The Evolution of International Protection Mechanisms for Musicians at Risk: A Historical Perspective Exploring Pau Casals’s Legacy

Published with the support of the UNESCO Pau Casals Chair, a joint initiative between the Pau Casals Foundation and the Open University of Catalonia, this research paper explores the legacy of Pau Casals, renowned Spanish cellist, composer, and advocate for peace, freedom, and democracy, who was forced into exile due to war in 1939. Human rights lawyer and researcher Laurence Cuny breaks down international protection mechanisms for artists at risk through a historical perspective: Part I unpacks the protection of artists as a human rights matter; Part II relays the contributions of Casals as a cultural rights defender; and Part III assesses the present-day structures of protection, their gaps, and ways that the role of Casals “continues to be of value to address these gaps.”