THEMATIC BRIEFING NOTE ON THE EXTERNAL COOPERATION PROJECTS IN THE FIELD OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

HERITAGE AND ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

  • Introduction

The term "cultural heritage" refers to a wide range of material and intellectual evidence representative for a community and its evolution through time. From the objects, the actions and the know-how of everyday life to the planning or the forming of spirituality, heritage illustrates the creative interaction between the man and its natural and social environment. Formerly limited to the most prestigious remains of the material culture (large religious, military or civilian complex), heritage saw its borders gradually extended to the most original and vernacular productions, and this happened at a global level.

According to its current meaning, heritage is divided into two main categories. The «tangible» heritage includes a wide range of shapes and situations, from the archaeological sites, the different types of architectural heritage – the monumental sites as well as the countless expressions of traditional architecture - the cities and the historical urban settlements, the cultural landscapes, to museums and collections of objects. The "intangible" heritage brings together realities which, until recently, were not sufficiently valued in the eyes of the international community, such as the traditions, the knowledge, the know-how, the beliefs and the rituals that belong to the imagination and creativity of a community and that are directly involved in the construction of its identity.

The two dimensions are, however, closely linked and cannot be considered separately. The tangible heritage only finds its full meaning in relation to the values and skills from which it originated, while the intangible heritage is often embodied in the production of objects - for example craft or ritual objects - that are its "tangible" counterpart.

Memory of the communities that have produced it, identity carrier - sometimes at the risk of dividing instead of assembling when this dimension is narrowly diverted - the heritage reflects the humanity’s  richness and cultural diversity. It represents a resource that is, on one hand, long-lasting since it defies time but, on the other hand, extremely fragile. Besides the natural factors that constantly threaten its physical integrity, we must also consider the risks and constraints related to the continuously evolving societies. Faced with the challenges posed by modernity, the heritage must be documented, protected, preserved, used and promoted according to the cultural and humanistic values that it stands for, ensuring, at the same time, the respect for its authenticity.

However, saved and recovered by and for the society, heritage can also be - when integrated into a coherent development strategy - a significant resource for the communities’ socio-economic development, a true engine for the local growth and sustainable development and an essential condition for a balanced human development.

This observation, backed by many successful experiences in all the ACP countries, is relatively recent. Until recently, the mobilization of the international community around the poverty reduction goals focused almost exclusively on the establishment of basic services - infrastructure and energy - as well as on the financing of the traditional social sectors, such as health and education. Culture and heritage were rarely taken into account in the cooperation projects given that they were seen as areas of secondary importance, or even a "negative priority".

Since then, the global awareness on the importance of culture, resulting from a society in which the material growth has not brought the expected development, and through the efforts of many international organizations and NGOs, has singularly changed the situation. Already recognized as the fourth pillar of sustainable development in the final declaration of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002), culture is promoted for its double dimension, both as a carrier of meaning and values for the individual and the community and as a factor of economic progress under the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, adopted by UNESCO in 2005. Its importance and its contribution to the development and accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals were emphasized and formalized once again in the final declaration of the Heads of State Summit who met in New York during the 65th session of the UN General Assembly, held in September 2010.

Cultural heritage has directly benefited from the gradual recognition of culture as a factor of development. It is now considered as an area likely to strengthen the social cohesion and to generate significant economic benefits, as demonstrated by the statistics related to the restoration and rehabilitation activities and to the unprecedented development of cultural tourism.

The European Union has also taken into account this development, by including culture and heritage among the cooperation policy areas included in the Cotonou Agreement, signed in 2000. The EU has recently deepened the debate on the role of culture in the development policies over several meetings, including the international conference entitled "Culture and creativity, factors of development" held in Brussels in April 2009 and the International Seminar "Culture and Development" held in Girona in May 2010. Finally, the issue of cultural heritage as a factor for social and economic development has recently been thoroughly discussed during a seminar held in Porto-Novo, Benin in February 2011. In parallel, many projects in the field of archaeological and architectural heritage, museums and crafts have been supported in recent years thanks to the EDF funds or through thematic cooperation programmes (such as "Investing in People") or regional programmes (" Euromed Heritage "). The same trend can be noticed in the case of the national agencies for development cooperation, which carry out concrete actions that support the cultural creativity or the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage.

Despite these certainly positive developments, a lot remains to be done in order for the cultural heritage to occupy the place it deserves in the development aid policies. Many ACP countries, yet rich in relics of the past and in living traditions, still have to include heritage among their priorities, or lack a clear strategy that would allow them to better combine heritage safeguard with socio-economic benefits.

It is also about promoting a responsible approach, on one hand aware of the many cultural and social issues but also of the risks related to the safeguarding of cultural heritage, its transmission and its promotion. On the other hand, the projects, far from a backward looking and rigid vision, must open up to innovation and creativity, by encouraging a better integration of heritage within the society. The involvement of the people, who are the beneficiaries of the cooperation measures, a constant dialogue with the authorities in charge of heritage, sine qua non conditions for a project’s success and for the sustainability of its results, should also form the basis of any action in this area.

Finally, a better coordination between the donors and the other stakeholders (international organizations, NGOs ...) belonging to the cooperation domain would avoid the risk of the efforts’ duplication and dispersion, while increasing the action’s efficiency and visibility on the field.

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