UNESCO and the Promotion of Cultural Industries:
An Award of Excellence ceremony will be held in Muscat Oman on the 26-27 of May 2009
UNESCO is assisting the Public Authority for Crafts Industries in Oman (PACI) with the preparation of a guide for the classification, inventorying and evaluation of craft industries in Oman. A UNESCO mission by the Culture Programme Specialist and a UNESCO International expert in crafts was carried out in early November 2008.
The development of training programmes in different categories of handicrafts, in addition to a study on the future marketing of products, and recruitment of new staff are also areas where UNESCO could assist PACI.
UNESCO is foreseeing the launching, at the level of GCC countries, of the “Award of Excellence for Handicrafts” Programme of UNESCO. A Sub-regional information session about this programme and its objectives is therefore foreseen to be held at the end of May 2009. Official governmental and crafts associations’ representatives will be invited to participate. This programme aims to encourage artisans to produce handicrafts using traditional skills, patterns and themes in an innovative way, in order to ensure the continuity and sustainability of these traditions and skills. It is UNESCO’s flagship programme for supporting craft producers.
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