The Artists in Development Programme (AiD) was inspired by the 1995 report of the UN/UNESCO World Commission on Culture and Development, Our Creative Diversity, of which the Norwegian government was an active supporter. Following the release of this landmark report, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) was keen to find practical ways to implement its spirit, and the Artists in Development programme grew out of the desire to augment the role of artistic expression in the development process.

	Music industries workshop - Brazil 2003 © IMZ

The programme was launched in 1999 with the Artists in Development Creativity Workshops (AiD I), which ran over a five-year period. This first phase consisted of a series of ten workshops in diverse artistic disciplines held across all regions of the world. These workshops aimed to boost the skills and creativity of talented young practitioners, particularly as regards their interface with the international market, and thus foster individual professional growth and income-generating capacities.

From the success of these workshops it emerged that the experience needed to be continued but that it was necessary to focus on generating more long-term institutional effects. The idea of the second phase, “Capacity-building for Cultural Enterprises in Developing Countries” (AiD II), was born out of the final evaluation meeting of AiD I. This phase was launched in 2004 and is designed to strengthen cultural enterprises, helping them attain financial self-sustainability so that they can ensure a decent living for cultural operators. For a list of initiatives participating in AiD II, click here.

Both phases of the programme are generously funded by the Norwegian government.