Multilateral Institutions

This publication explores the African fashion industry and an initiative by the African Development Bank to support it. The fashion industry is a major player in Africa, holding immense potential for job creation, particularly for women and young people. However, the industry also faces challenges such as limited access to funding and low production capacity. The African Development Bank's Fashionomics Africa program helps fashion businesses with training, investment, and finding new markets.

The pandemic has had dramatic effects in the cultural and creative industries (CCI) in MERCOSUR countries and Latin America. This sector, traditionally linked to the freelance workforce with limited social and economic protection, is experiencing the accelerated digitization of face-to-face activities and business models. Up-to-date and systematized data is therefore vital to assess and respond to the disruptive impact of the pandemic through evidence-based public policies.

The study begins by outlining the EPA’s key provisions in the field of culture. It then examines the institutional landscape and focuses in particular on measures taken by EPA Parties to implement its culture-related provisions. The overall performance of the EPA so far is evaluated with data, practices and other pieces of anecdotal evidence that may reveal the extent to which the EPA has had an impact on cultural activities and actors. It also identifies gaps or missed opportunities that can be addressed in future implementation strategies. Policy recommendations conclude this study.

The cultural organizations and events considered in this policy brief are those whose mission and activities are aimed at disseminating and broadening access to a diversity of cultural expressions. They include, among others, cultural centres, festivals, book fairs, bookshops and libraries, theatres, cinemas, performance venues, broadcasters, and online cultural platforms.

This study represents the culmination of extensive research and the findings from twenty interviews with experts specialized in media freedom, artistic freedom, the protection of human rights defenders and artists. It provides a comparison of the protective frameworks and mechanisms in place to defend the rights of journalists and artists in times of emergency. The ultimate goal of the study is to encourage synergies between artists and journalists, and the communities that work towards their safety.

Unlocking the transformative potential of culture for sustainable development is our common ambition and this process is already underway. Culture is firmly anchored in the 2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment, and Member States themselves are giving it an increasingly important place in the international development programmes, in the fields of education, economic development, development and social inclusion.

This ‘Culture and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Challenges and Opportunities’ report results from brainstorming sessions organised as a Voices of Culture Structured Dialogue.  The Structured Dialogue framework enables communication between the European Commission and the cultural sector. Its main objective is to provide a channel for the voice of the cultural sector to be heard by EU policymakers, a voice represented by a group of expert practitioners in Europe selected through an open call.

The creative economy (also known as the orange economy) is an evolving concept based on the contribution and potential of creative assets to contribute to economic growth and development. It embraces economic, cultural and social aspects interacting with technology, intellectual property and tourism objectives: it is a set of knowledge-based, and thus more localized, economic activities with a development dimension and cross-cutting linkages at macro and micro levels to the overall economy. There is not a single definition of creative economy, and the different definitions usually overlap.

Before the pandemic, the creative economy was growing rapidly and generating new jobs in every region of the world, predicted to account up to 10 per cent of global GDP by 2030. The crisis has brought this exceptional growth to a standstill, exposing the fragility of a sector dominated by micro-businesses, informal work practices and few tangible assets. Lockdowns have also highlighted the importance of cultural and creative activity in maintaining individual well-being and community resilience.