AGENDA. MENA Region Economic Context/Challenges. Importance of Cultural Heritage. Responding to Countries Needs and Demands

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1 Leveraging Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Development MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA Hedi Larbi Sector Manager April 16, 2007 AGENDA MENA Region Economic Context/Challenges Importance of Cultural Heritage Responding to Countries Needs and Demands MENA s Cultural Heritage Strategy Framework Example Project Approaches and Impacts MENA CH Partners Key Challenges Moving Forward 1

2 MENA Region Economic Context MENA regional economies are characterized generally by a high dependency on oil, low growth and job creation (!) A regional imperative is to diversify national economies, enhance competitiveness, accelerate growth, and create job opportunities (annual labor force growth:3.4% twice all other developing countries) Tourism has emerged as key driver of economic growth being the main service export of the MENA region (Egypt 27%, Morocco 20%, Tunisia 17%, Jordan 20%, Lebanon 35%) The world tourism trade has expanded fivefold in the past 20 years and is projected to continue growing: Opportunity for MNA tourism sector Why a CH Strategy Framework? MNA has extraordinary highly valuable cultural patrimony of global reach: with vast development potential (sources for jobs, economic value) and urgent need for preservation Countries demand for capacity building and growthenhancing strategy (better management and increased preservation) Operational instrument for future Bank assistance to countries (preserving and managing their cultural assets) 2

3 Importance of Cultural Heritage in the MENA Region Huge Endowment of cultural patrimony of global importance due to layering of sequential civilizations Historical (Pharaonic, Byzantine, Roman, Arab) and religious (MNA cradle of the world s monotheistic religions:jewish, Christian, Muslim) Cultivation and affirmation of cultural identity beyond political boundaries MENA region contains 72 UNESCO Cultural Heritage sites, 35 of which are urban heritage (e.g. medinas) Cultural heritage assets are seen by countries as a key endowment to promote economic growth through diversifying their tourism product and promoting their image and branding as a tourist destination UNESCO World Heritage Sites (MENA Region) 3

4 Kasbah of Algiers, Algeria In short, countries view their cultural heritage endowments as assets that can generate economic and social values. Responding to Country Needs and Demands MENA country governments have called on the World Bank to assist in capacity building in cultural heritage preservation and management, particularly for: Integrating support for heritage preservation into urban and tourism development programs Safeguarding endangered patrimony assets in ways that incorporate them into development strategies and yield economic and social benefits Developing CH policies and management capacity for national cultural resources 4

5 MENA Cultural Heritage Strategy Framework Objective Leverage cultural heritage endowments to promote pro-poor growth and sustainable local development Policy Advice Financing Support Policy and Legal Framework Institutional/ Capacity Building Asset Management Strategies Partnerships/ Foundations Stand-alone CH Projects Integrated Urban/CH Projects Integrated Tourism/CH Projects Donor Aid/ Private Investment Dissemination of the Regional Strategy Sfax, Tunisia The regional strategy brings cultural heritage issues upstream to the CAS level and helps to operationalize them. 5

6 Walled City of Shibam, Yemen Development of country CH management strategies Morocco, Tunisia, Iran, Palestine Integration of CH mgmt at the city level as opportunities arise Sana a, Alexandria, Sfax Financial support for dedicated cultural heritage projects Portfolio of MENA Projects ~US$500 million total project costs ~US$300 million of Bank loans with cultural heritage components since 1997 US$192 million of cultural heritage investment Significant mobilization of donor support Country Project Status FY Ln/Cr/Gt Amount (US$ MM) Total Project Costs (US$ MM) Cultural Heritage Component (US$ MM) JORDAN Tourism Development II closed MOROCCO Fes Medina Rehabilitation closed WBG Bethlehem 2000 closed EGYPT SFD-III closed YEMEN SFD-II closed TUNISIA Cultural Heritage & Urban Development active LEBANON Cultural Heritage & Urban Development active JORDAN Cultural Heritage, Tourism & Urban Dvpt active

7 Investment US$ Millions Bank Lending for Cultural Heritage Initiatives by Region ( ) AFR EAP ECA LCR MNA SAR Source: World Bank website Cultural Heritage in Sustainable Development Example Project Approaches and Impacts (1) Urban development projects support rehabilitation work in city cores to achieve added jobs, improve services and living standards, target inner-city poor, and protect urban heritage assets under threat Morocco (Fes Medina): mobilization of other private and public investment 4 times Bank loan during project implementation; equivalent amount of ongoing support; 50 new boutique hotels opened in the medina area; 6 new tourist circuits; significantly improved access for tourists and residents who are primarily poor West Bank and Gaza (Bethlehem 2000):led to overall restoration of the city in preparation for the millennium celebrations, including public amenities (e.g. 20% increase in water connection coverage, 400 buildings rehabilitated in historic city core) 7

8 Project Approaches and Impacts (2) Tourism sector projects link investments in tourism infrastructure to increased tourism receipts, improved management, linkages between cultural tourism and related enterprises, grassroots community benefits from culture-based tourism, and institutional capacity building Jordan (Wadi Rum):75% increase in visitors and doubling of tourism related employment Jordan (Petra): Improved access to Petra increases visitors by reducing travel time by 1/3 (also benefiting 29 poor local communities) Institutional capacity building for the Petra Region Planning Council results in revised land use codes Environmental protection through declaration of protected areas MENA Cultural Heritage Partners Global: UNESCO, UNDP, Foundations Regional Level Italian Trust Fund Cultural heritage policy notes Project design and preparation studies Country Level France, Italy Japan, US Spain, Sweden Local Level: NGOs, PS Old City of Sana a, Yemen 8

9 Lessons Learned High degree of institutional fragmentation Conflicting policy agendas at the national level and overlapping mandates (ministries of tourism, culture, antiquities, housing, public works, etc.) Central versus local level (distribution of responsibilities, cost and revenue sharing, etc?) Low level of financial support directed to preservation Tendency of government to focus investment on bricks and mortar rather than LED (SMEs, property owners) Need to segment assets into monumental and non-monumental (conservation vs. adaptive reuse) Need for improved impact measurement Often complex projects in design and implementation (labor intensive, local safeguards, stakeholder consensus) Moving Forward Ancient City of Aleppo, Syria Institutions: strengthening inter-ministerial (and local government) cooperation and policy coordination; identifying sustainable financing for the sector; incentives for increased private sector participation Regions: fostering increased cross-border, regional tourism development Hazard Risk Management: developing disaster management plans to minimize losses of cultural heritage assets Cross-sectoral: enhancing local economic development impact through improved linkages to micro-credit and technical support facilities 9

10 Thank You Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia 10