The week of the IFRRO World Congress in Colombia provided an important opportunity for the International Authors Forum (IAF) to strengthen its relationships with local partners, engage with Colombian authors and institutions, and present the progress of its work across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Throughout the week, IAF held a series of meetings and exchanges with authors, institutions and partner organisations, focusing on a shared objective: ensuring that authors’ contributions are recognised and that their rights are adequately protected and promoted.
Discussions with Colombian authors represented by CDR – Centro Colombiano de Derechos Reprográficos y Digitales addressed the importance of recognising writing as a profession, promoting fair contractual conditions and increasing authors’ awareness of their rights, particularly in the context of the ongoing digital transformation. Meetings with the Dirección Nacional de Derecho de Autor de Colombia also provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing Colombia’s creative sector.
These discussions allowed IAF to present its international activities and its work to support authors worldwide, with particular attention to strengthening the recognition, representation and protection of authors across Latin America.
An important outcome of the week was the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding with CERLALC – UNESCO, reaffirming our shared commitment to promoting authors’ rights and supporting creators across Colombia and the wider Latin American region. This renewed collaboration provides a basis for continuing joint efforts towards greater recognition of authors’ cultural and economic contributions and the development of a fairer and more sustainable environment for the creative community.
IAF also met with Acción Colectiva, a Colombian collective of visual artists, to discuss the next steps towards establishing the country’s first collective management organisation for visual artists. This initiative represents an important opportunity to advance the recognition and protection of visual artists’ rights in Colombia and to support the development of collective representation for this sector.
Participation in the IFRRO World Congress was particularly valuable in providing an international platform to present IAF’s work and achievements in Latin America and the Caribbean. It also offered an opportunity to strengthen relationships with existing members and international partners and to establish new connections within the global copyright community.
During the Congress, IAF presented its progress in promoting Public Lending Right (PLR) and Artists’ Resale Right (ARR) across the region. These two rights remain important priorities in our work to improve the recognition and remuneration of authors and visual artists and to ensure that creators receive appropriate economic recognition for the use and value of their work.
IAF also participated in the IFRRO Latin American Committee, which provided an opportunity to exchange information on recent legislative developments across the region and discuss current challenges affecting authors’ rights. In this context, we updated IFRRO members on our awareness-raising activities and achievements in Latin America, as well as our plans for further engagement, including our participation in the Guadalajara International Book Fair later this year.
The Congress also provided an opportunity to increase awareness of the IAF Survey on Authors’ Income, the first international survey of its kind undertaken by IAF. The initiative generated interest among IFRRO members and opened further discussions on the economic situation of authors and the importance of collecting international data to support evidence-based advocacy for their rights.
Beyond the formal programme, the Congress enabled IAF to strengthen its collaboration with members and international partners, including ARIPO, while developing new relationships with organisations working towards common objectives.
The week in Colombia reinforced the importance of IAF’s engagement in Latin America and of building strong relationships with regional partners. The exchanges and collaborations developed during this visit will contribute to advancing our shared efforts to ensure that authors’ rights remain recognised and protected, and that creators receive fair recognition and remuneration for their work.
