UNESCO supports implementation and monitoring of the cultural policy in Ethiopia
The second phase of the project, Reshaping Cultural Policies for the Promotion of Fundamental Freedoms and the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, brought together over thirty participants composed of representatives from various ministries, government institutions, civil society organizations, including cultural, media professionals, and individuals in the creative sector from 24 to 26 February 2020 in Adama town, Ethiopia. The workshop organized by UNESCO, Addis Ababa Liaison Office in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the financial support from the government of Sweden (SIDA).
The training capacitated the multi-stakeholder national team of Ethiopia on statutory requirements of the Convention, particularly the revised Quadrennial Periodic Reporting (QPR) framework for monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs).
The 2005 Convention considering that the cultural and creative industries (CCI) represent a viable employment opportunity for young people . Today, the cultural and creative industries generate annual global revenue of US$2,250 billion and exports of over US$250 billion. These sectors can make up to 10% of GDP in some countries. https://unctad.org/
Collecting data and information and drafting the periodic report
Ethiopia ratified the Convention on September 2008. Submission of QPR is a statutory obligation for those States that have ratified the Convention. The 2005 Convention encourage State parties to formulate and implement policies and measures that support the emergence of dynamic cultural and creative sectors, through informed, participatory and transparent processes, while also guided by principles that respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. See all reports submitted so far: https://en.unesco.org/creativity/monitoringreporting/periodic%E2%80%90reports/available%E2%80%90reports.
A number of countries have challenges in the preparation of the country report for a lack of cultural statistics and monitoring frameworks, limited capacity to assess the impact of cultural policies and fragile networking opportunities between government and civil society. The training workshop responds to the expressed needs of the sector to strengthen the human and institutional capacities of governmental and civil society actors in order to monitor and report on policies and measures that protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions.
During this three-day meeting, participants trained on data collection and sharing through QPR platform, on policies, measures and good practices that protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions. Moreover, collecting data and elaborating the QPR would also help a country reporting in the implementation and reporting of the SDG Agenda. The workshop created an opportunity for networking and dialogue between the civil society and government on the need to formulate innovative, forward‐looking and evidence‐based cultural policies in various sectors.