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During the on Thursday 4 May, 2023,  UNESCO announced over US$ 1 million investment to better protect the status of the artist through the 25 projects selected following the 2022 UNESCO-Aschberg programme call for projects to support initiatives aimed at protecting and promoting artistic freedom, including the status of the artist. The announcement also started the celebration of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development celebrated every year on 21 May. 

PEN Africa, a non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting freedom of expression, and encouraging the growth and strengthening of literature.

Below are brief descriptions of the four victorious projects:

Submitted by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe

The project aims to create conditions for the transition of local cultural and creative industries from a highly informal sector to a formal one that takes into consideration the improvement of the status of artists and cultural professionals in Zimbabwe. It will contribute to the implementation of the “National Cultural and Creative Industries Strategy (2020-2030)” and the “National Strategy on Transition from Informal to the Formal Economy in Zimbabwe” (2022 – 2030).

Submitted by the Department of Arts of Malawi

The project will develop regulations for the establishment and operationalization of the Malawi National Cultural Trust Fund. The expert facility being requested will support the Malawi Government in putting down regulations for operationalizing and managing the Trust Fund which is being proposed in the National Arts and Heritage Bill. These guidelines will include such things as disbursement modalities, setting up of committee, as well as a resource mobilization strategy to ensure that the Fund is well resourced to achieve its objectives

Submitted by PEN International (covered also by UNESCO Nairobi)

The goal of the project is to protect and promote artistic freedom and the protection of writers in five African countries (Kenya, Malawi, South Africa (Afrikaans), Uganda Zambia) through public dialogue and advocacy by promoting the role and status of writers. The project will help frame and publicize key themes which focus on the status of the artist, highlight and advocate on key recommendations necessary to the protection, promotion of artistic expression in line with the 1980 UNESCO Recommendation on the Status of the Artist.

The project aims to develop regulations for the National Arts Fund Act in order to ensure compliance and gazetting if the act. The draft regualtion will not only ensure the registaration of people people in the arts and creative industry but will ensure that artists are supported through decent work and good reputation.