Partnership for Culture

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::: GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR CULTURE :::

The Global Partnership for Culture builds on the work of the Funders Task Force on Culture and Development, an informal network of bilateral and multilateral agencies, banks and foundations committed to enhancing the role of culture in international development cooperation that was established at a meeting in 2012 at the European Investment Bank.

The Partnership reframes the work of the Task Force, going beyond the culture and development paradigm to address the implementation challenges of the 2030 Development Agenda through the cross-cutting lens of culture. This relates particularly to the overarching issues of sustainability and peace, while also adressing certain targets of SDGs 11 and 16 directly.

An ad-hoc steering committee made up of representatives of UNFPA and the African Union Commission provided guidance during the initial design phase of the Partnership (2016/7).

Bringing together diverse perspectives to help the culture agenda gain the necessary scale and capacity for impact, the Partnership, whose Secretariat is currently hosted by the Arts Investment Forum, functions as a multi-stakeholder knowledge-building and cooperation platform for organizations who work to advance peace and sustainable development through culture.

"We pledge to foster inter-cultural understanding, tolerance, mutual respect and an ethic of global citizenship and shared responsibility. We acknowledge the natural and cultural diversity of the world and recognize that all cultures and civilizations can contribute to, and are crucial enablers of, sustainable development."

Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

International Cultural Relations News Digest

::: International Cultural Relations Council :::

Work under this focus area brings together organizations active in international cultural relations in practice, theory and research to contribute to a better understanding of the world's different cultures and the different cultural values underlying and shaping thought and action in the international relations arena. Its objectives are to:

- create a neutral meeting space to connect individual cultural relations actors in face-to-face meetings and thereby help to build trust and maintain open channels of communication

- follow trends and developments in cultural investment, political priorities underlying geographic and thematic key areas of international cultural cooperation, and methods of engagement, outreach and information / media campaigns

- act as a central, virtual knowledge-hub for current multidisciplinary thought and research on the role of culture in international relations, peace and security

::: RECENT :::

Roundtable Discussion on "Communicating Cultural Values in Today's Public Diplomacy Landscape"

The Hague, Netherlands, 17 February 2017

Hosted by the International Institute of Social Studies, The Hague

Countries represented in the meeting: United States, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Iran, Turkey, Japan, Russia, Brazil, The Netherlands

Topics: ICR in practice, communicating cultural values, communication challenges and opportunities

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FOCUS AREA

FOCUS AREA

::: Protection of Cultural Heritage :::

Work under this focus area is aimed at organizations that provide financial support and/or technical assistance for protecting built, moveable - and in some cases also intangible - cultural heritage at risk from natural or man-made disasters. Its main aim is to improve coordination among these global donors and supporters to address critical gaps and avoid duplication, thereby contributing to the sustainable protection of cultural heritage resources in partnership with local communities.

::: RECENT :::

Scoping Survey on international donor coherence in the field of cultural heritage protection

Participating organizations: World Monuments Fund, UK Cultural Protection Fund, Prince Claus Fund, AECID, Smithsonian Institution, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JICA, African World Heritage Fund, Aga Khan Trust for Culture

SURVEY REPLIES: EXCERPTS

“...we don't know who is doing what and where. It's not a matter of funding gap but information gap.”

“While recognizing that each government has its own political interests in mind when providing cultural heritage funds, at times this seems to leave large gaps in programming and capacity building.”

“In our experience there is a lot of duplication of the same efforts and this results in limiting the coverage of the efforts. Each organisation’s priorities seem to emanate from outside rather than the actual needs on the ground. Coordination will allow sharing of resources and ensuring better coverage rather than all efforts being put on the same issues by different groups.”

“Many areas of donor involvement could benefit from stronger international coordination. One area which could be further explored is a joint monitoring process where funders agree monitoring priorities and share the cost of monitoring complex and high-risk projects.”

“Governments are active in supporting heritage conservation internationally, but generally work only through their own nationals and development agencies. Governmental organizations managing heritage tend to be siloed. There are few opportunities to share experience on an international level, and modes of multi-agency cooperation have not been worked out or become standard operating practice.”

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Vol 37 (2) 2017

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