CC4WBs Open Calls are launched!
UNESCO, the British Council, and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) have joined forces in managing Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans (CC4WBs), a programme funded by the European Union, aimed at fostering intercultural dialogue and enhancing the socio-economic impact of the cultural and creative sector in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia).
Through a broad participatory approach targeting public authorities, the private sector, civil society organizations in culture, as well as individual professionals in the sector, the CC4WBs programme aims to:
(1) improve the performance of the cultural and creative sector in the Western Balkans
(2) strengthen the cultural cooperation within and with the region, and
(3) enhance inclusive cultural heritage for local development.
The programme planning stage kicked off in April 2022, with a view to organising different programme strands that will be taking place until April 2026.
The ultimate beneficiaries of the CC4WBs programme will be citizens of the Western Balkans, who will have various opportunities to apply for professional development and capacity-building activities, as well as grant funding within specific thematic windows.
The Western Balkans share a rich and diverse cultural heritage and represent a vibrant stage for all creative industry professionals. Regional cooperation and co-creation require incentives and support, but they are well underway.
The region’s unquestionable potential for further development of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) is represented in its numerous cultural festivals and events, some of which have been running for decades, but also by novel organisations and initiatives that have been burgeoning over the past years.
With its surplus of talent and ambitious sectoral drivers of growth, the cultural and creative industries represent a major developmental opportunity for the Western Balkans.
Upcoming Participation Opportunities
Grant-funding and capacity-building opportunities within the CC4WBs programme are organised around the following four thematic windows:
(1) Improved local cultural spaces through improved public-private partnerships;
(2) artists, media professionals and cultural operators mobilised, connected and enabled to promote the diversity of cultural expressions in and from the Western Balkans;
(3) regional networking, cooperating and promotion for enhanced cultural production and access;
(4) protecting and leveraging cultural heritage for sustainable development.
Open calls for proposals will be published at various stages of programme implementation, during which applicants (organisations and individuals) will be invited to submit their proposals and applications related to the above listed areas.
Updates related to upcoming project activities will be regularly posted on all programme partners’ web pages and social media channels.
Latest News
To stay up to date on all CC4WBs activities and upcoming opportunities, this section will be regularly updated with the latest information and useful links.