amplify artists’ voices and advance more inclusive, protective policies worldwide.
As censorship rises and artists are targeted for speaking truth to power, protecting creative voices has never been more urgent. Since 2017, AFI has supported over 2,000 courageous artists who continue making art even when it places them at risk. Your contribution ensures artists can keep creating, sharing, and inspiring change—protecting both their voices and the right to artistic freedom worldwide.