Today, Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht announced the establishment of a new Taskforce for the recovery of the Arts and Culture sector under the Chair of Clare Duignan.
The Programme for Government: Our Shared Future, includes a commitment to “establish a cross-departmental taskforce to develop a clear approach, informed by the views of all stakeholders, to protect and sustain the arts and culture sector through the COVID-19 recovery and beyond. This will be fed into the National Economic Plan.” While the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus have had an unprecedented effect on society and on the economy, the impact on the arts and culture sector has been more detrimental and will undoubtedly last longer than that of any other sector.
In line with the National Development Plan’s 2030 vision, our intention as a Department is to build a cohesive society in which everyone has access to sport, arts and culture resources, facilities and opportunities.
Whilst COVID-19 has robbed our industry of gaining fruitful employment, this challenge has further inspired us to ensure that our mandate becomes even more pronounced.
The latest easing of COVID-19 restrictions by the Victorian Government means increased community access – subject to stringent conditions – to a number of Nillumbik Shire Council facilities and services, in the coming days and weeks.
In total, five new ministerial-led taskforces have been set up to develop blueprints for how and when closed businesses and venues can reopen safely, following publication of the UK government’s National Covid-19 Recovery Strategy to help rebuild Britain.
Ms. Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
Ms. Nina Obuljen Koržinek, Minister of Culture of Croatia – Presidency of the EU
Ministers of Culture of EU Member States and EEA countries
For a joint and proportionate approach to reopening venues and events to audiences
Open_letter_EU_on_reopening_cult_activities_with_audience_13May2020
Leaders highlighted the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgent need for harmonized regulation to support the African private sector, especially SME’s, digitize their businesses, to be able to trade and compete in the ‘Post COVID-19 Contactless Economy’, where ‘Trade and Customs Distancing’ will be the new normal. The African private sectors’ AfricaPLC Industrial eTrade Platform initiative, supported by: Ai, DHL, ICC, Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS), Standard Bank, the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) Continental Business Network (CBN), ABSA and Trade Development Bank, was welcomed as a critical African eTrade and Finance enabler.
In an open letter to the continent’s political leaders, prominent figures from the world of African business explain why a full-blown postponement of AfCFTA would be a mistake and how some aspects can be rescheduled. Africa needs AfCFTA both to beat Covid-19 and to speed up post-Covid economic recovery, they say.
The Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative adopted yesterday – once approved by Council – will free up a total of 37 billion EUR to help efforts to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and the social and economic ramifications of the essential public health measures that have been put in place. This is welcome news, if only the beginning of the response. The cultural and creative sectors across Europe have been ravaged by the impact of stringent public health measures, with concerts cancelled, theatres, museums and cinemas closed, and film and television production halted.
Statement by the Culture 2030 Goal campaign #Culture2030Goal #CultureCovid19
With the world faced with the COVID-19 pandemic today and the need to rebuild our societies tomorrow, culture should be at the heart of the response. Culture brings inspiration, comfort and hope into people’s lives. To harness this potential, the Culture 2030 Goal movement, in the context of its engagement in the United Nations 2030 Agenda, calls on UN agencies, governments and all other stakeholders to act. Read More
Download PDF (Culture2030Goal Declaration Culture and Covid19)
This plea has been written by IETM and co-signed by Circostrada, European Theatre Convention (ETC), IN SITU, European Dancehouse Network (EDN) and European Festivals Association (EFA).
Since the outbreak of the corona-pandemic, an enormous part of the global population – people of various backgrounds, ages, values and social conditions – have been facing an abrupt suspension of regular life. Live encounters are regulated and limited. Some people are experiencing unexpected financial difficulties, others are suffering from health-related issues and anxieties. All these, combined with a great uncertainty about the future, is creating an enormous social distress, which will leave an indelible mark on our societies. Read More
Download PDF (Rescue The Arts Plea to National Governments)
Exhibitions and performances are being cancelled, venues closed, gigs postponed, part-time jobs in cultural institutions or in the catering trade are gone: the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are a threat to the livelihood of thousands of artists in Berlin from all artistic fields. Nobody pays them a fixed salary and hardly any artist has the financial means to survive even a few weeks without income.
Download PDF (Emergency_Aid_Fund)
HEVA Fund instituted measures responding to the crisis, including; closure of HQ, remote working for staffers, cost waivers & moratorium on payments for clients, and an exploration of information on impact on the creative sector in Kenya.
Download PDF (COVID19_HEVA_CreativeSectorResponse)
Dear Mr Johnson
We need you to act immediately to legally enforce the temporary closure of Grassroots Music Venues. If you do not act to do so, your government will be responsible for the permanent closure and loss of hundreds of these vital and vibrant parts of our communities in every corner of the United Kingdom.
COVID-19 has significantly impacted arts and culture programming, having implications on mobility, access to public spaces, funding and the flow of cultural goods and services. In various jurisdictions globally, there has been the formulation and implementation of measured responses (mostly by governance structures in the global north) to these disturbances, with a call to tech and creative sectors to join in these concerted efforts, particularly in developing and strengthening digital resilience initiatives for cultural and creative industries ecosystems; to achieve a balanced flow of cultural goods and services in the absence of physical mobility.
Download PDF (COVID-19 BYO CCI Public Statement)
Since the outbreak of the corona-pandemic, an enormous part of the global population – people of various backgrounds, ages, values and social conditions – have been facing an abrupt suspension of regular life. Live encounters are regulated and limited. Some people are experiencing unexpected financial difficulties, others are suffering from health-related issues and anxieties. All these, combined with a great uncertainty about the future, is creating an enormous social distress, which will leave an indelible mark on our societies.