Meeting of Ministers of 108 countries on cultural activities in Corona

A virtual meeting of the culture ministers of the member countries has been organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the current health crisis and its impact on the culture sector in the wake of the global epidemic.

The meeting was held on Wednesday (April 22) evening in Bangladesh time. State Minister for Culture KM Khalid participated on behalf of Bangladesh. He joined the virtual meeting through the online meeting app ‘Zoom’ from the minister’s apartment on Bailey Road in the capital.

In a three-minute speech scheduled by UNESCO, the Minister of State for Culture said that Bangladesh, like the rest of the world, was severely affected by the Corona epidemic. As a result, cultural activities and cultural exchange activities are now completely closed. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already announced various incentive packages to revive the economy of Bangladesh. It includes people from all walks of life, including unemployed, indigent, marginal artists and cultural activists. Our Ministry has also taken various timely initiatives and action plans to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in the culture sector which will help in post-crisis cultural revival.

He said that among the priority mitigation strategies needed to be taken in the field of culture to solve the crisis of Kovid-19 are to assess its impact in the field of culture, to visit all the museums and cultural heritage sites in a virtual manner, to provide one-time grants to indigent and marginal artists. Purchasing original works of art made by artists by both parties Benefits include arranging for good quality recorded programs to be broadcast on different TV channels, preparing programs on digital platforms for broadcasting in various digital media, special allocations for museums and cultural heritage installations, etc.

He added that the steps that need to be taken on a priority basis at the national, regional and international levels to revive cultural activities and revitalize the culture are to provide urgent funding from UNESCO to assess the impact of the sector and provide assistance to at-risk groups. . Organizing events or events in a virtual manner internationally, re-investing and revisiting the culture sector at a higher rate than at any time in the past, reviving the cultural sector by increasing international cooperation through fruitful inter-state dialogue, and providing economic incentives through government and UNESCO assistance packages.

At the same time, the Minister of State wished peace to the departed souls of those who died of the corona virus worldwide and hoped that with the joint efforts of all, we would soon be able to overcome this deadly crisis.

The meeting, held from 1pm to 6pm on Wednesday, Central European Time (5pm to 10pm Bangladesh time on Wednesday), was attended by culture ministers from 108 UNESCO member countries. Miss Doreen Dubois, head of UNESCO’s Executive Office for Culture, conducted the five-hour online meeting.