We help governments and donors to recognise the value of involving cultural practitioners and civil society organisations in development policy planning and action.
Cultural values, practices and resources can often be neglected by governments and donor agencies when drawing up policies to lift people out of poverty or reach targets on health, education or equality.
Yet by neglecting the opportunities, obstacles and ramifications presented by local culture, organisations can seriously blunt the effectiveness of their interventions.
Development goals are brought closer when traditional and contemporary knowledge and skills are harnessed, while creative products fashioned by practitioners have the potential to generate income and wealth.
As a development organisation with a cultural mandate, we recognise that culture must no longer be the 'missing pillar' of development. We play an active role in advocating for culture to be given greater consideration in development planning and implementation, and for artists and practitioners to be part of this dialogue.
Commonwealth Group on Culture and Development
Following Putting Culture First, a landmark 2008 research report which identified the key links between culture and development, a high-level group was convened in early 2009 to promote awareness of the connections between culture and development.
The group, composed of thirteen experts of diverse backgrounds and specialisms, set about creating the Commonwealth Statement on Culture and Development, a major document detailing how governments and donors can better incorporate culture into development processes. It was presented to Heads of Government at the 2009 Commonwealth Summit in Trinidad and Tobago.
Support to civil society
We offer workshops and advice to non-governmental organisations working in the cultural sector, enabling them to develop their own priorities and plans for action. Cultural unions for example are provided with the skills to lobby for better conditions for their members.
A culture toolkit – produced in collaboration with civil society partners – explains how cultural forms, resources and the arts can be used to promote good governance and democracy and respond to human development needs.