Culture and Development - Action and Impact Project

A CLOSER PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRACY AND SHARED PROSPERITY IN THE SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN:

THE ROLE OF CULTURE

The major pro-democracy events that have recently occurred in several southern Mediterranean countries have forcefully demonstrated the significant potential of youth mobilisation in the fight for greater freedom and justice, as well as the decisive role that cultural operators can play in processes of change. During the revolution in Egypt, for example, independent artists and cultural professionals played an important role in Tahrir Square. When freedom of expression was restricted, these cultural activists continued to speak out.

The events in these countries reflect a process of profound change with lasting consequences not only for the people of the region but also for the European Union and the rest of the world. The EU made a clear and strategic choice to support this call for democracy and the rule of law, as these are its founding and inalienable principles. The EU is therefore supporting all its southern neighbours by establishing a “partnership for democracy and shared prosperity” focused on the people and not just on their governments. The current challenge is also to ensure that people realise that freedom of communication and information as well as access to culture are essential pillars for the region’s social and economic development.

The Mediterranean Basin has always been a symbol of the coexistence of cultures and traditions. Protecting and promoting cultural diversity is important for the EU. It is therefore determined to further develop cooperation and initiatives in this respect, in order to strengthen social integration and cohesion. Certain regional programmes, such as Euromed Audiovisual, Euromed Heritage and even the actions of the Anna Lindh Foundation, already clearly reflect the aspirations and joint efforts in this area since the beginning of the Euromed partnership.

The EU is in a position to listen to all those involved in change in order to understand their various expectations, closely support future beneficiaries and suggest new responses. Its approach involves identifying the most appropriate actions to be carried out on the ground, and not imposing ready-made formulas, but taking into account democratic values, rule of law and respect for human rights as fundamental conditions of this new partnership.

This publication highlights projects which show that, when you invest in protecting heritage, cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue on the ground, you can expect to measure the effects on the people and regions concerned in terms of human development, governance, democracy, and inclusive and shared growth.

A PROACTIVE POLICY

The political will of increasing the dynamism of the development process so as to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), as expressed by the Heads of State and of government at their meeting in New York (¹⁾ in September 2010, has taken shape through the adoption of a final document (²⁾ which reaffirms the importance of culture and its contribution to the development process and to the efforts made in order to achieve the MDGs.

“Para. 16: We acknowledge the diversity of the world and recognize that all cultures and civilizations contribute to the enrichment of humankind. We emphasize the importance of culture for development and its contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals”

“Para. 66: We consider that the cultural dimension is important for development. We encourage international cooperation in the cultural field, aimed at achieving development objectives”.

The New York resolution reiterates the final declaration of the Johannesburg (³⁾ summit in September 2002 which had already recognised culture as the fourth pillar of sustainable development and the fundamental role which it has to play in the development of society and humankind.

Similarly, the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which entered into force in March 2007, highlights the dual nature of culture as a value in its own right and as a tool for economic progress, whilst preserving its unique character which means that it may not be considered in the same manner as any other good, and formalises the decision taken by the international community of creating an environment propitious to the development of cultural and creative expressions and activities.

More recently, the April 2009 Brussels Declaration (4), adopted by artists and cultural operators (participating in the international seminar entitled Culture and creation, factors of development), reinforces the role and the potential of culture as a driver for development. This declaration calls for increased commitment from civil society, governments and the international community in this direction.

These political commitments must be backed up today by a pro-active and convergent strategy which genuinely integrates the cultural dimension in international cooperation policy as well as in national programmes. All too often, culture remains on the sidelines of the development process.

In recent years, governments, international organisations and institutions involved in promoting ties between culture and development have initiated a series of awareness raising and communication initiatives, including commissioning studies on the economic value of different strands of the cultural sector and impact studies of projects conducted within this same sector.

In keeping with this strategy, the compilation of projects presented in this brochure, although not exhaustive, illustrates the contribution and positive impact of culture in the development process, notably in terms of improving living conditions and the quality of life of beneficiaries, initiating dialogue and preventing conflicts.

STRATEGIC CONVERGENCE

Culture is a key element in the economic, social and human development of a community. It is essential to understand its identity-related, political and socio-economic dimensions, in addition to its role as a driver for innovation and creativity, expression and development of society.

// Identity

Culture is the basis for the identity of a society. It is defined by UNESCO as “the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, basic human rights, value systems, traditions and beliefs”.

// Suitability and effectiveness of aid

When reinforced and promoted both at individual and community level, culture can contribute to personal satisfaction, to the acceptance and promotion of diversity, to a better organisation of society and to sustainable and inclusive socio-economic growth. This reinforcement depends on populations having access to multiple forms of cultural expression, their capacity to preserve their distinctive cultural features (heritage and traditions) as well as their receptiveness to creativity, innovation and change. Furthermore, any development project should incorporate a cultural dimension in order to be suitable for the local context. A cooperation programme can only expect to achieve the desired results in terms of effective and sustainable development if its cultural dimension is duly considered and internalised.

// Sustainable and inclusive economic growth

The whole series of activities related to creation, the promotion of heritage, the reproduction and distribution of cultural goods, services, shows and events, represent an important source of employment, revenue creation and added-value, and constitute a major driver for economic and social dynamism.

// Importance of culture as a driver for citizenship and good governance

History has shown that the fermenting agents which will help to ensure a society's development are to be found within its cultural dynamic. The manifestation of deep-rooted features and projections of society through artistic creation and cultural expressions raise the awareness of this society to its own shortcomings, consolidate citizenship and pave the way for change. Good governance of a country and its democratic commitment are intrinsically linked to this process.

FROM TRAGEDY TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW FUTURE: THE CASE OF HAITI

As it tried to recover from the tragedy which so severely affected the country in January 2010, the Haitian government, with the support of the international community, attempted to define an all-encompassing, convergent and transversal policy, which also aimed to make culture and communication into pillars of a new social and economic development plan for the country.

The Support Programme for the Strengthening of Culture and Art for Social and Economic Development (ARCADES), supported by the European Commission, and the creation of the International Coordination Committee for protecting Haitian Cultural Heritage (ICC) with UNESCO are two tools available to the Haitian government so as to bolster its action in this area.

AN OPERATIONAL STRATEGY

Culture constitutes a crucial factor in development in various ways:

• Through the role it plays in promoting peace and tolerance, managing conflicts, constructing citizenship and improving governance.
• Through its role in preserving the cultural diversity and richness of peoples.
• Via the direct and indirect contribution of cultural sectors to economic activities.
• Through its role as a source of creativity and innovation.
• Through its potential to promote and integrate vulnerable categories of the population, as well as underprivileged areas and regions.
• Through considering the cultural dimension with a view to improving the efficiency, impact, suitability and sustainability of policies and programmes in other sectors, such as healthcare, education, communication, governance, urban development, environment, international trade, etc.

The projects outlined in this brochure have all made a significant contribution to the socio-economic development of the beneficiaries and communities concerned. One section of the brochure focuses on some “promising projects” in terms of their potential impact, but which are still at an early stage in their development. The type of project, the goals and the results achieved have taken various forms:

• Preventing conflicts.
• Tolerance and intercultural and intercommunity dialogue.
• Good governance and strengthening citizenship.
• Respecting human rights and democratic values.
• The emergence of an active and responsible civil society.
• Social inclusion.
• Economic growth at local and national level.
• Bolstering exports and trade.
• Employment creation.
• The promotion and protection of heritage and tourism development.
• Social cohesion.
• The emergence of income-generating activities for underprivileged populations through the promotion of craft industries and cultural tourism.
• The creation and distribution of new technologies.
• Training, professionalisation and validation of traditional expertise of cultural operators.

The results achieved by these projects illustrate the potential of culture as a driver of development and the role it has to play in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The projects outlined reinforce the belief that concrete measures should be taken to follow up the conclusions resulting from the Gerona Meeting in May 2010 (5), particularly with reference to:

• The development of a strategy for integrating culture into the development policies of the European Commission and its Member States.
• The establishment of a framework for the coordination and distribution of work for the implementation of support programmes for the cultural sectors.
• Stepping up efforts in the coordination of cooperation activities undertaken by international organisations and other extra-European stakeholders.

These conclusions are more than simple belief or necessity; they constitute a genuine plan of action for the European Union and all its partners.

THE STRUCTURE

This brochure consists of three parts:

Part 1 presents approximately thirty projects in a variety of cultural areas, funded by European and international cooperation in favour of developing countries. They illustrate good practices, in terms of impact on the development of the communities concerned, in addition to the multiple forms and dimensions which culture can take in the development process of different regions of the world.

Part 2 focuses on several recently developed promising projects, which are concerned with an innovative dimension of culture as a driver for development, opening up interesting paths for the future.

Part 3 comprises a brief overview of projects undertaken in EU Member States, illustrating the role of culture as a driver for economic and social development at local and regional level. This overview shows how funding from internal Community instruments, open to all sectors, such as structural funds or the European Social Fund, have been invested in projects related to culture.

The examples presented form a “corpus of experiences” demonstrating the relationship between culture and development, and their analysis has enabled the drafting of a summary in terms of lessons learnt, which is presented by way of a conclusion to this publication. 

(1) United Nations General Assembly, 65th session.

(2) “Outcome document” of the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session, 17 September 2010.

(3) World Summit on Sustainable Development, September 2002.

(4) “Culture and creativity, factors of development” conference, April 2009; www.culture-dev.eu.

(5) The Spanish Presidency of the European Union and the European Commission organised an international seminar on the theme of “Culture and Development”, which was held in Gerona, Spain, on 4 and 5 May 2010. This followed on from the 2009 conference in Brussels and was used to launch a European action programme with a view to the MDG Summit in New York.