2022 marked the 10^th anniversary of the strategic partnership between UNESCO and the European Union. One of the EU’s most longstanding objectives with UNESCO has been towards harnessing the power of cultural diversity as a driver to sustainable development through inclusive cultural policies in the framework of the EU/UNESCO Expert Facility Programme on the Governance of Culture. In 2022, the EU renewed its commitment as a Party to UNESCO’s 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions by renewing the above Programme for a third cycle.

We are pleased to inform you that the country your EU Delegation covers, is among the 35 countries eligible to respond to the Restricted Call for Applications launched by UNESCO to support the cultural and creative industries through the elaboration of regulatory frameworks. Please refer to Annex I to see the full list of eligible countries. 

Through this technical assistance programme, UNESCO provides specialized expertise to Ministries, public institutions and agencies responsible for culture through a tested methodology that includes multi-stakeholder consultations, training workshops, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. The implementation is estimated to last between 18 and 24 months. Eligible countries have been informed by UNESCO on the technical assistance opportunity, and have been requested to apply through the dedicated project proposal format before 17 December 2023. You can find more information in the Annex. Please note that UNESCO will only accept one submission per country.

We would be very grateful if you could circulate information about this call among relevant public authorities and institutions.

In order to inform you on the technical assistance opportunity in more detail, UNESCO’s Diversity of Cultural Expressions Entity will organise three online information sessions for EU Delegations and UNESCO Field Offices on Monday 6 November:

• From 10:00 to 11:00 (Central European Time) in English, for which this link can be used for registration.
• From 11:30 to 12:30 (Central European Time) in French, for which this link can be used for registration.
• From 15:30 to 16:30 (Central European Time) in Spanish, for which this link can be used for registration.

The information session will be delivered by UNESCO staff and will consist of a presentation of the 2005 Convention, further explanations on the EU/UNESCO Programme and its tested methodology, practical elements, and a question-and-answer session.

We hope to be able to count on your support for this restricted call for applications, and remain at your disposal for any additional information you may require.

INTPA/G3 Culture team