IFCD announces funding to 9 countries to help the creative sector build back better
On February 9, nine outstanding projects from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Guinea, Indonesia, Nigeria, Palestine, Seychelles and Timor-Leste, were approved funding from the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) during the 15th session of the intergovernmental committee of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
The announcement of successful projects comes against a background of the ongoing pandemic which disproportionally impacted the livelihoods of artists and cultural professionals globally, especially in countries with limited or no social infrastructure. COVID-19 highlighted challenges faced by artists and cultural professionals in accessing decent work, while creative industries continue to be a major employer of youth, women and marginalized groups worldwide.
Successful projects ranged from structuring the music industry in Palestine via Ramallah’s City of Music to empowering women movie maker minorities in seven countries of Latin America, to reinforcing entrepreneurial culture in the audiovisual, fashion and design sectors in Guinea.
For the first time, Chile, Nigeria, Guinea, Seychelles and Timor-Leste will benefit from the support of the IFCD. Since 2010, the IFCD has invested US$9.4 million through 129 projects in 65 countries in support of the creative economy and to bolster inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
Selected from a total of 615 applications from more than 80 countries, the successful projects are:
- Many Hands International-MHI (Timor-Leste, US$ 85 991), for the project “Establishing a community-driven alliance for sustainable cultural development planning in Lautem”, aiming to establish a community-driven alliance for sustainable cultural development planning in Lautem, Timor-Leste, that includes government representatives, the community and civil society.
- Balmaceda Arte Joven (Chile, US$ 71 743), for the project “Fostering cultural diversity through youth empowerment”, aiming to improve access to diversity of cultural expressions among young people in Chile.
- Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts (Seychelles, US$ 79 584), for the project “Reinvigorating and re-establishing culture at the heart of Seychelles’ economic and social development”, aiming to identify the cultural reforms required to reinvigorate and re-establish culture in the heart of Seychellois society.
- Ibero-American Federation of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences Academies - FIACINE (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and the Dominican Republic US$ 83 312), for the project “WE ARE DIVERSE: Empowering female audiovisual professionals from vulnerable groups in seven countries of Latin America”. The project aims to support and empower female audiovisual professionals from vulnerable groups for greater participation in the audiovisual industry in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
- Koalisi Seni Indonesia (Indonesia, US$ 85 984), for the project “Promoting and monitoring artistic freedom in Indonesia”, aiming to promote artistic freedom and to engage artists, journalists and human rights organizations in its monitoring, as well as in recommending policy actions.
- Potter’s Gallery Initiative (Nigeria, US$ 86 000), for the project “Improving market access for artists with disabilities”, aiming to foster an inclusive cultural and creative sector for people with disabilities in Nigeria.
- Fundación Visión Cultural (Bolivia, US$ 84 854), for the project “Promoting cultural and creative industries in the city of La Paz, Bolivia”, aiming to generate a decentralized cultural market in six priority creative sectors.
- Ramallah Municipality (Palestine, US$ 75 680), for the project “Ramallah city of music – a strategy for sustainable city development through music”, aiming to create a strategy for sustainable city development through music.
- La MUSE (Guinea, US$ 82 981), for the project “Reinforcing entrepreneurship in Guinea’s audiovisual, fashion, and design sectors”, aiming to strengthen the cultural entrepreneurship ecosystem and support the structuring and promotion of cultural and creative industries in the audiovisual, fashion and design sectors.
The Committee also confirmed to launch the thirteenth call for funding requests to the IFCD in 2022.
The IFCD is a voluntary multi-donor fund established under the 2005 Convention to support the emergence of dynamic cultural sectors in developing countries. The Fund aims to support sustainable systems of governance for culture, create an enabling environment for cultural entrepreneurs, facilitate market access, and ensure the accessibility of diverse cultural expressions for all.
To discover more about IFCD funded projects, click here.