Culture et développement

Strengthening creative industries and protecting natural and cultural heritage have proved to be effective instruments of economic development. Our work has harnessed the potential of the creative sector for job creation, economic growth and poverty reduction and supported efforts to promote the inclusion of minorities in social, political and cultural life. We have worked extensively with indigenous communities to safeguard their cultural heritage and to build health and education services that respond to their worldviews.

 

Our 18 programmes in this area focused on cultural rights, social inclusion and increasing the cultural heritage and tourism potential of countries, with the aim of reducing poverty, increasing employment and improving socio-economic opportunities for marginalized segments of the population. Our work particularly emphasized women's participation, and we worked with indigenous and ethnic groups and governments to increase cross-cultural understanding within countries. 

 

In Cambodia, training women in the crafts sector not only increased their income, it also enhanced their role in the household and the community, which in turn lowered the incidence of gender-based violence and boosted women's ability to manage family budgets and discuss taboo subjects. In Senegal, the programme's work helped include two cultural sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List, and fishermen in the Saloum Delta tripled their monthly catches and vastly increased their income using better resource management techniques. By using culturally-sensitive approaches in maternal and child health services for ethnic minorities in China, the programme increased hospital delivery rates by a third and regular prenatal care coverage by 21%.

 

These efforts contribute to the MDG goal of halving by 2015 the proportion of people whose income is less than $1.25 a day, and to all the other MDGs relating to women's empowerment, health, education and environmental sustainability.