UfM launches project to foster competitiveness and entrepreneurial cooperation in Southern Mediterranean cultural and creative industries
Barcelona, 17 October 2014. The Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean officially launched the UfM-labelled project “Establishment of a Regional Platform for the Development of Cultural and Creative Industries and Clusters in the Southern Mediterranean”. The launch took place at a regional workshop organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) — promoter of the project — on the sidelines of the CAT 2014 Business and Technology Exchange, held today in Tunis.
The workshop provided the opportunity to present the overall EU/UNIDO programme as well as the initiative’s first achievements, including a mapping of the creative and cultural industries clusters and a call for proposals for the selection of the clusters to be supported.
“Following the decision taken by Industry Ministers on the occasion of the 9th UfM Ministerial Meeting on Euro-Mediterranean industrial cooperation to promote entrepreneurial collaboration and pilot initiatives in the cultural and creative industries, the UfM has labelled this project with the aim to leverage the potential of this sector as well as promote new employment opportunities and inclusive growth in the region”, said UfM Deputy Secretary General Claudio Cortese in his speech.
Aiming to promote employment, employability and business development in the Southern Mediterranean region as well as contribute to the growth of the industry, and thus the creation of new MSMEs, the European Commission identified the need to develop a regional programme in the cultural field. The initiative “Support for the Development of Cultural and Creative Industries and Clusters in the Southern Mediterranean” is funded by the European Union, with a contribution by the Italian Development Cooperation, and is developed and implemented by UNIDO.
Within this framework, the UfM Secretariat will further develop the regional dimension of the project by establishing a platform to foster coordination, disseminate best practices and identify additional enterprises and stakeholders in other Southern Mediterranean countries. Furthermore, the Secretariat will organise eight workshops, in coordination with the promoter, to identify common challenges across the region and define training needs for all the industries and clusters.
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PROJECT WEB SECTION – Establishment of a regional platform for the Development of Cultural and Creative Industries and Clusters in the Southern Mediterranean
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