UNESCO to host awareness-raising workshop on the 2005 Convention in Botswana

UNESCO and the Government of Botswana are organizing an awareness-raising workshop on the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of the Cultural Expressions to be held in Botswana from 2-3 November 2021. The workshop will be delivered in a hybrid format with online and physical participants.

It will gather the Botswana National committees on the 2003 and 2005 Conventions, representatives from Zimbabwe and Lesotho, members of the 2005 Convention Expert Facility, representatives from the 2005 Convention Secretariat and UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa.

Botswana ratified the 2005 Convention in 2020. The aim of this workshop is to sensitize the newly formed national team of Botswana, as well as other relevant stakeholders, on the 2005 Convention, its guiding principles, processes, and main lines of action. It is expected that the workshop will contribute to strengthen the network of stakeholders working on issues related to the 2005 Convention. Additionally, the workshop will facilitate an exchange session between Botswana and Zimbabwe to promote South-South cooperation, peer-to-peer learning and to foster the exchange of information and experiences within the region. Representatives from Zimbabwe will be invited to share information and their experience on policy monitoring and policy making for creativity while engaging in participatory processes.

The workshop will focus on four main areas:

The 2005 Convention guiding principles and monitoring framework and the 1980 Recommendation on the Status of the Artist
The International Fund for Cultural Diversity
Data collection and participatory policy monitoring
Participatory policy making