Abstract
ABSTRACT The importance of cultural heritage as an enabler of sustainable development is widely acknowledged. However, its role has remained marginalised in past and current international development agendas. This paper provides an original interdisciplinary study interrogating the potential of harnessing cultural heritage (both tangible and intangible) for sustainable development. It also reflects on how international policies and narratives on cultural heritage for development have been implemented on the ground. In particular, it critically examines the contribution of cultural heritage to worldwide developmental issues, with an approach that traverses the three sustainable development dimensions. It investigates how cultural heritage has been used to tackle global challenges, such as poverty alleviation in marginalised groups (economic dimension); gender equality and the empowerment of women (social dimension); and environmental sustainability (environmental dimension). The analysis focuses on three heritage for development projects funded through the ‘Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund’, jointly implemented by UNESCO in partnership with other United Nations organisations and local partners in the Middle East and North Africa between 2008 and 2013. The article sheds light on multifaceted aspects of cultural heritage for sustainable development by discussing key achievements and common pitfalls.
Highlights
This interdisciplinary and innovative study aims to explore whether and how cultural heritage – in its tangible and intangible dimensions – contributes to sustainable development
Does using cultural heritage for sustainable development work? What are the key achievements and common pitfalls? This paper will provide a better understanding of how cultural heritage has been used as an enabler for sustainable development in the past, highlight key issues, and discuss how it can be better mobilised in future international development practices building on local heritage
This paper has provided a critical reflection on how cultural heritage was mobilised to foster sustainable development by three Joint Programmes (JPs) implemented in Middle East and NorthAfrican (MENA) countries, identifying key achievements and common pitfalls
Summary
This interdisciplinary and innovative study aims to explore whether and how cultural heritage – in its tangible and intangible dimensions – contributes to sustainable development. In 2015, a concrete policy was adopted by UNESCO (2015b) to integrate a sustainable development perspective into the processes of the World Heritage (WH) Convention, and to increase the contribution of heritage towards wider social, environmental, and economic challenges, thereby fostering peace and security in line with the UN development agenda (Larsen and Logan 2018, 5). Notable exceptions include Galla (2012), UNESCO (2018), Giliberto (2020), British Council (2020), and Labadi et al (2021), which provide a collection of practical and cross-disciplinary case studies demonstrating the importance of heritage for sustainable development and the SDGs in a variety of contexts These publications tend to adopt a rather positive approach by advocating for a greater recognition of the importance of culture and heritage for sustainable development. Framed around the holistic and comprehensive approach expressed in the UNESCO 2015 Policy on WH and sustainable development, this paper will shed light on multifaceted aspects of cultural heritage for sustainable development, using an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach, cutting across the broader sustainable development dimensions (economic, social, and environmental)
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