There is a growing interest on the Bank’s borrowing member countries for investing in the preservation of their heritage. This is a response to growing concerns about the fate of the Region’s rich cultural heritage in view of the globalization trends.
Material heritage includes significant archeological remains of the great Pre-Columbian cultures and the buildings and public spaces of the colonial cities that are fine examples of the urbanism and architecture of the XVI to XIX Centuries. A number of these sites have received international recognition and are part of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. The pressures of development and the lack of effective protection policies threaten these assets that, if well preserved and fully utilized, can make significant contributions to development. Examples abound. The conservation of archaeological sites will preserve a repository of the countries’ history and cultural memory of great tourist value while the rehabilitation of the historic centers will also recuperate for contemporary use a valuable stock of buildings and infrastructure. Tourists also demand the traditional arts and crafts that are actively traded for the satisfaction of basic needs of local populations. Their preservation and development allows the growth of income generating activities in low-income communities. Traditional festivities and arts (music, dance, and decorative arts) draw growing interest in the international market and represent sources of employment for artists and related tradesmen.
The Bank has approved several operations (loans and technical cooperation) directly aimed at the preservation and development of the heritage. Some projects financed the preservation of the urban heritage (Quito, Montevideo and Brazil) and others incorporated heritage preservation activities as components of large infrastructure investments (Buenos Aires, Bolivia). The Bank is providing technical assistance to several governments for heritage preservation (Bolivia, Santo Domingo, Panama and the countries with Mayan heritage, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and El Salvador).
In assisting borrowing countries in this new area of investment, the Bank is pioneering this field among multilateral development banks. The Bank is pursuing an approach to heritage projects that is new to LAC emphasizing its potential role in fostering socioeconomic development and promoting the involvement of all stakeholders in its use and preservation. Consequently Bank operations include — in addition to the financing of public expenditures in the preservation of monuments and related investments in infrastructure to ensure its proper use — resources to promote public-private partnerships and for involving the local community in the conservation effort. In developing solutions to the issues brought about by this approach to heritage development and preservation, the Bank has benefited from the cooperation provided by some non-borrowing member countries (France, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Norway and Sweden).
Objective
The Seminar will explore the implications of conceptualizing cultural heritage as an asset with significant potential to accelerate the socioeconomic development process and will discuss the challenges posed by the new directions in heritage preservation promoted by the Bank in its lending and technical cooperation activities. Topics to be discussed include the value of heritage as an instrument to promote socioeconomic development and financial and institutional arrangements for fostering preservation with the involvement of all stakeholders, particularly establishing effective public-private partnerships and community involvement.
The Seminar will promote the exchange of experiences between specialists from borrowing and non borrowing member countries in order to draw new ideas and lessons from past experience to foster Bank objectives in promoting sustainable programs for the preservation of the Region’s heritage.
Sponsor
Italian Latin American Institute (IILA) and the Italian Institute for International Trade (ICE).
The Inter American Development Bank acknowledges the collaboration of the Stone Center for Latin American Studies of the University of Tulane, New Orleans in the organization of the Seminar.
