From the Summary of the report

Safemuse celebrated its 10th anniversary of creating important safe havens for persecuted artists in May 2023 (…) Safemuse consistently delivers very good results, and that they more than deliver on their main goal of creating safe work opportunities for persecuted artists.

The routines for announcements, process for selecting guest artists and preparation of the artists’ stay before arrival work very well and are experienced by the guest artists as transparent. The secretariat is not only described as efficient and competent, but also deeply personally committed. With their own experience as artists, they bring a unique understanding of the guest artists into the dialogue and create trust among both the guest artists and the collaboration partners. In addition, Safemuse actively uses its broad networks within the art and cultural scene to provide the artists with arenas and contacts that stimulate the artistic development of the guest artists. The close follow-up before, during and after the residencies, together with the activation of relevant networks, is highlighted as Safemuse’s most important success criteria and places the organization in a class of its own, also internationally.

Safemuse delivers very well on its strategic goals (…) The biggest challenge for Safemuse is UDI’s processing of visa applications for guest artists from countries outside Europe where UDI sees a risk that the return requirement will not be met. This practice violates Norway’s obligations under the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity (2005), and the secretariat is forced to spend a disproportionate amount of time on follow-up and political work to change this practice.