Achievement at a glance
By March 2016, SPC and partners are more than three-quarters of the way through the project. To date, SPC and partners have made great strides in achieving project goals and outcomes. SPC has worked together with the ministries responsible for culture in Fiji, Samoa and Solomon Islands to create national strategic frameworks for the development and promotion of the cultural industries, strengthen cultural associations, provide entrepreneurship training and market access opportunities, and increase knowledge of intellectual property.
Challenges faced in implementation
Although SPC and partners have been able to successfully complete project activities, implementation across multiple countries and sector with many partners can be challenging at times. However, implementing a project with national partners means that there is true ownership from the countries and private sector.
Next steps
During the next seven months, SPC and partners will continue to implement the remaining activities in the project while planning for the future. This will include a final evaluation by an external consultant to provide a better understanding of lessons learned and best practices. The evaluation report will be shared with partners. Based on the report and subsequent discussions, SPC will work with regional and national partners to design new interventions where requested.
Measurable outcomes
Beneficaries
Cultural producers in the handcrafts, visual arts, performing arts and fashion fields; Cultural associations and collectives; Public sector partners
Actions
Cultural producers have benefited from enhanced business skills and market access opportunities through the cultural industries entrepreneurship training programme and the trade mission to Artisan Resource @ NYNOW. They have also benefited from increased support from cultural associations and collectives. SPC and partners provided capacity building to strengthen these associations through formal training programmes and mentorship. The public sector benefited by gathering information and consensus from participants at the national workshops and creating clear action plans to move forward the development of the sector. Outcome reports can be downloaded at: http://www.spc.int/hdp/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=286&Itemid=44