Brussels, 31 January 2018/ ACP: Impact, achievements and lessons learned in promoting the cultural sector in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific will be examined at an international conference next week at the ACP House, including how this has fed into the strategy behind a new ACP-EU programme to support the cultural sector, due to be launched this year with an envelope of €40 million.

The final conference of the ACPCultures+ Programme on 8-9 February will critically assess five years of implementing more than 50 projects in various ACP countries. Funded by the European Development Fund, the programme’s overarching aim is to fight poverty in ACP countries through the development of viable cultural industries. Projects focused on the creation and production of ACP cultural goods and services, enhanced access to local regional and international markets, capacity building of professionals in the culture sector and improving the regulatory environment.

The conference, open to cultural professionals, institutions and anyone interested in the ACP-EU cultural cooperation, will bring together nearly 80 representatives of beneficiaries and partner organisations involved in the implementation of 54 completed projects.

Participants will hear presentations from beneficiaries such as the Pamoja project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which creates and distributes dance performances while also training artists, technicians and performing arts directors, the Barbados-based 3D Distribution Project on market access for Caribbean audio-visual products, and even a regional project of the Pacific Community on strengthening cultural policies and regulatory frameworks in several Pacific Island countries.

In addition to interventions by high level speakers such as ACP Secretary General Dr. Patrick Gomes and the European Commission’s DEVCO Director General Mr. Stefano Manservisi, the conference programme also includes a special panel on cultural heritage, various workshops, debate sessions, and film screenings.

The final session will be an exchange of views on funding opportunities, including a presentation by the ACP Secretariat and the European Commission of the strategy for the future ACP-EU Support Programme to the Cultural sector under the 11^th EDF, which will take over as the ACPCultures+ Programme wraps up in the coming months.

– ACP Press

For more information on this conference: visit www.acpculturesplus.eu or email infocomacpculturesplus@acp.int

To register: acp761@acp.int

Click here download the conference programme