Events and Activities

Executive Committee Retreat on Culture

TSD - Culture Gender and Human Rights Branch in collaboration with the Learning and Career Management Branch organised an Executive Committee Retreat on Culture. This one-day workshop was held at UNFPA Headquarters on November 2, 2005 with 14 members of the Executive Committee participating.

The Retreat focused on the following objectives:

• Discussing the importance of socio-cultural factors in development work;
  
• Introducing culturally sensitive programming approaches and the Culture Lens as a programming tool;
  
• Reviewing the work of the Culture Project in the period of August 2002 - December 2005;
  
• Making recommendations on the way forward for the UNFPA Cultural Initiative.
  

The Executive Committee members were introduced to the importance of socio-cultural factors in development work in order for them to discuss the importance of the evolving role of culture in development as well as the added-value of cultural sensitivity in promoting human rights and gender equality.

They were also introduced to Culturally Sensitive Approaches and the "Culture Lens" and its application as a programming tool. The Culture Advisor also presented the progress of UNFPA work on the Cultural Initiative, discussing the various achievements of the past few years.

Through various group activities, the members of the Executive Committee made individual commitments on taking the UNFPA cultural initiative forward. Each member focused on the outputs of his/her division that could contribute to the Culture Initiative in UNFPA for 2006, as well commitments to ensure implementing these outputs.