ON CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT

Culture must be recognized as comprising the heritage of values, knowledge and skills upon which identities are based, and as embodying the creative visions and energies that empower people to enrich and renew those identities through interaction with other cultures, with a view to consolidating both peace and development.

In consonance with its mission, UNESCO will focus over the next six years on three closely interrelated strategic objectives elaborated below: the drafting and implemention of standard-setting instruments in the cultural field in which UNESCO has an important comparative advantage, particularly as regards the protection of cultural heritage; the protection of cultural diversity and the encouragement of pluralism and dialogue between cultures and civilizations; enhancing the linkages between culture and development through capacity- building and sharing of knowledge with a view to strengthening the Organization's contribution to the follow-up to the Stockholm Conference on Cultural Policies for Development, in particular through evidence-based policy advice to its Member States in a limited number of field.

Cultural heritage is a key component of identities and is rapidly becoming a key factor for both economic growth and social cohesion. It plays an increasing important role in providing young people in particular with a sense of who they are , where they have come from and what their lives mean. Heritage buildings, locations and sites, artworks and artifacts, as well as languages, customs, communal practices and traditional skills articulate identity and meaning at local, national and regional levels. The notion of cultural heritage itself has become more inclusive to encompass cultural landscape, living cultural traditions, and symbolic and spiritual values.

The 1972 Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, with 690 cultural and heritage sites inscribed in the World Heritage List, continues to be a unique tool for the protection of natural and cultural diversity.

A new emphasis on the conservation principles underlying the Convention will be facilitated by an in-depth revision of the Operational Guidelines for its implementation, a consolidation of technical cooperation projects and renewed partnership and outreach efforts. One of the key aspects will be the integration of heritage conservation strategies into regional and urban planning as well as sustainable development strategies (including eco-cultural tourism) and the recognition of traditional management regimes. In its heritage conservation effort, UNESCO will also concentrate on regions of armed conflict and on conditions of resource exploitation, particularly through mining.

Intangible cultural heritage encompasses complex, broad and diverse forms of living heritage in constant evolution. In that context, UNESCO will encourage nominations for the programme of "Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage" and stimulate use of the Guidelines for the Establishment of a Living Human Treasures System. All of this will feed into the preparatory work for a normative instrument which is intended to improve the Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore and create a new conceptual and legal framework emphasizing the important of intangible cultural heritage. UNESCO will pursue its efforts to protect and enhance contemporary creativity by striving to enhance the status, living and working conditions of the artist in the framework of the Recommendation concerning the status of the Artist and of the Recommendation of the World Congress on the status of the Artist (1997) as well as reinforcing its action in field of copyrights and neighbouring rights in close collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Protecting cultural diversity, on the basis of Our Creative Diversity , the report of the World Commission of Culture and Development, and the Action Plan of the Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies for Development (Stockholm, 1998), UNESCO will pursue its effort to advocate the crucial role of culture in national and international strategies. Both documents recommend in particular the elaboration of cultural policies aimed at the promotion of cultural diversity for a sustainable pluralism and human development.

The protection and safeguarding of cultural heritage is of the essence for protecting cultural diversity. UNESCO will continue to provide policy advice and technical know-how for the preservation of the sites which are not on the World Heritage List.

To that end, UNESCO will support creators and transmitters of culture and focus on strengthening local and traditional knowledge systems and their transmissions mechanism to the young, especially by old people and women.

The development dimension will occupy an important place in UNESCO's heritage conservations activities. Conservation work can contribute to poverty alleviation through the creation of livelihood opportunities and jobs as well as the generation of income.

Encouraging pluralism

Contributing to the building of multicultural societies which respect the principle of pluralism will be another challenge for UNESCO. Pluralism is at the core of a democratic and dynamic society and indispensable for harmonious interaction between cultures and people thriving on dialogue, debate, tolerance and mutual respect for the other, irrespective of their origins and, gender, race or creed.

Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity

Conceived as flexible partnership between the private and public sector and the civil society, the global alliance is aimed at promoting and depending cultural diversity, focusing on the development and circulation of cultural goods on a global scale. Companies, associations, and institutions adhering to the alliance will be invited to support actively actions aiming at opening market spaces for endogenous cultural goods produced in developing countries, investing in start-up industries in developing countries, transferring professional know-how pertinent to the cultural sector and participating in training activities.