Launch of the project "Music as a driver of sustainable development in Morocco"

The project "Music as a driver for sustainable development in Morocco", implemented by the UNESCO Office for the Maghreb and funded by the German Government (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development), will be launched at a first day of consultation on March 13, 2018 in Rabat, Morocco.

This pilot project, to be implemented in 2018-2019, aims to strengthen, through appropriate policies and measures, the music sector as a source of integration, employment and income, particularly for young people. Particular attention will be given to girls and young women musicians and professionals to promote gender equality. Among the planned activities: development of a national strategy, support for the professionalization of music education, implementation of pilot projects for artist residencies, actions in favor of digital distribution, etc.

This consultation, to be jointly opened by representatives of the Moroccan Ministry of Culture and Communication, the German Government and the UNESCO Office for the Maghreb, will be held from 09:00 to 16:00 at the Conference Center, Hay Riad, Rabat. It will present the project to an audience of about 50 people related to the music industry sector: ministries, music professionals, associations, institutes and cultural centers, festivals, etc.

An online questionnaire will be launched on March 14 to assess the situation of the music sector in Morocco: production, education, programming, infrastructure, financing, distribution, gender equality, etc. This questionnaire will be used in particular to identify priory actions to reinforce the strength of the music sector in Morocco.

This consultation meeting will be preceded, on March 12 in Rabat (Renaissance Cinema Hall) at 4.30pm, with a public presentation of the 2018 Global Report "Re | Shaping Cultural Policies", followed by a debate. This global report assesses on a regular basis the impact of policies and measures taken worldwide to implement the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, ratified by Morocco in 2013. It offers a new perspective on innovations and challenges in the governance of culture and support for creativity policies, across different policy areas: cultural policy, digital environment, civil society, sustainable development, mobility of artists, gender equality, artistic freedom, etc.

This global report is based, in particular, on the periodic reports submitted to UNESCO, every four years, by States Parties to the 2005 Convention. This periodic report, submitted in 2017 by Morocco, highlights the main results and challenges encountered in supporting support for the diversity of cultural expressions. It was produced as part of the project "Strengthening Fundamental Freedoms through Promoting the Diversity of Cultural Expressions", implemented in 12 countries in 2015-2018 with the financial support from the Swedish government.