Uruguay: Strengthening Cultural Industries and improving access to the cultural goods and services of Uruguay

 

Though Uruguay has recovered from the severe economic crisis of 2002 and has enjoyed sustained economic growth, it still suffers from inequalities, social exclusion and marginalization, leaving vulnerable populations - many of them women, children and adolescents -- without access to goods, services and basic rights. This Joint Programme aimed at improving access to cultural goods and services, promoting cultural expressions and developing cultural industries in order to boost the country's economic integration, expand its domestic market, attract quality jobs, promote the participation of women, and strengthen social cohesion.

The programme contributed to the achievement of the MDGs in general, and goals 1, 3 and 8 in particular: eradicating poverty and hunger, promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and developing a global association for development.

The programme was designed and implemented within the main political guidelines of the National Government for the development of a Productive Uruguay and had a direct impact on the four national priorities, as defined under the UNDAF, namely:

  1. Sustained and sustainable growth of the Uruguayan economy;
  2. Poverty reduction;
  3. The reduction of inequality and the promotion of human rights; and
  4. Strengthening democracy while increasing civil, political and social citizenship.

Main achievements included: 

  • Establishment of associations for the publishing and the music industries, and professionalization of cultural sector companies, with an emphasis on export markets.
  • Creation and consolidation of Culture Centers, conceived as training centers for the development of cultural enterprises to strengthen the country's human and productive capital. The target population was adults of both sexes, although most participants were were low-income women, with poor employment opportunities who were seeking to learn a trade, strengthen their entrepreneurship and improve their employment options.
  • Establishment of Cultural Factories: these centers were aimed at populations of selected cities who do not have access to musical and audiovisual production services.
  • Artistic education of children and adolescents: workshops targeting primary and secondary schools located in urban or rural locations offered training in a variety of artistic forms.
  • Promoting access to cultural goods for vulnerable groups, including prison populations, psychiatric hospital patients and homeless populations. Offering access to cultural rights creates a space for entertainment, learning and capacity building to improve these users' quality of life and facilitate future social integration.
 
 
Click for more detailed results from the Joint Programme in Uruguay (in Spanish).
 
 

The Joint Programme in action

JOINT PROGRAMME QUICK FACTS

Programme Dates 02 Oct 2009 - 02 Jan 2013
Net funded amount $3,318,829
Participating UN agencies UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNIDO, UN Women
National partners Dirección Nacional de Cultura, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura (DNC-MEC), Dirección Nacional de Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas – Ministerio de Industria, Energía y Minería (DINAPYME – MIEM), Oficina de Planeamiento y Presupuesto (OPP)
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