L A H O R E : Beaconhouse National University (BNU) is going to launch a project aimed at improving data collection for policymaking in the cultural and creative sectors.

The project, `Improving Data Collection among National and Provincial Statistical Agencies, secured funding under the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD`s) 13th call, outshining 610 global proposals to become one of the 11 funded initiatives, says a BNU press release.

BNU faculty members, Dr Izza Aftab and Mr Zaeem Yaqoob Khan, will co-lead the project.

The project`s objectives include establishing locally relevant definitions for `culture, `creative trades,` and `cultural goods` in Pakistan.

The press release says this will be followed by an extensive mapping exercise to determine how these sectors canthrive in the current market conditions.

The ultimate goal is to create a framework enabling cultural and creative sectors to estimate local GDP contributions accurately, it adds.

It says this initiative seeks to empower Pakistan and its public agencies to address vital questions concerning the impact of these sectors on GDP and employment.

Pakistan currently lacks a unified policylevel definition for culture, creative trades, and cultural goods, hindering comprehensive data collection and evidence-based policy-making in these domains.

IFCD, a key Unesco Convention instrument, aims to bolster cultural sectors in developing countries that are signatories to the 2005 Convention.

This initiative aligns with the UN`s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and promotes gender equality through South-South and North-South cooperation.