On 14 February 2025, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions approved over US$1 million in funding for 12 projects to develop the creative economy worldwide under the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD). Selected from nearly 500 applications submitted, these projects come from the Bahamas, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Serbia, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.

Established by the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the IFCD is a multi-donor fund that aims to foster the emergence of dynamic cultural and creative sectors in developing countries by supporting the development and implementation of cultural policies, capacity building for cultural professionals and entrepreneurs, access to new markets for cultural goods and services, and increased participation in cultural life. From training young women artists in Costa Rica to bolstering copyright governance in Eswatini, the selected projects recognize the importance of laying a strong foundation from which the creative economy can prosper.

The 2025 IFCD beneficiary projects are: 

• Professionalizing the theatre sector in The Bahamas, the Bahamas
• Cultural Innovators: Empowering youth through creativity and entrepreneurship, Costa Rica
• Enhancing cultural management and participation through the Cultural Houses in Manizales, Colombia
• SDGs STARS: Empowering youth street theatre groups for policy reform and sustainable development, Egypt
• Strengthening children’s literature ecosystem in Ethiopia, Ethiopia
• Reinforcing copyrights for Eswatini’s cultural and creative industries, Eswatini
• Promoting gender equality in India’s music industry, India
• AnimHouse, Madagascar
• MADE by HER: Empowering women artists in Mexico, Mexico
• Play it! ­– Strengthening cooperation in the music industry to make a change, Serbia
• Advancing Gender Equity and Professionalization in the East African Live Music Industry, the United Republic of Tanzania
• Strengthening the Arts Business Environment in Zambia, Zambia

Since 2010, the IFCD has invested $12.6 million in 164 projects aimed at strengthening the cultural and creative sectors in 76 countries in the Global South.

"As we mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the 2005 Convention, we are celebrating the remarkable achievements of the IFCD in strengthening the creative economy. We are seeking more support to seize greater opportunities and more accessible cultural expressions for people in all corners of the world." said Toussaint Tiendrebeogo, Secretary of the Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.