The project "Arab Culture and Arts Network" (Akan) has won the United Nations Awards for Projects from the "World Summit on the Information Society," ranking among the top five in the category of cultural diversity, identity, linguistic diversity, and local content, under the slogan "Bridging Communication Across Continents." The event was organized by the "Tiro" Association for Arts. The award was presented to Qassem Istanbul, the founder of the Lebanese National Theatre and an actor and director, during the ceremony for the Champions of the World Summit for the Information Society Awards 2024, held at the headquarters of the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva, Switzerland, in the presence of the Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union and representatives from Lebanon's permanent mission in Geneva.
A statement from the "Tiro" Association noted that the "Arab Culture and Arts Network" (Akan) was established during the COVID-19 pandemic, initiated by cultural activists aiming to connect individuals and cultural institutions to open pathways for exchange of events, festivals, experiences, and practices in art and culture in Lebanon, the Arab region, and globally amid current crises. The network works to find solutions for cultural communities to network and cooperate, support creativity, encourage exchanges and grants for creative works, improve policies supporting culture and the arts, and activate the role of art and culture in changing societies through free expression.
It was also mentioned that the "Arab Culture and Arts Network" (Akan) previously won the Intercultural Achievement Award in Vienna, granted by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria. The network was chosen from among 1,300 projects from 87 countries in 2022 and received an award in the category of cultural diversity, identity, linguistic diversity, and local content, competing alongside projects from Rwanda, Bangladesh, India, and Australia in the World Summit on the Information Society Awards for 2021.
