Project spotlight: Cultural heritage

The Islamic State group’s wanton destruction of the Temple of Bel, which for thousands of years was where religious life revolved in Palmyra, Syria, was an act that UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova called “an intolerable crime against civilization.” Since the disturbing incident occurred, international groups have re-emphasized the importance of cultural preservation as a global development pillar. UNESCO, in particular, reaffirmed its commitment “to go on protecting all that which can be saved.” More than a decade earlier, UNESCO became the first international organization to attempt to stabilize Iraq through the promotion of cultural heritage. In the months following the looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad in 2003, the U.N. agency launched a campaign to protect Iraq’s cultural assets, both physical and social. Indeed, there is an acknowledgement that preservation of cultural heritage isn’t limited to the protection of historic sites alone. This has opened up opportunities for different types of development organizations to get involved, despite the fact that cultural heritage projects are rarely on the radar of most implementing partners. While there are many funders and implementers of cultural heritage projects around the world, Devex examined the landscape to identify a few important cultural projects you should know. Protecting communities in El Salvador Since 1994, the Inter-American Development Bank Cultural Development Program has co-funded projects that center on both the tangible and intangible aspects of heritage preservation in the Latin America and Caribbean region. One of the program activities approved in 2013 involves “reinforcing” the cultural identities of communities living around Tehuacán, an archaeological site in San Vicente, El Salvador. The Asociación Intersectorial para el Desarrollo Económico y el Progreso Social CIDEP, an organization that emerged in the midst of El Salvador’s civil war, is implementing the project. Fostering peaceful coexistence in Cyprus In June 2012, the Costas & Rita Severis Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development signed a two-phase agreement focused on cultural preservation in the small eastern mediterranean island of Cyprus. The first phase involved building the Center for Visual Arts & Research in Nicosia, Cyprus that hosts paintings and artifacts that highlight Cyprus’s shared past with its neighbors. The second phase, which entered the implementation stage in 2013, is the $1.75 million “Sharing History, Art, Research and Education” program, an initiative of the Costas & Rita Severis Foundation, USAID, the Turkish Cypriot University Women’s Association and the NGO Support Center. SHARE aims to promote both Cyprus’s cultural heritage and the peaceful coexistence of Greek and Turkish Cypriots through creative arts. Increasing tourism potential in Haiti A $45 million World Bank project in support of Haiti aims to heighten the appeal of cultural heritage sites to tourists in the country’s northern region, improve the living conditions of Haitians living in these areas, and enhance residents’ capacity to respond to emergencies. The project, which will run until 2020, will support the conservation and management of cultural and natural sites to increase tourist arrivals and improve ways to serve them. The World Bank will also make physical infrastructure investments in the localities adjacent to the sites being restored. Creating job opportunities in Algeria A 34.5 million euro ($38.6 million) EuropeAid action program for Algeria comprises two projects: one to preserve Algeria’s cultural past by providing the necessary methodological tools, equipment and training to protect this heritage (21.5 million euros) and another to support the implementation of Algeria’s transport strategy (13 million euros). Job creation is the common theme behind these two projects. The first phase aims to create employment opportunities for young people through apprenticeships and on-site training, while the second phase aims to professionalize those already employed in the transport sector. Promoting cultural industries in Saint Lucia UNESCO’s International Fund for Cultural Diversity aims to support projects that protect and promote institutional infrastructures that bolster cultural industries in developing countries. The multidonor fund was created under Article 18 of the legally binding 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. In Saint Lucia, an IFCD-funded project was implemented by the Ministry of Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries from March 2014 to March 2015 to develop a national cultural industries map that could inform the policies guiding these industries. The goals of the project include encouraging Saint Lucia’s young creators and cultural entrepreneurs to develop their creative careers and raising awareness about the country’s thriving arts scene. Check out more insights and analysis for global development leaders like you, and sign up as an Executive Member to receive the information you need for your organization to thrive.