UNESCO provides nearly US$ 1 million to local projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America

UNESCO says it will award a total of $900,000 from its International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) to 11 projects that advance the global creative economy in 2023. The decision was approved during the 26th Session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, held from the 7th to 10th of February at UNESCO Headquarters.

This year’s IFCD projects will cover a wide range of activities; from amplifying the voice of indigenous filmmakers in Argentina to revising Ghana’s current national cultural policy and gathering data and statistics on Pakistan’s cultural and creative industries so as to strengthen policymaking.

The Committee’s decision to support projects from 11 countries this year is in line with UNESCO’s renewed commitment to bolster support for the creative and cultural sector, which is still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also reflects the recent MONDIACULT 2022 Declaration, which calls for the strengthening and adaptation of cultural policies to contemporary challenges, as well as UNESCO’s efforts to prioritize initiatives in Africa and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and projects that focus on youth and gender equality.

Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, and Pakistan are receiving support from the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) for the first time. This brings the total support from the IFCD towards the cultural and creative sector to $10.3 million since 2010, shared among 140 projects implemented in developing States.

IFCD 2023 beneficiaries:

Argentina – ORIGIN: Amplifying the Voices of Indigenous Filmmakers, led by the National Institute of Indigenous Affairs- INAI.

Barbados – Mapping Barbados’ Cultural Industries and Strengthening Capacities for Inclusive Cultural Policy, led by the Division of Culture, Prime Minister’s Office.

Botswana – Creating a Cultural Marketplace, led by the NGO Impact Fund (Impact Fund Limited).

Chile – Creating Networks and Partnerships among cultural agents of Ciudad Sur, led by Asociación de Municipios Ciudad Sur.

Colombia – A mano alzada: Investing in the Potential of Colombian Comics, led by the NGO Entreviñetas Corporation (Corporación Entreviñetas).

Côte d’Ivoire – Impala – Strengthening the Documentary Film Sector in 11 African Countries through Distribution, Project Incubation, and Access to Funding, led by the NGO Africadoc-Côte d’Ivoire.

Egypt – Culture for Development Lab: Supporting Creative Professionals to Drive Sustainable Development, led by the NGO Alwan wa Awtar.

Ghana – Review of Ghana’s 2004 Cultural Policy, led by the Ministry of Tourism, Art, and Culture.

Nigeria – Empowering Women and Youth Entrepreneurship through Yoruba Oral Arts in Southwest Nigeria, led by Osun State University, Osogbo.

Pakistan – Improving Data Collection among National and Provincial Statistical Agencies to Strengthen Policymaking for the Cultural and Creative Industries, led by the NGO Beaconhouse National University (BNU).

Tunisia – Empowerment and Organization of Freelancers in the Fields of Art and Culture in Tunisia, led by the NGO Prod’it.

About the IFCD

The IFCD empowers the civil society actors and public sectors behind these projects to drive robust and sustainable creative economic growth. Through reinforced communication and fundraising, UNESCO aims to continue increasing contributions to the Fund so that more eligible projects can be supported each year.

The IFCD is part of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), which has been ratified by 152 Parties, including the European Union.

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