EU and UNESCO support copyright policy development in South Sudan
South Sudan has been selected as a beneficiary country of the new European Union-funded programme EU/UNESCO Expert Facility on the Governance of Culture in developing countries, which will provide expertise and peer-to-peer learning support to the design of a national copyright policy and strengthen national capacities for sustainable cultural governance in South Sudan.
Following the successful submission of a project proposal by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, South Sudan has been selected to benefit from the EU/UNESCO programme supporting new regulatory frameworks to strengthen the cultural and creative industries and promote South-South cooperation. The project will run for 24 months until 2021 and aims to support the design of a national copyright policy and strengthen national capacities for sustainable systems of governance for culture in South Sudan.
Activities will include training and capacity development of national authorities and stakeholders to establish a viable cultural governance system through coordination meetings, multi-stakeholder consultation meetings, and expert missions to develop legal frameworks governing the country’s cultural and creative industries.
With this project, South Sudan will benefit from the expertise of an international expert and peer-to-peer learning support in collaboration with a national expert, the Ministry for Culture, Youth and Sports, and a wide range of national stakeholders and practitioners in cultural and creative industries (CCI).
“South Sudan has rich potential to develop its cultural and creative industries ranging from arts and crafts, design, entertainment, books and media, which can empower people to take ownership of their own development and stimulate the innovation that can drive inclusive sustainable growth”, said Mr. Becu Morita, National Officer for Culture at the UNESCO Juba Office. “If well nurtured, it can be a source of economic transformation, socio- economic progress, job creation and innovation while contributing to social inclusion and sustainable human development,” he added.
Following the ratification of 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions by South Sudan in 2016, the national authorities are now making it a priority to develop a strong national copyright strategy to address the opportunities and challenges related to the diverse and growing cultural and creative industries sector in South Sudan, and to ensure creators have an adequate legal framework to protect their rights and secure fair remuneration.