Biennial sectoral priority 2: Advocating the inclusion of culture and intercultural dialogue in development policies to foster a culture of peace and non-violence

04064     The second biennial priority will focus on demonstrating the cultural dimension of development and fostering international cooperation in the cultural field, aimed at achieving development goals. The accent will be on developing operational projects as the basis for evidence-based policy-making and programming.

04065     In a departure from previous practice, the two MLAs under this priority will feed into all other MLAs under Major Programme IV and seek to consolidate synergies between the different parts of the sector, at Headquarters and in the field, and between thematic programmes, initiatives and normative instruments, in order to contribute to the achievement of the overarching objectives of the 34 C/4.

Main line of action 5: Promoting the role of culture in development at global, regional and national levels

04066     UNESCO will capitalize on the results of its advocacy work undertaken at the international level during 2010-2011 to gain acknowledgement of the importance of culture to the achievement of the MDGs and, more generally, development, as set out in the outcome document of the High-Level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (New York, September 2010) and United Nations General Assembly resolution 65/166 adopted on 20 December 2010. It will continue its advocacy work in order to broaden strategic institutional and operational partnerships and to strengthen the participation and commitment of development actors, especially donor countries, development banks, international and non-governmental organizations, the private sector and civil society. Efforts to ensure that culture forms part of an integrated United Nations system approach to development, as a “missing link” in the development equation as determined by the MDGs, will be pursued.

04067     Such advocacy, coupled with standard-setting action under Major Programme IV, operational cultural projects conducive to sustainable development, activities linked to intercultural dialogue, peace and international partnerships, will be pursued in order to consolidate worldwide commitment to the important ties between culture and development at the Rio+20 Summit in 2012 and other relevant international fora.

04068     At the country level, action will be continued in order to include culture in United Nations common country programming exercises, notably UNDAFs, and to formulate a strategy for analysing and sharing information on cultural entry-points in UNDAFs that already include culture. An approach that promotes cultural diversity, gender equality and human rights will be encouraged, in particular in the context of “Delivering as One”. Similarly, the implementation of the 18 joint programmes approved under the MDG Achievement Fund will be completed and action initiated in 2011 to capitalize on joint programme outcomes will be continued. For that purpose, a knowledge management database attesting to the contribution of culture to the MDGs and to development will be compiled.

04069     Activities will also be designed to continue efforts undertaken to increase statistical knowledge and improve the measurement of potentialities in the field of culture in order to demonstrate their impact on economic development and strengthen the role of culture in Member States’ development policies. Furthermore, this exercise should lead to the identification of economic and cultural indicators, to the development of tools for strengthening cultural entrepreneurship and South-South and South-South-North cooperation, and to the integration of cultural indicators into the United Nations monitoring and evaluation of development and, above all, into UNDP’s forthcoming human development reports.

04070     UNESCO will continue its work to create an environment conducive to the emergence of cultural and creative industries and their impact on the economic development of developing countries in cultural and artistic fields in which UNESCO’s expertise has been acknowledged. This relates to books and translation, in particular through the World Book Capital and Index Translationum activities, and to crafts through the Award of Excellence and the Design 21 programme. A third Forum on Culture and Cultural Industries will be organized, financed through extrabudgetary resources.

04071     Initiatives to promote sustainable development in cities, in a world context of growing urbanization, will further explore the challenges relating to the preservation of the heritage under MLA 1 to the ecological and social balance of embedded urban communities, and to the fostering of cities as vanguards of creativity, innovation and technology so as to increase their contribution to sustainable development. To this end, the Creative Cities Network will be further developed to better capitalize on cities as major partners in achieving results.

04072     The new Global Partnership for Museums project will mobilize major scientific and technical stakeholders and development partners in order to promote and strengthen the role of museums as social, educational and economic actors, particularly in Africa and in the least developed countries. The goal will be to build their capacities in the fields of (i) heritage safeguarding, (ii) raising awareness of cultural diversity, and (iii) economic entrepreneurship in local crafts, cultural industries and cultural tourism. The project will draw on successful experiments and on quantitative and qualitative studies in formulating projects with educational and multiplier effects.

04073     Finally, guided by the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, joint action with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues, governments and sister agencies will be strengthened in order to reinforce the integration of indigenous peoples’ rights and issues in common country programming. Efforts to prevent and combat gender inequality and gender-based violence through intercultural dialogue will be strengthened in partnerships with indigenous women’s associations.

04074     In line with the decisions of the General Conference to transfer a total of 1.5 million dollars from MLAs 5 and 6 to MLAs 2 and 4, many of the activities foreseen under BSP 2 will depend entirely on extrabudgetary resources. These are clearly indicated in the text under the related Benchmarks

Main line of action 6: Promoting intercultural dialogue, social cohesion and a culture of peace and non-violence

04075     Action will focus on initiatives arising from the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, 2010, on the strategic cooperation with the Alliance of Civilizations (AoC), and on tourism as a vector for mutual understanding and social cohesion, as well as on existing programmes, such as the Creative Cities (MLA 5); World Heritage in Young Hands (MLA 1), the Arabia Plan and projects highlighting the role of living cultures and artistic expressions in fostering social cohesion (MLA 4).

04076     Social cohesion projects with emphasis on the role of living cultures and artistic expressions, such as DREAM Centres, will be implemented, including in post-conflict or post-disaster countries. Incentive measures relating to the role of art education as conducive to social cohesion, and a factor of sustainable development, will likewise be taken, in conjunction with Major Programme I. Operational projects under the World Heritage in Young Hands programme will enhance young people’s role in contributing to dialogue and regional integration through their personal involvement in heritage conservation.

04077     In order to illustrate intercultural dialogue in action more effectively and in a historical perspective, the Slave Route: Resistance, Liberty, Heritage and the General and Regional Histories projects will be reoriented towards a multidisciplinary and intersectoral approach, designed to combat historically inherited prejudice and stereotypes and to promote mutual understanding, in particular through the development of research, the preservation of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage and the production of teaching and information materials. These programmes will seek specifically to contribute to reflection on the construction of new identities and forms of citizenship and to a culture of peace through the promotion of shared heritage derived from cultural interaction and from the instances of confrontation and domination that have marked human history and collective memory. Efforts will be made to take the particular role played by women in the history of the various regions and in resistance to slavery better into account.

04078     A new initiative, Heritage and Dialogue, will seek to develop new approaches to complex issues through the creation of subregional working groups on heritage management, conservation and promotion. Covering World Heritage, intangible cultural heritage, cultural industries, museums and cultural institutions, the expert groups will exchange information and experiences on heritage policies and management; promote conservation and management of heritage in the region; promote understanding of the significance of heritage for the different communities involved; address issues that may arise from practices of heritage; promote joint initiatives for the nomination, conservation, management and promotion of heritage in the region; and promote training and capacity-building and exchanges between professionals. The working groups will be composed of technical experts designated by each Member State involved in the process. They will have a permanent character and will meet periodically to address specific issues, facilitated by UNESCO.

04079     Certain activities foreseen under this MLA will be implemented as part of Major Programme IV’s contribution to the intersectoral platform for the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence. They will include partnerships with women’s and youth associations involved in intercultural dialogue, in view of their key role in conflict resolution, reconciliation and peace building.

04080     Finally, Major Programme IV will actively contribute to the intersectoral programme “Rabindranath Tagore, Pablo Neruda and Aimé Césaire for a Reconciled Universal”, promoting a fresh look at contemporary challenges through the universal message of these three authors.