The EU-funded Drama, Diversity and Development project has organised three advocacy initiatives in Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia. During these events, DDD’s team shared the results achieved by the project both on the local and regional levels, in collaboration with the sub-grantees in each countries. In addition, DDD took this opportunity to meet with decision makers in these countries as the events hosted aim also to advocate in favour of the role of culture for positive social change in these regions.

The first event took place in Lebanon on the 15 February. The second, held in Palestine on 22 February, saw the participation of representatives from Minority Rights Group, Civic Forum Institute, the EU Delegation, Ashtar Theatre, and Prime Minister’s Office. The discussion focused on the issue of the Jordan Valley in a step towards addressing the challenges of their reality and putting in place the needed mechanisms to bring sustainable development in the Jordan Valley Area. 
 
The third and last event was held in Tunisia on 24 February. It featured discussions and roundtables on the role of street art for positive social change, and concluded with two short performances offered by Fanni Raghman Anni and Art Solution and the screening of a documentary about Stambeli produced by Art solution.

Drama, Diversity and Development is the first grant project in culture funded under the regional programme “Media and Culture for Development in the Southern Mediterranean Region Programme”. DDD then sub-grants to smaller projects, towards its aim of promoting diversity and challenging discrimination against minorities through theatre.

Media and culture for development in the Southern Mediterranean has been allocated a total budget of €17 million over a four-year period, of which €9 million is for the award of grants on a co-financing basis, and €8 million for one capacity-development mechanism on media (MedMedia) and one capacity development mechanism on culture (MedCulture). Specifically, the programme seeks to reinforce the role of media and culture as vectors for democratisation, and economic and social development for societies in the Southern Mediterranean. In the cultural field, it supports activities fostering cultural policy reform and reinforcing the capacity of cultural policy makers, as well as promoting investment and the development of cultural operators’ business capabilities.