Strengthening partnerships with the private sector is the focus for the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) as it enters a new era.
The Fund, now in its sixth year of operation, gives creative professionals in developing countries a chance to contribute towards sustainable progress in their societies through their work in the creative industries such as music, film, art and performance. The new 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda adopted by the UN Member States recognizes the importance of creativity and freedom of expression in building sustainable societies.
To strengthen its impact, the IFCD is expanding its network of funding partners and donors to include the private sector and individuals.
The value of these partnerships is two-fold as it also opens the door for small and medium enterprises (SME) in developing countries to be able to apply to the fund who will in turn contribute to their respective economy.
Cultural and creative industries are on the forefront of development. The global trade in cultural goods and services is worth 624 billion USD annually and the share of culture in GDP reaches 5% in many countries worldwide. Moreover, the cultural and creative industries generate about 30 million jobs worldwide and employing more people aged between 15-29 than in any other sector.
"Working with the private sector will not only service creative professionals but it will also help feed back into private sector creative industries so it's a win-win situation. Creativity has transformative power and is a powerful driver for sustainable development" Danielle Cliche, Secretary of the 2005 Convention at UNESCO said.
Within this framework, the IFCD 7th call for funding requests is an invitation for new donors to help finance creative projects in 2016.
The IFCD continues to develop new ways to bolster projects that are having a real impact on the ground. But we need your support in order to continue making a difference. Contribute to the Fund by contacting us on: ifcd.convention2005@unesco.org.
The IFCD was established under the UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and its goal is to invest in projects that lead to structural changes in societies. Since 2010, the IFCD has invested some US $5.8 million in 84 projects in 49 developing countries.
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