presentation of the first results of the trust fund for cultural heritage

UNESCO OFFICE VENICE – UNESCO REGIONAL BUREAU FOR SCIENCE AND CULTURE IN EUROPE (BRESCE) - Section for Culture

Presentation of the first results of the Trust Fund for Cultural Heritage

in South-Eastern Europe


“Cultural Heritage - a Bridge towards a Shared Future” is an international Initiative coordinated by UNESCO, aimed at strengthening regional cooperation for the protection and promotion of South-East European cultural heritage.

Its conceptual foundations lye in considering the heritage as a shared value: a bridge between cultures and communities, as well as from past, to present and to future times. A bridge over which a constructive cooperation shall be undertaken, in order to foster integration, to support social, cultural and economic development, and to further regional stabilisation.


The political engine of the initiative consists of the annual Ministerial conferences on cultural heritage in SEE. The conferences are intended to build up a shared commitment to the safeguard and promotion of regional cultural heritage. They also serve to set common objectives and guide lines for concrete action, in the form of ministerial joint declarations.

The first Ministerial conference on cultural heritage in SEE, took place in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 19 July 2004, with the participation of the Ministers responsible for culture of the beneficiary countries of the Stability Pact for SEE


The Second Ministerial Conference was held in Venice, Italy, on 24-26 November 2005, hosted by the Italian government, with the collaboration of UNESCO.

The Third Ministerial Conference took place in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on the shores of the beautiful Ohrid lake, on 3-4 November 2006. The conference was hosted by the FYROM government, again with the collaboration of UNESCO.


On 10 September 2007 the government of Croatia, in collaboration with UNESCO, hosted in Zadar, the fourth edition of the annual Ministerial Conference on Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe.


Following up to the conferences' indications, the initiative operates through a wide set of activities coordinated by the Culture Section of the UNESCO Office in Venice – UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (BRESCE), all aimed at enhancing culture and cultural heritage in South-eastern Europe as a fundamental instrument of dialogue, mutual understanding, as well as social and economic development.


The activities realised within the present initiative are coordinated by UNESCO, through the Culture Section of the UNESCO Venice Office – UNESCO Regional Bureau For Science and Culture in Europe (BRESCE), with the aim of ensuring the complementarity of activities, their adherence to common objectives and the coherence of the whole cooperation process.

The main set of activities is based on the Trust Fund for Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe, created at the UNESCO-BRESCE as a follow-up to the first Ministerial Conference (Mostar, 2004). Italy, through the Italian Development Cooperation (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), is the main contributor to the Trust Fund.

Within this framework, activities have been realised or are on-going in the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia.


ALBANIA

Archaeological Map of Albania


ALBANIA

The Archaeological Map will consist first of all in a survey over the present situation of Albanian Archaeological Heritage (assets, conservation status, main dangers, suggestions for future intervention). Secondly, it will represent a valuable instrument for promoting such heritage at the national and international level

Objectives:

- To improve the conservation and the integrated management of Albanian archaeological sites;

- To promote Albania archaeological heritage at both national and international level, with a view to support the development of cultural tourism in the country.


BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA

Traditional Arts and Crafts in Bosnia and Herzegovina


BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA

Creation and publication of a photographic book on traditional arts and crafts in B-H

Objectives:

- - To promote the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with special attention to traditional arts and crafts ;

- To support the respect and preservation of cultural diversity in its various forms of expression, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as throughout the whole region of South-eastern Europe;

- To contribute creating a new image of the country based on the cultural values it harbours, with a view also to support cultural productions and cultural tourism as instruments for a sustainable socio-economic development.


BULGARIA

The Thracian Cosmos: the Sacred Realm of Kings - International exhibition on most recent archaeological findings from ancient Thracian sites in Bulgaria


BULGARIA

Objectives:

- To promote Bulgarian cultural heritage at both national and international level, with specific attention to the Thracian archaeological heritage;

- To support cultural tourism in the country.


FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Treasures of the tangible cultural heritage in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia


FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Realisation of four bilingual publications in Macedonian and in English language on the treasures of the Macedonian tangible cultural heritage

Objectives:

- To raise awareness about the richness and specific character of tangible cultural heritage in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;

- To promote this country’s cultural heritage at both national and international level.


MONTENEGRO

Guide-book on Montenegrin Museums


MONTENEGRO

Realisation, publication and distribution of a guide-book on Montenegrin museums presenting main museums and art collections of the country and including information on their activities, as well as any useful data for visitors

Objectives:

- To raise awareness about museums and art collections in the country and to promote Montenegrin museums at national and international level;

- To support the development of cultural tourism in Montenegro.


ROMANIA

Tourist promotion of Saxon fortified churches in the Transylvania Region


ROMANIA

Objectives:

- To inform about the richness of cultural heritage in the region of Transylvania, with specific attention to the Saxon fortified churches;

- To raise awareness of local and central authorities, as well as of the public in general, about the importance of preserving cultural

heritage;

- To promote cultural tourism in the region;

- To develop skills and capacities of both private and public operators in the management of cultural tourism services.


The definition of activities in Croatia, Moldova and Serbia is also in progress


In addition to the Trust Fund projects, new activities are currently being defined as follow-up to the Ohrid Ministerial Conference, with an aim at further strengthening cultural cooperation on a broader, regional scale.

In this regard, specific attention shall be given at enhancing public communication skills and services of institutions responsible for the management, conservation and promotion of cultural heritage, according to the following objectives:

- to improve bi-directional information flow between relevant institutions and the public;

- to offer better information and promotion for cultural heritage and cultural events in the region: “Communication of heritage”;

- to increase public demand for culture and cultural heritage.


COMMUNICATION OF HERITAGE

“Communication is essential for building a Europe without dividing lines. It promotes the exchange of knowledge about heritage in our region and in

particular our shared responsibility towards its preservation and safeguarding for future generations, providing a sense of stability, continuity and cultural identity”

Opatija Declaration on Communication of Heritage, 1 June 2006


COMMUNICATION OF HERITAGE

Launch of regional training course on public communication in the field of cultural heritage aimed at Ministries of culture of SEE countries

Training activities will have an overall duration of 3 months (October – December 2007), to be provided through e-learning teaching modules and interactive sessions, simply accessible through the internet. Contents, structure and modalities of the course will be presented during a 2-day start-up workshop in Ludbreg (Croatia), at the Croat Restoration Centre, on 24-25 September 2007. The workshop will be organised in collaboration with, and thanks to the support of, the Ministry of Culture of Croatia. Participation in the course is offered free of charge to representatives of ministries of culture of Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, FYROM, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia.


Support to South-eastern European contemporary art

Activities in this area presently consist of two initiatives, representing a follow-up to the Venice Ministerial Conference (2005), during which the Italian Regions Tuscany, Veneto, and Umbria offered their support for enhancing the preservation and promotion of SEE contemporary art.

- The system of contemporary art in Tuscany and Umbria - Visit programme for managers and directors of contemporary art museums of Belgrade, Sarajevo and Skopje;

- FuturoContemporaneo – Seminar on conservation of contemporary art, sponsored by the Veneto Region.


Research and studies Cultural heritage as a tool for human, social and economic development

Aiming to integrate above-mentioned activities with the development of research for a better valorisation of SEE cultural heritage, UNESCO-BRESCE is carrying out a series of studies on the role of cultural heritage in promoting a sustainable human, social and economic development. At present, four reports on cultural tourism respectively on Bulgaria, Moldova , Romania and Serbia have been published.


Thank you for your attention

Palazzo Zorzi - Castello, 493030122 Venice - Italy

presentation of the first results of the trust fund for cultural heritage

Documents

collaboration of unesco

unesco office

venice unesco regional

ministerial conference

regional cooperation

culture section

europe bresce

annual ministerial conferences