Bank of Expertise

BANK OF EXPERTISE

in the Field of Cultural Governance

Countries: Developing countries that are members of UNESCO and are beneficiaries under the thematic programme “Social and Human Development” and that have ratified the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Length of the project: 24 months

Partners: European Commission (Donor) and UNESCO (technical management) /

Project budget: EUR 1 million

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// Context

This project is a joint EU and UNESCO action to support the implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, whose objectives include strengthening the role of culture as a sustainable human development factor in the developing countries.

The Bank of Expertise in the Field of Cultural Governance lies within the scope of the thematic programme “Social and Human Development”, which pursues a global approach of development, poverty reduction and social cohesion and whose general theme for cultural measures is access to local culture and protection and promotion of cultural diversity.

The Bank of Expertise mainly targets assistance missions to:

• ministries and public bodies in charge of the cultural sector or having a direct influence on the governance for culture, in the sense of the Convention, in beneficiary countries;
• territorial communities, when their action potentially impacts the governance for culture.

// Project objective

The overall objective of the action is to contribute to the implementation of the UNESCO Convention, in order to strengthen the role of culture as a sustainable human development factor in developing countries, and including to:

• contribute to the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions;
• facilitate access and participation of all, particularly disadvantaged groups, to the creation and production of cultural expressions and to take advantage from it;
• achieve full potential for and contribution of cultural industries in terms of sustainable development, economic growth and promotion of a decent quality standard of living through the creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural expressions;
• promote social cohesion, fight against poverty and discrimination through cultural activities that enhance human rights and the culture of peace.
• The specific objective of the action is to contribute to improving the governance of the cultural sectors in the beneficiary countries at the national and local levels, with a view to establish a proper legal, institutional and economic framework necessary to develop their culture sector.
• The objectives of the action complement those of the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD), set up by Art.18 of the UNESCO Convention.

// Expected results

The action draws on three main components:

1. setting up a pool of experts in the fields of culture sector governance and development;
2. fast response technical assistance missions, in response to beneficiary countries requests;
3. knowledge sharing and visibility.

It will particularly include the following activities:

• Formation of a pool of experts according to a process whose stages are direct call for proposals, identification and selection of experts, development of an online database.
• Updating the experts through the organisation of a workshop for some 30 experts in total in order to make sure the Convention and the objectives of the project are understood as well as the definition of a common approach on exchange terms for the pool information and format of the prepared reports. This updating will be an ongoing process through the virtual network, with the dissemination of documents, information exchange and experience capitalisation.
• Development of a communication plan that will be disseminated by all the UNESCO units at the field level, in order to ensure including visibility and give rise to adequate and targeted requests from the beneficiaries.
• Web interface creation and management and development of a virtual information and best practice exchange network among experts.
• Technical assistance missions in the countries, through the temporary outplacement and taking charge of experts.

The expected results at the end of the action are the following:

• substantial progress in the design, development and implementation of cultural policies and measures that meet the needs of the beneficiary countries;
• support to the implemented processes by the beneficiary countries with a view to develop cultural policies and measures in the development countries parties to the Convention;
• competence and knowledge transfer and strengthening of the necessary expertise in the field of cultural policies at the national and local levels.

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