In 2025, the Baalbeck International Festival, in partnership with UNESCO, launched the project “Empowering women in inclusive cultural and creative industries in Baalbeck Festival”, an initiative designed to strengthen the participation of women and girls in Lebanon’s cultural and creative industries while contributing to the preservation and promotion of the country’s cultural heritage.
Implemented between May and September 2025, the project sought to create meaningful opportunities and structured educational experiences for women to participate directly in the planning, production, and artistic life of one of Lebanon’s most prestigious cultural events. Through hands-on experience, mentoring, artistic creation, and professional development, participants were equipped with the competencies needed to pursue sustained careers in the cultural sector.
The project brought together a diverse group of partners, artists, educators, cultural practitioners, universities, and community organizations, deliberately building institutional connections between the educational and cultural sectors. Women participated in festival production and management, costume design and realization for the Festival’s production of Carmen, visual arts workshops, and public exhibitions. These activities demonstrated the important contribution women can make across all dimensions of cultural production, including areas where they have traditionally been underrepresented. This collaboration reflected a core conviction: that education has an important role in shaping a more gender-equitable cultural sector.
Beyond its immediate activities, the project provided an opportunity to reflect on the structural barriers that continue to limit women’s participation in the cultural sector. While women are increasingly present as artists, creators, and cultural professionals, they remain underrepresented in technical, managerial, and decision-making positions. The experience of this project confirmed the importance of creating pathways that support women’s leadership, visibility, and professional advancement, while fostering more inclusive cultural institutions and practices.
The lessons learned throughout the implementation of the project led to the development of this Gender-Responsive Strategic Framework for Culture Management. The Framework is intended as a practical roadmap for the Baalbeck International Festival and for other cultural institutions seeking to integrate gender equality into their governance, programming, production processes, partnerships, and community engagement. It translates the experience gained through the UNESCO-supported initiative into a long-term vision for inclusive cultural development.
Grounded in the principles of equity, participation, representation, accountability, cultural diversity, and sustainable development, the Framework recognizes culture as a powerful vehicle for social cohesion, resilience, and opportunity. It aligns local action with the broader objectives of UNESCO and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4 (Quality Education), Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
The Baalbeck International Festival hopes that this Framework will serve not only as a guide for its future work, but also as a resource for cultural organizations, educational institutions, public authorities, and civil society actors committed to building a more inclusive and equitable cultural sector in Lebanon and beyond.
This document is therefore both the culmination of a successful collaboration between UNESCO and the Baalbeck International Festival and the starting point for a sustained commitment to gender-responsive cultural management, women’s empowerment, and cultural participation for future generations.
