The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launches a call open to governments and public institutions, as well as civil society organizations, to support initiatives aimed at protecting and promoting the status of the artist and artistic freedom.
UNESCO is launching a call for projects under the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals, in line with the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist and the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Generously supported by Norway and reconceptualized in 2021 in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme contributes to address structural vulnerabilities and build resilience among artists and cultural professionals in times of uncertainty and crises.
This call for projects aims to support government and civil society-led initiatives that protect and promote the status of the artist and artistic freedom in its broad sense, as recognised by UNESCO.
To advance these rights, the call for projects offers two tracks:
- TRACK 1 - FOR GOVERNMENTS AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS: Technical assistance to revise or design laws, regulations, policies and measures that promote and protect the status of the artist and artistic freedom. While technical assistance offered under track 1 is primarily expert-driven, applicants may request up to 30,000 USD in order to support the logistics of the project’s implementation (e.g., logistical organization of meetings/consultations/capacity building activities, funding of communication activities, etc.).
- TRACK 2 - FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS: Financial assistance for innovative projects that advance the status of the artist and artistic freedom, at the local, national, regional or international level. These may encompass, for example, capacity building, advocacy, monitoring and research, etc.
Applicants may request financial support for up to USD 50,000 to implement their proposed project. This funding can cover costs directly related to project delivery, such as:
1) Organizing training sessions, workshops, capacity-building activities.
2) Developing tools, resources, communication materials.
3) Conducting advocacy campaigns, research and monitoring activities.
4) Providing emergency support to artists and cultural professionals and institutions, including relocation, residencies, or safe working space.
5) Covering other logistical expenses necessary for the project’s implementation.
