In recent years, Moldova has participated in projects run by several international organisations, such as the Council of Europe, the Central European Initiative, the European Union (RAPHAEL and PHARE projects as a non-member state), and UNESCO, the Eastern Partnership Culture Programme. Moldova was the most active participant in the Council of Europe’s MOSAIC project. Within this framework, Moldovan cultural policy-makers and administrators took part in multilateral seminars on the funding and sponsorship of culture, working conditions for artists and cultural diversity. As a result of these activities, the National Report on Cultural Policy in the Republic of Moldova was prepared. In September 2001, in Chisinau, National Debates were organised relating to this document, with the participation of the Culture Committee of the Council of Europe.
The Ministry of Culture has also co-operated with international organisations that have representations in Moldova: UNDP, TACIS, Latin Union, and the Alliance Frances. For example, in 2000, the National Strategy on cultural tourism was elaborated by UNDP in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture.
Since 2002, Moldova participates in the Community of Independent States’ (CIS) cultural programme – Delphi’s Games for Youth, a contest for young artists organised each year in different countries of the CIS. In 2005, this cultural event took place in Moldova.
The Republic of Moldova has ratified all UNESCO Conventions on cultural issues.
The agencies charged with implementing and monitoring the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions are the Moldovan National Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and Youth, the State Department for Inter-Ethnic Relations and some of the most important centres and associations for Human Rights and for Minority Issues.
In the frames of the Eastern Partnership Culture Programme, cultural institutions from the Republic of Moldova participated in 4 projects: 1. Say Cheese: Eastern Family Album. Capacity Building, Networking and Promotion of Thematic Eastern Partnership Photography; 2. “Sharing History, Cultural Dialogues”; 3. Sustainable Public Areas for Culture in Eastern Countries (SPACES); 4. Valorisation and Improvement of Management of Small Historic Centres in the Eastern Partnership Region (VIVA EAST). Also, on 17 April 2013, in the frames of the Eastern Partnership Culture Programme, the Regional Monitoring and Capacity Building Unit (RMCBU) in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova, organised the round table “Strategies for culture development: a national approach”. It also involved a number of training activities, which included experts from the cultural sphere from 6 countries – members of the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaidjan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), and experts from the RMCBU and international experts.
The European Commission, Directorate General for Culture and Education, commonly with the Ministry of Culture and Monuments Protection of Georgia, organised the first Ministerial Conference on the Eastern Partnership for Culture from 27-29 June 2013 in Tbilisi. The Conference had the objective of exploring how the cultural sphere can contribute to achieving sustainable development in the following fields: a) political reforms, democratisation, civil society development; b) economic development and creation of jobs; and c) social cohesion. Conference participants approved a Declaration in which are stipulated priority fields for cultural cooperation in the frames of the Eastern Partnership.
In the frames of the 4th Platform of the Eastern Partnership “Inter-human Contacts”, the Republic of Moldova proposed the following collaboration priorities for the next 3 years: cultural cooperation and exchanges, art and artists mobility; cooperation in the field of protection and preserving cultural heritage; cooperation in the field of informatisation of the cultural sphere and digitisation of cultural heritage; cooperation in the field of development of cultural industries; cooperation in the frames of the international platforms such as UNESCO and the Council of Europe, with regard to developing cultural diversity, and preserving and valuing cultural and historic heritage.
Among the projects supported financially by the European Commission there is also the Pilot Project “Rehabilitation of cultural heritage in the historical centres”.
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