BRAC and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance Bangladesh’s creative economy, focusing on film, cultural tourism and heritage. Asif Saleh, Executive Director of BRAC, and Dr Susan Vize, Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh, signed the agreement at BRAC Centre in Dhaka on Thursday, 5 November.
Asif Saleh, Executive Director of BRAC, commented, "Bangladesh's culture and heritage – our crafts, music, film and living traditions – are an economic asset we have only begun to tap. This agreement with UNESCO is about changing that: bringing together the evidence and ideas to support the government to build its national strategy and roadmap for a creative economy that creates real jobs, including for the many people already working in it informally. At BRAC, we see this as one interconnected ecosystem. Through Aarong's decades of work with artisans, our long-running popular theatre programme and our community-based tourism initiative Otithi, we look forward to working with UNESCO, the private sector and others to help the sector grow."
Dr Susan Vize, Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh, said, “Bangladesh has a wealth of cultural heritage and creativity that can be harnessed to improve the lives of everyday Bangladeshis from craftspeople to dancers to chefs. We believe this partnership can help identify key pathways to build on this foundation.”
Also present at the event were KAM Morshed, Senior Director of Advocacy, Communications and Engagement at BRAC; Moutushi Kabir, Chief People and Culture Officer of BRAC; and Kizzy Tahnin, Head of Culture, UNESCO Dhaka Office.
The partnership will support the development of a national roadmap for the creative economy, identifying priorities and practical steps for growth in the short, medium and long term. It will also assess Bangladesh’s existing creative ecosystem to identify opportunities, address gaps and strengthen collaboration among key stakeholders.
The initiative will focus particularly on the film and audio-visual industries, cultural and community-based tourism, film festivals and heritage. The collaboration will also explore the establishment of a national Creative Cities Network to help cities build on their cultural heritage and creative strengths.
As part of this effort, BRAC and UNESCO will examine the possibility of Dhaka joining UNESCO’s ‘Creative Cities Network’, which brings together cities that use creativity and cultural industries to support sustainable urban development.
Through this partnership, BRAC and UNESCO aim to strengthen Bangladesh’s creative industries, expand economic opportunities and livelihoods, and safeguard and promote the country’s rich cultural heritage.
