A series of three ResiliArt x MONDIACULT debates were held in the Pacific, mobilizing creatives, cultural professionals, Ministry representatives, and IGOs. The virtual roundtable discussions were organized in the frame of the “Inclusive Economic Recovery through Sustainable Enterprise in the Informal Economies of Fiji, Palau, Tonga and Vanuatu” project and in partnership with Torque Atellier, a Pacific creative MSME.   Pacific ResiliArt x MONDIACULT debates: a talanoa between artists © UNESCO   Weaving, highly representative of Pacific cultures, is a metaphor and one understood in the Pacific as bringing people or ideas together, connecting stories and experiences in the hopes of bettering livelihoods. The webinar series was organized as 90 minute talanoas (dialogue) between artists, art collectors, cultural workers, representatives from government and development partners, civil society and private sector across the Pacific.   ResiliArt Oceania Weaving Webinar 1: The value of associations: leadership, artist welfare, social, cultural and economic well-being. The debate focused on how associations contribute to leadership in the arts sector and to artist welfare and their wider social, cultural and economic wellbeing. Katalina Fotofili, representing the  Fiji Islands Dance Association (FIDA), shared that coming together as an association had provided “a bridge” for dancers and dance companies who had up till then been “segregated alone in their corner”. FIDA allowed for a collective voice, a “higher level of discussion”.   ResiliArt Oceania Weaving Webinar 2: Arts and culture: telling our stories effectively, Tuesday 29th March. The discussions focused around the fact that the contribution of arts and culture to society and the economy is generally misunderstood and undervalued globally and in the region. Lazarus Aising, of Vanuatu’s Department of Industry shared that “the policy is there to both protect and celebrate kastom (custom or cultural traditions) and music as both a highly consumed commodity and as an important part of our heritage”.   ResiliArt Oceania Weaving Webinar 3: Education and training in the arts sector, Wednesday 30th March. Discussions were held around the roadblocks and bridges in the development of art and culture in the Pacific, in relation to education and training gaps. Dr Frances Koya-Vaka’uta from the Pacific Community (SPC) said that “even though the CCIs are one of the fastest growing sectors, the education system does not invest in them”.   © UNESCO   The ResiliArt Debates also provided a forum to discuss, and an opportunity to reflect on lessons learnt from the joint UN initiative funded through the UN Secretary General’s Multi-Partner Trust Fund for COVID-19 recovery and support to the Pacific informal economies. The pandemic revealed gaps in social and economic protection of cultural and creative professionals who have been particularly affected by this crisis.   The “Inclusive Economic Recovery through Sustainable Enterprise in the Informal Economies of Fiji, Palau, Tonga and Vanuatu” project aimed at strengthening the cultural industries, and capitalize on local creative talent through specialized skills transfer, market linkages, and by addressing pre-existing challenges in the structure and mechanisms of the informal economy. The overall goal was to bolster financial stability, amongst this fast-growing segment of society, thereby fueling a swifter economic recovery.  

Sector:      Culture Type of contract:  Contract for Services Duration:       From June 2022 – December 2022     1. Background One of the top emerging actors in the Vietnamese private sector, SOVICO Group has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to the nation’s sustainable development as part of its overall business model with a legacy of grants to different social, sports and cultural activities that demonstrate the importance of responsible business to the Group. As its new strategic goal is to expand its growth regionally and internationally, SOVICO furthers its position as a leading Vietnamese corporation. The partnership signed in September 2020 between SOVICO Group and with the United Nations (UN) in Viet Nam marks an important milestone that highlights this global perspective of SOVICO Group and the values of its leadership. With the established partnership with the UNESCO within the broader partnership framework with the UN, SOVICO Group determines to translate its new vision into concrete actions, including the creation of a fund which will allow SOVICO Group to invest in actions that support the sustainable development of Viet Nam in areas of culture, heritage and innovation with the particular interest in investing in youth and women. Building on the first senior dialogues between the leaders of SOVICO Group, senior leaders and experts invited by UNESCO, the partners wish to further the initial agreements into a Roadmap of action in order to initiate the future fund/foundation.   2. Objectives of the assignment UNESCO is looking for a consultancy company/institution to advise and lead the dialogues and initiate the roadmap with key actions, in order to develop a Key document which shall contain a Strategic vision with core statement, options for the types of fund/foundation; a Programmatic charter and an advisory financial charter; in the service of advising the Partner the way forward in establishing of such institution. The consultancy company/institution should propose a team of consultants consisting of a lead consultant and from 2-4 team members.   3. Key assignments The consultancy company/institution under the overall authority of the UNESCO Representative in Viet Nam, supervision of the Chief of Culture Unit and the direct coordination of the Project Coordinator at the UNESCO Field Office in Ha Noi, shall be able to conduct the following tasks:   # Task Duration Team leader Team members (each)   Inception Phase (June- August)   Formulation and work on a working plan in agreement with UNESCO       Lead the working sessions with key personnel and focal points of UNESCO and SOVICO Group, building on the first dialogue 5 working days 5 working days   Develop a key outline including a Roadmap with key steps towards the formulation of a future CSR fund/foundation which supports the sustainable development in the areas of culture, heritage and innovation   Analysis Phase (August- October)   Conduct research on relevant practices 10 working days 10 working days   Conduct missions to Ho Chi Minh City or other domestic locations when required for working sessions and meetings with the partners   Prepare a draft discussion paper on the options for the future CSR fund/foundation with reference to relevant practices and incorporations of inputs by senior leaders of key partners   Present key findings to relevant stakeholders   Founding Chapter Drafting (October- December) a. Develop a Draft Founding Charter for such CSR fund/foundation which shall contain: (i) a Strategic vision with Core statement; (ii) Programmatic Chapter(s); (iii) Proposed Financial Chapter(s) and (iv) Proposed Operational Guidelines. 10 working days 10 working days   4. Deliverables No. Key deliverables – key products must be in both English and Vietnamese Timeline 1 Inception report August 2022 2 Discussion paper October 2022 3 Final Draft of the Founding Charter December 2022   5. Required qualifications The Team Leader will be charge of leading the entire process through working with team members. The Team Leader will be responsible for timely and quality deliverables, and must have: At least master’s degree in Social Science, Business Management, Finance, Economics or Communication At least 10 years of experiences in providing consultation and management services in the field of corporate responsible business, public private partnership, and sustainable development Demonstrated experiences in strategic high-level meeting facilitation, international principles and frameworks policy advisory, and strategic consultation for public and private sectors. Working/Advisory service experience with the UN and global businesses is an advantage.   Team Members will contribute to the data collection and analysis. They will be responsible for timely and accurate delivery of results through conducting key informant interviews and discussions, surveys and field visits, and provide inputs to the production of inception and final reports. Team members must have: a. At least master’s degree in Social Science, Business Management, Finance, Economics or Communication b. At least 3-5 years of work experience in the field of social development, research, or management consulting services c. Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills d. Solid written and spoken communication and facilitation skills e. Working/Advisory service experience with the UN and global businesses is an advantage.   6. How to apply Interested companies/institutions should send quotations with the subject “Consultancy UN-SOVICO Strategic Dialogue” to email tn.tran@unesco.org with copy to hanoi@unesco.org by 2 June 2022 at the latest. The application should include Institution/Company’s profile with CVs of expected consultants Detail budget proposals/quotations for daily rates

As part of the process for engaging Namibia to the UNESCO Global Geoparks programme, the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism led a High-level excursion from 9 - 12 May 2022 to the Namibian main geological heritage identified for the proposed Gondwanaland as a potential first Namibia Geopark. The excursion was supported by the GIZ-Biodiversity Economy Project jointly with UNESCO and was attended by high-level officials from the Ministry of Education Arts and Culture, the Natural Resources Standing Committee of the Parliament of the Republic of Namibia, Erongo and Kunene Regional Governors, UNESCO Representative to Namibia, Namibia National Commission for UNESCO and the national heritage council, politicians, senior management officials, and the Geopark Interim Taskforce members to the Gondwanaland Geopark.         The main objective of the excursion was to equip the participants with adequate knowledge about the value of the geopark including its cultural, environmental and geological heritage.  The three-day excursion was  attended by - Hon. Kornelia Shilunga, Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, Hon. Heather Sibungo, Deputy Minister of Environment, Tourism and Forestry, Mr Gerard Vries representing the Deputy Minister of Education Arts and Culture and members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources, regional leaders - Hon. Marius Sheya, Kunene Governor and Hon. Neville Andre Itope, Erongo Governor, senior government officials, traditional authority representatives and members of the national Geopark Interim Task Force.  The Geopark Interim Task Force led by Dr Gabi Schneider, Director of the Namibian Uranium Institute, guided the 45 participants through the proposed Gondwanaland Geopark area to foster better understanding of the geopark features, the needs of the stakeholders (Conservancies, Traditional Authorities, Tourism Operators, Small-Scale Miners, other players) on the landscape management and conservation, and to enable the participants to become ambassadors of the Geopark initiative. Activities undertaken included local stakeholder consultations and site visits to notable geo-heritage sites – Spitzkoppe, Brandberg (Daures) and Twyfelfontein and   cultural site, the Damara Living Museum. The programme also included a visit to the Aquaculture Plant and the Uis Tin Mine in the town of Uis. On the last day, the delegates tracked rhinos in the Twyfelfontein area, guided by the Save the Rhino Trust. During the daily briefings, the importance of community consultations and community inclusion in activities of the Geopark was highly emphasized. Community empowerment relating to research and knowledge sharing were particularly highlighted. Speakers noted the importance of passing legislations in order to press on the legacy of the protection of our cultural, environmental and geological heritage, while bearing in mind that the Geopark will be an important contributor to Brand Namibia. Kunene Governor, Hon. Marius Sheya stressed that “Details and practicality are important aspects to thoroughly revisit, because the Geopark initiative will be an important part of citizens’ livelihoods”.  UNESCO, GIZ Namibia and the Namibia and German National Commissions for UNESCO confirmed their commitment to further support the government to advance the Geopark nomination process. Commitments were made to further engage comprehensive community consultations, and organize a public hearing to the  members of parliament   on the UNESCO Global Geoparks programme, the required national steps for  the completion of the Gondwanaland nomination dossier including  the processes and passing  of the Wildlife and Protected Areas Management Bill to facilitate the proclamation of the identified site as a national Geopark, a precursor to the UNESCO Global Geoparks designation