Unesco rep praises efforts for shaping KP culture policy

PESHAWAR: A two-day workshop by the Directorate of Culture in collaboration with UNESCO and Danish Centre for Culture and Development (CKU) for reshaping the cultural policy of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa started on Thursday.

The objective was to highlight a new set of draft operational guidelines for culture in consultation with a large number of private and public stakeholders, mobilising for sustainable development.It was titled “Creative Economy and Sustainable Development in Pakistan: the Unesco 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.”

The participants were Director Representative of Unesco Pakistan Vibeke Jensen; Representative of Unesco Headquarters in Paris Andrew Senior, Deputy Secretary for Tourism, Culture & Sports Adil Safi, scholars, mediapersons, youth, civil society members and experts in creative economies and policy formulation.

Vibeke Jensen said designing new culture policy is a good initiative taken by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. She said by devising provincial cultural policy, culture has linked with the economic growth, development and prosperity of the Pakistan for the first time.

Deputy Secretary for Tourism, Culture and Sports Adil Safi said the aim of cultural policy workshop was protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions. He said by conducting this workshop, Unesco aimed to raise the awareness about the “UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.”