Supporting refugees and migrants through ensuring their cultural rights and participation in cultural life
The issue of refugees is often considered from a security or economic perspective, generally overlooking the cultural dimension of leaving one’s home. Around the world, setbacks and infringements of cultural rights certainly slow down and potentially jeopardize the capacity of displaced populations, including refugees, to find their place, integrate and contribute to society. Ensuring the respect of cultural rights can be a powerful lever to address the vulnerability of refugees and enhance social inclusion and cohesion in host communities, in a context where displacements are increasing as a result of global challenges such as conflict and natural hazards.
While displacement often entails the disruption of cultural practices and identities, UNESCO, in collaboration with sister-agencies from the United Nations System, engages not only in enabling displaced populations to sustain their cultural practices, but also in empowering refugees, especially youth and women, through education, training, and cash-for-work projects related to cultural heritage, as a means to foster livelihoods and job creation in such adverse situations. Likewise, UNESCO invests in allowing refugees to access cultural services and participate in cultural life, including that of the host country and of other communities, so as to enable intercultural dialogue, and foster social cohesion, thereby preventing conflict and contributing to building peace.
Spotlight on few projects
Strengthening the role of young people in promoting living together and multiculturalism through secondary education and non-formal and informal learning centres in Cameroon | UNESCO Office in Yaoundé
The crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon left more than 700,000 children out of school in 2021. Over 537,000 people left these regions in 2022 to seek refuge in safer neighbouring areas. This has placed increasing pressure on available resources in the host communities. The risk of conflicts based on cultural and linguistic differences between internally displaced people and host populations has increased. This project aims to equip internally displaced young people and host communities with the intercultural skills they need to act as agents of social transformation promoting social cohesion and lasting peace. It proposes an innovative and inclusive learning model in formal, non-formal and community education settings designed to develop young people's shared cultural expression and their role as agents promoting living together in culturally and linguistically diverse environments.
UN agencies involved : UNESCO, UNOPS
Beneficiary country : Cameroon
Start and end dates of the project : November 2022 – July 2024
Strengthening capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in situations of conflict and forced displacement | UNESCO Office in Yaoundé
Within the framework of the project "Strengthening capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in situations of conflict and forced displacement", UNESCO, working closely with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cameroon, organised a workshop from 9 to 12 October 2023 at Minawao Refugee Camp in Cameroon, focused on approaches for safeguarding living heritage in situations of conflict and forced displacement. Minawao, located on Cameroon’s northern border, hosts more than 70,000 refugees, many of whom have fled violence linked to Boko Haram in neighbouring country, Nigeria. The workshop sought to strengthen awareness of the dual role of living heritage in emergencies: both as a victim of conflict and as a valuable resource that communities may drawn on as a coping mechanism.
UN agencies involved: UNESCO, UNHCR
Beneficiary country: Cameroon
Start and end dates of the project : Oct 2023 – Nov 2023
Promoting the resilience of Refugee communities through culture | UNESCO Office in Nairobi
In Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp, one of the world's oldest and largest refugee camps, the "Living Heritage Unites at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya" project was conceived with the goal of promoting resilience, social cohesion, and cultural diversity within refugee communities, through a focus on raising awareness on the safeguarding and promotion of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). The project involves preserving traditional musical practices, and fostering understanding among communities, through cultural festivals, music training, recording sessions and building capacity for community safeguarding of ICH.
The festivals and captivating performances serve as a melting pot, showcasing a vibrant tapestry of traditional attire, music, and dance with a diverse array of captivating sounds emanating from traditional instruments like kongers, djembes, mbira, shakers, drums, and lyres, proudly on display. Participating groups come from varied communities based at the camp, including South Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Uganda and host communities (Kenya) from Turkana, fostering an atmosphere of societal unity, cohesion, and celebration.
As part of the project, a community-based inventorying workshop was conducted for young refugees at the camp. This workshop's goal was to enhance the capacity of local community members, ensuring their understanding and active involvement in the safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. Workshops and jam sessions are also organized to explore and record a fusion of traditional and contemporary sounds.
UN agencies involved: UNHCR
Beneficiary country: Communities from Kenya, South Sudan, Congo, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and Uganda
Start and end dates of the project May 2022 – December 2023
Read more on the project:
Report on 2023 Kakuma Sound Culture and Music Festival – Kakuma (wordpress.com)
Living heritage unites at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya – ICHCAP (unesco-ichcap.org)
KAKUMA SOUND | Music In Africa
Unesco recognises first refugee-led cultural festival at Kakuma | Nation
Documentary (long version) | Password: KakumaDemo1
Support to Livelihoods through Cultural Heritage Development | UNESCO Office in Amman
The project supported by the European Union and UNESCO aims at improving self-reliance through access to immediate short-term decent employment opportunities for Syrians, Jordanians and Iraqis in the cultural heritage sector through Employment Intensive initiatives in the northern governorates of Jordan and Iraq, and to set the basis for an enabling environment for entrepreneurship development in the cultural heritage sector.
In Jordan, UNESCO, in close collaboration with the International Labor Organization, provided employment opportunities to Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians from the local communities, to carry out rehabilitation works on six cultural heritage sites located in Northern Jordan. A total of 1305 short-terms job opportunities were provided (including 371 for Syrians).
UN agencies involved: UNESCO, ILO
Beneficiary country: Jordan, Iraq
Start and end dates of the project: 17/09/2019 to 31/01/2024
Strengthening the socioeconomic integration of migrants and refugees in Arequipa through the arts and cultural industries | UNESCO Office in Lima
This project implemented by UNESCO in Peru with financing from IOM, aimed to strengthen the capacities of the different cultural agents of Arequipa in terms of cultural management, in order to generate the socioeconomic integration of the migrant and refugee population in the city, through the design of cultural projects with a focus on diversity.
Within the framework of this project, 3 activities were carried out: (1) the mapping of cultural agents in the territory, (2) the cultural projects laboratory that involved training in management and evaluation of the projects, and (3) the delivery of equipment to the winning projects. As a result of this process, 190 Peruvian and Venezuelan cultural agents were mapped, of which 45 were trained in the cultural project design laboratory and 20 benefited from logistical equipment.
UN agencies involved: UNESCO, IOM
Beneficiary country: Peru
Project start and end dates: From 10/01/2021 to 12/31/2023
From displacement to integration: building productive and protective communities | UNESCO Office in Lima
The European Union-funded intersectoral project in culture and education aims at enhancing the capacities of cultural agents who are migrants and refugees by promoting their socio-economic integration in Piura, Lambayeque, and Chiclayo, which are located in Northern Peru.
As part of this initiative, a mapping exercise will be conducted to identify cultural agents in the region. Additionally, the non-formal educational program called "Aprendiendo Unidos" (Learning Together) will be adapted into a virtual format to provide training for these agents.
UN agencies involved: UNESCO, UNOPS
Beneficiary country: Peru
Project start and end dates: From 09/01/2022 to 07/31/2024
The Intercultural Meeting: migratory dialogues and cultural diversity | UNESCO Office in Montevideo
On the occasion of the Migration Month in Uruguay, the UNESCO Office in Montevideo together with the International Organization for Migration organized "The Intercultural Meeting: Migratory Dialogues and Cultural Diversity" on 13 December 2023. The meeting aimed to stimulate exchange between migrant populations and host societies with a view to promote cultural diversity and inclusion in Uruguay.
UN agencies involved: UNESCO, IOM
Beneficiary country: Uruguay
Project start and end dates: 13/12/2023
Supporting Humanitarian Initiatives and Challenges Faced by the Artist Union in Port Sudan | UNESCO Office in Khartoum
Artists fleeing war-torn areas in Sudan are finding Sudan’s legendary hospitality at its best in Port Sudan. The Artist Union has taken in more than 60 displaced creatives providing them with shelter and a safe refuge where they can recover and heal. With the support of the UNESCO Khartoum Office, UNHCR, and other non-governmental organizations, the Sudan Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) has officially declared the Artist Union a registered gathering site, which makes it eligible for assistance in supporting this community.
UNESCO is also fundraising to provide these gifted individuals with the tools of their creative expression. And one good turn begets another. Some of these artists will become cultural ambassadors sharing their skills with other Internally Displaced Persons in various sites in Port Sudan helping them heal through creative expression.
UN agencies involved: UNESCO, UNHCR
Beneficiary country: Sudan
Estimated duration of implementation: 3 months