Cultural Assets as a Vehicle for Community Development

1. Cultural Assets as a Vehicle for Community Development ECA’s Cultural Heritage Strategy viewed through a CDD lens Mark Woodward ECSSD, 6/6/2001

2. Sensitivity to Culture Development activities are more likely to be effective if they reflect the interests and values of beneficiaries. Culture as Assets Both built and living culture can be viewed as assets that can be mobilized to promote socioeconomic development. Why? How cultural considerations may be incorporated into our work:

3. Why? Why are Cultural Assets of Importance for Development (and CDD)? Culture, treated as an asset for development, can: • promote new economic activities, e.g., in labor intensive conservation works, tourism, handicrafts, and other cultural industries; • promote social capital formation, giving a sense of pride and belonging to a particular community; • increase social inclusion through community-based assistance, employment opportunities, and urban regeneration; • encourage participation in local level decision making and the accountability of local level institutions.

4. When and How? The key conclusion: a need for selectivity From two perspectives: • Bank processes • Enhancing effectiveness in our countries

5. When and How? Selectivity: from the Perspective of Bank Processes Supporting cultural assets activities makes sense when they can: • have a positive impact on socioeconomic development, • contribute to attaining the objectives of our country strategies, and • be adequately conceived and prepared.

6. When and How? Selectivity: from the Perspective of Enhancing Effectiveness Requires appropriate participatory processes coupled with an adequate demonstration of expected benefits. • We should only engage in cultural assets activities where such benefits can be demonstrated and where participatory processes are feasible.

7. When and How? Main Recommendations: • Cultural assets activities should substantially contribute to socioeconomic development and poverty reduction. • Areas that have particular potential for creating synergies between socioeconomic development and cultural assets include: community-based eco-cultural tourism; crafts development; renewal of historic urban centers; and environmental preservation. • Such activities should be consistent with CAS objectives, specifically requested by the client, and designed to help reduce poverty through strong community-based support.

8. Azerbaijan - Cultural Heritage Project: financing rehabilitation of two palaces and two mausoleums. Macedonia - Community Development and Culture:to finance sub-projects proposed by community groups at cultural heritage sites. When and How? Examples: • Not designed to have a socioeconomic impact (although being addressed supervision). • Without additional effort there would be little or no relationship to tourism, crafts, urban renewal, or environmental preservation. • Strong government commitment, but the linkage to the CAS is tenuous and no community linkages built into project. • Specifically designed to promote socioeconomic development at project sites. • Sub-projects expected to focus on tourism and handicrafts development, as well as site management of cultural sites. • Specifically mentioned in the CAS, high degree of borrower ownership, designed to reduce poverty through community-based support.

9. Cultural heritage can support CDD by: Providing sources of income Promoting social capital formation Increasing social inclusion Encouraging participation CDD can support cultural heritage by: giving communities a stake in the preservation and development of both built and living culture The CDD Linkage