UNESCO Dhaka Office Webinar on “Sharing Findings of Impact Assessment of COVID-19 on Culture Sector in Bangladesh & Unlocking Future Opportunities”

At the occasion of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development 2021, the UNESCO Dhaka Office organized a webinar on “Sharing Findings of Impact Assessment of COVID-19 on Culture Sector in Bangladesh & Unlocking Future Opportunities” on Monday, 21 June 2021.

To get a better picture of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the culture and creative sector and its stakeholders in Bangladesh, the UNESCO Dhaka Office responded to a call by His Excellency the Minister of Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh to conduct an assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on the culture sector in Bangladesh.

During conducted webinar, the findings of the conducted assessment were shared with key stakeholders as well as ways to move forward were discussed.

A presentation of the methodology, scope, key findings, and expressed recommendations of the “Assessment of COVID-19 Impact on Cultural Sector in Bangladesh” set the scene and formed the basis for the open discussion with interventions from various stakeholders from the cultural and creative sector.

During the webinar, stakeholders shared their reflections and thoughts about the findings as well as about ways to turn the findings into concrete actions.

The lack of data and information exchange within the cultural ecosystem was mentioned by several stakeholders. Similarly, the importance to conduct a cultural mapping in order to increase connection and interaction within the culture sector was stressed.

The webinar not only revealed the findings of the assessment, including the impact, taken mitigation measures by and future recommendations for the culture and creative sector, but also highlighted the significance of a cultural mapping for the further sustainable development of the sector.