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MDGF-1800: Improving Cultural Understanding in Bosnia and Herzegovina

PLEASE NOTE THIS CONCEPT NOTE IS THE ORIGINAL SUBMISSION TO THE FUND. IN MANY CASES INDICATIVE BUDGET AMOUNTS APPROVED BY THE STEERING COMMITTEE ARE CONSIDERABLY LOWER THAN THAT REQUESTED AND INDICATED HERE-IN. FINAL BUDGET AMOUNTS WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE AFTER APPROVAL OF THE FINALIZED DETAILED JOINT PROGRAMME DOCUMENT.
Fri, 2007/06/22 - 11:34am — thomas.vanke@un...
Fri, 2007/06/22 - 11:34am
Mon, 2007/11/12 - 10:03am
thomas.vanke@undp.org
English  (current)

ID: MDGF-1800

Culture and Development
Round 1
(26/04/2007 - 31/12/2009)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
$9,762,608
36 Months
Improving Cultural Understanding in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Attached Documents:

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A. Applicant Information

Europe
  • Lower Middle Income Country
  • High HDI, according to UNDP's 2006 Human Development Report
  • Christine McNab
  • christine.mcnab@undp.org
  • Aris Seferovic
  • aseferovic@undp.ba
  • Armin Sirco
  • UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
  • Senior Portfolio Manager
  • asirco@undp.ba
  • Deborah McWhinney
  • UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund
  • Deputy Representative
  • dmcwhinney@unicef.org
  • UNDP - United Nations Development Programme ($5,664,508)
  • UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund ($2,033,000)
  • UNESCO - United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization ($2,065,100)
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B. Concept Note

The proposed joint programme, Improving Cultural Understanding in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is designed to improve cross-cultural understanding in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and promote the country’s unique multicultural identity. In support of this overall objective, areas of focus will include the policy/legal framework in the cultural and educational sectors, community-based interventions to increase cross-cultural understanding, promotion of the Cultural Industry Sector, and promoting BiH’s unique multicultural identity. Using a participatory approach to guide interventions at policy and municipal levels, the joint programme intends to maximize the economic and social benefits of cultural development and make a contribution to the reconciliation process. The relevant Millennium Development Goals that are being targeted are MDG’s 1, 2, 3, and 8. The agencies involved in the programme are UNDP, UNICEF, and UNESCO.

The 2004 Human Development Report: “Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World” points out that, “If the world is to reach the Millennium Development Goals and ultimately eradicate poverty, it must first successfully confront the challenge of how to build inclusive, culturally diverse societies (HDR 2004, Foreword). This accurately describes one of the key development challenges of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the 1992-1995 war the country has been deeply divided along ethnic fault lines. The BiH Constitution, created as part of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA), gave clear legal status to three constituent nations of people (Muslims/Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs) and defined reduced rights for “Others”, who are minority groups with a recognised presence in the country. While achieving peace, Dayton has contributed to citizens’ primary identification being with their ethnic identity. According to a recent UNDP-commissioned study (2007), 57% of the citizenry identifies itself as, “above all, a Bosniak, Croat, or Serb”, rather than as, “above all, a citizen of BiH”. Culture in the BiH context has been largely interpreted as associated with ethnicity and the resulting cultural fragmentation is an obstacle to progress towards building a tolerant society that is respectful of diversity. The DPA created an environment in which healthy, constructive cross-cultural dialogue is not fostered and BiH’s unique multicultural identity is not promoted. Thus, twelve years after the war, a significant share of the BiH population does not feel a strong affiliation to its own country. Contributing to this disconnected feeling is a level of social trust that is among the lowest in the world, even compared to countries such as Iraq. These worrying findings demonstrate the necessity of a dynamic interpretation of culture that emphasizes unity and commonalities, while acknowledging diversity, as a key asset of BiH. Cultural development must be a key ingredient of nation building, recognizing that the unique coexistence of diverse cultures is a comparative advantage and a source of strength. The Dayton Peace Agreement also entrenched the right to education in one’s own language. Because of its close relation to issues concerning identity and ideology, the education sector is the most politicized social sector in BiH and easily and often falls victim to ethnic and national interest. As a result, BiH is characterized by the phenomenon of divided schools, most visibly symbolized by the “two-schools under one roof” phenomenon where children are segregated based on their ethnicity or nationality in mixed cantons and other areas of BiH. Cultural fragmentation is thus perpetuated and institutionalized in the education system. Both the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska Ministers responsible for cultural development have expressed, in writing, their enthusiasm and full support for the proposed joint programme. They have both pledged to work with each other and with the state-level Ministry of Civil Affairs to ensure proper implementation. The BiH Government’s commitment to cultural development has also been shown through its decision to become a signatory of the “Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions” and the “Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage”. This commitment is also reflected in the BiH Medium-Term Development Strategy (MTDS 2004-7), including its explicitly stated goals of preparing a BiH Strategy on Cultural Policy, the abolishment of the practice of “two schools under one roof”, and to improvements in policies in related fields. However, the translation of these commitments into specific cultural policies and actions to further the agenda takes place at a very slow pace and low intensity. This is mostly due to the complex institutional framework in BiH and the lack of capacities. The project builds on existing efforts by the UNCT BiH in the area of the protection of cultural heritage, inter-ethnic dialogue, tolerance building in education, and human rights-based approaches to programming (including social inclusion). The UN agencies involved in this concept note work constantly to support both upstream and downstream interventions, ensure that processes participatory, and ensure all proposals are grounded in the context of national priorities. The principal local actors include the state-level Ministries of Civil Affairs and Foreign Affairs, Entity Ministries of Culture and of Education, the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of BiH, Cantonal Ministries of Education, Universities, Municipal authorities, NGOs and the media. Other than the UN agencies involved in this proposal, international actors active in this are include the Council of Europe (culture and education), the OSCE and the EC Delegation. Improving cross-cultural understanding and tolerance is a prerequisite for sustainable human development given its contribution to conflict prevention. The war set human development in BiH back decades. Thus, this intervention is generally supportive of work towards the achievements and sustenance of all Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as well as certain individual Goals in specific ways. As articulated in the current UNDAF, the BiH UNCT is supporting the BiH Government’s goal of creating a “strong, multi-ethnic democratic system”. Increasing cross-cultural understanding and tolerance would have a significant, positive effect on the progress toward this goal. In addition, the Joint Programme Outcomes, Outputs, and Activities detailed in Annex A are consistent with either or both of the first two UNDAF Outcomes: (1) Strengthened accountability and responsiveness of Government to pro-active citizens and (2) Improved access to and quality of basic education, health, and social protection services.

In support of the overall programme objective of, “improving cross-cultural understanding in BiH”, this joint programme contains four outcomes that will work in a mutually supportive manner to improve cross-cultural understanding, enhance inter-ethnic tolerance and maximize the economic benefits of cultural development. The proposed initiatives will, in turn, contribute to the achievement of MDGs 1, 2, 3 and 8. The four outcomes have been selected to correspond with the BiH Government’s priority areas. Outcome 1: Cultural policy and legal framework developed and implemented 1.1. Cultural policies provide the framework within which cultural development can progress in a strategic, coordinated manner. It is necessary to instill a sense of domestic ownership during the articulation of the cultural strategy, and this can be best achieved by making the process participatory and engaging a comprehensive group of relevant stakeholders. Given that only two pages in the BiH Government’s Revised MTDS are dedicated to culture, a focus will be placed on assisting governmental representatives to articulate a national cultural strategy. In addition, as education is an important medium for improving inter-ethnic dialogue and understanding, focus will be placed on the implementation of existing pre-school, primary and secondary laws, as well as on the mainstreaming of models of good practice into the policy frameworks. To ensure sustainability of the proposed interventions and to clearly define responsibilities regarding the safekeeping of BiH’s multicultural heritage, support to strengthen the legal framework will also be undertaken. 1.2. A system to monitor and evaluate progress in the creation and implementation of cultural and culturally-sensitive education policies will be initiated. Functional mechanisms required to address necessary changes will be created and successful modalities will be identified and replicated. In areas where BiH governments are not equipped to undertake such activities, capacity building/training will be provided. Outcome 2: Cross-cultural understanding at the community level improved 2.1. Upstream policy development will be complemented by downstream interventions to ensure real change. In turn, lessons from downstream interventions will inform the formulation of policies. This project proposes various municipal-level activities intended to deliver positive cross-cultural messages in the interest of increasing respect, understanding, and tolerance among the citizenry. On the one hand, selected key symbols of cultural heritage will be reconstructed to provide visible milestones of celebrating the importance of cross-cultural understanding. On the other hand, a mechanism will be introduced to catalyse community-based involvement in terms of pro-actively promoting activities that encourage cross-cultural cooperation. 2.2. Data gathered from research conducted on the attitudes and practices of community members with regard to different forms of segregation in education will be used as the basis for the creation of community-based educational interventions. These interventions will address issues of ethnic discrimination, exploitation and segregation within primary and secondary schools in the country. Research on the attitudes of individuals with regard to cultural identity will be used to define communication strategies at the national and community levels. Behaviour change communication is a challenging, but critical developmental intervention, particularly in this highly sensitive area. Outcome 3: Cultural Industry Sector strengthened 3.1 While BiH’s cultural development is a worthwhile end in and of itself, the potential economic and employment benefits of the proposed programme are also of major importance in this proposal given BiH’s level of economic activity that remains consistently below potential, and unemployment rate that remains stubbornly high. In order to maximize the economic benefits of this intervention, a range of complementary activities supporting the production and distribution chains of cultural industries are proposed to increase the employment, profitability, and incomes generated in the Cultural Industry Sector. Outcome 4: BiH’s unique multicultural identity promoted 4.1. Activities using various mass media will be undertaken to encourage public awareness, discourse, and debate about BiH’s identity as a complement to consensus-building carried out through participatory processes. In addition, the capacity of providers of media services to deliver messages in a culturally-sensitive manner will be improved.

The four mutually-supportive outcomes in this joint programme have been designed to build the capacity of different key actors in BiH’s cultural development context, recognizing their specific roles and comparative areas of expertise. Outcome 1 focuses on strengthening the role of the upper echelons of government in agenda-setting and policy development. Outcome 2 aims to build the municipal level service delivery role of the public sector and civil-society. Outcome 3 engages the private sector in its role as a driver of growth and economic inclusion, while Outcome 4 seeks to catalyze the behavioural change that is necessary to sustain progress in the first three areas. Given their complementary mandates and expertise, the three participating agencies of the BiH UNCT are well-positioned to provide technical guidance, facilitation, and implementation support to the proposed joint programme. UNDP and UNICEF both have considerable experience in ensuring that micro-macro linkages between the policy development and implementation levels are improved and that government, civil society, and other stakeholders are well-coordinated in fulfilling their respective roles/functions. Furthermore, UNDP brings considerable experience in the area of democratic governance, has an extensive network of connections throughout the country at the local level, and has a proven and significant delivery capacity. UNICEF will draw on its expertise with regard to cultural development, tolerance and inter-ethnic reconciliation in the education sector to accomplish the stated results. Given its global mandate for cultural development and its strong linkages with BiH’s government institutions, UNESCO will also make a contribution to strengthening activities at the policy development and implementation level by ensuring adherence to international standards and technical excellence (especially with regard to restorations). The three participating UN agencies have productive relationships with myriad local actors. Working in cooperation with one another will help with the programme’s implementation, enable these partners to benefit from capacity building, and will strengthen the relationship bonds between the UN and our national counterparts. Domestic partners will include the state-level Ministries of Civil Affairs and Foreign Affairs, Entity Ministries of Culture and of Education, the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of BiH, Cantonal Ministries of Education, Universities, Municipal authorities, NGOs and the media. Other than the UN agencies involved in this proposal, international actors active in this are include the Council of Europe (culture and education), the OSCE and the EC Delegation. More specifically, in the area of educational policy implementation, UNICEF will continue to work closely with the education department in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, as well as with Entity and Cantonal Ministries of Education. On-going partnerships, dialogue and coordination with the OSCE, EC Delegation and Council of Europe on educational standards and implementation will also continue. Meetings of the inter-governmental Conference of Ministers will continue, with MoCA as the Secretariat, and technical assistance will be provided to influence their proceedings. In the four outcomes this is reflected as follows: Outcome 1: The first of the joint programme’s four focus areas is strengthening of the policy/legal framework. Under the guidance of a programme Steering Committee, which will include representations of a comprehensive set of relevant stakeholders, working groups will be formed to examine both cultural and educational policies/legislation and will be responsible for making recommendations with regard to strengthening the policy and legal framework, as well as the steps required for their implementation. These recommendations will be based on the results of evidence-based analysis in addition to inputs from relevant stakeholders. The goals of these working groups will be: 1) the articulation of a national cultural development strategy and the legal framework required for its implementation and, 2) refinement of the legal and policy framework with regard to inclusive and tolerant education, including implementation mechanisms, and 3) development of a system for monitoring and evaluating policy implementation. The Steering Committee will guide the implementation of the recommended actions. Outcome 2: In the interest of improving cross-cultural understanding at the community level, the project proposes to collaborate with other donors in funding major restorative work on important symbols of BiH’s cultural heritage. UNESCO and UNDP together will be charged with the responsibility of overseeing this set of interventions. Additionally, calls for proposals will be issued annually over the life of the project to support community-based projects that improve cross-cultural understanding, such as further heritage site restorations, hosting art shows, and running art workshops by artists of various cultural backgrounds. Criteria for these calls for proposal will be determined by the Steering Committee, will take into account the dynamic interpretation of culture in the TOR, and will be designed to encourage cross-cultural cooperation. Work in this area will dovetail with existing UNDP activities at the municipal level on strategic planning and social inclusion. As a complement to educational policy development and implementation, inter-ethnic educational activities, such as life skills-based and civic education, will be supported. The issue of culturally-based social exclusion will be addressed by enhancing the quality and inclusive nature of education at the community level. UNICEF’s on-going work with technically specialised NGOs, such as Civitas and Step by Step, will continue, as will the facilitation of coordination and dialogue between NGOs and cantonal/entity ministries. Good practice models from the community level will be documented and vertical communication channels ensured to maximize upstream benefits. UNICEF and UNDP will both undertake analysis of the barriers to cross-cultural tolerance in various communities, and will recommend and implement strategies to reduce them. Outcome 3: The third area of focus is the maximization of the economic and employment benefits of developing the Cultural Industry Sector. Activities planned to achieve this outcome include: (1) financial and business skill capacity-building support for local entrepreneurial artisans, (2) promotion of cultural tourism, especially in the context of maximizing the benefits of the restoration of heritage sites, and (3) offering vocational training to disadvantaged groups and creating short-term employment opportunities for heritage site restorations. The vocational training has a sustainability aspect to it, as it will help these disadvantaged people’s chances at securing gainful employment over the longer term. While UNDP will lead the supervision of the implementation of these activities, UNESCO and UNDP will jointly coordinate economic activities associated with heritage site restorations, such as cultural tourism and vocational training. Outcome 4: In support of the entire joint programme, a mass media promotional campaign will be undertaken to promote BiH’s unique multicultural identity. In addition, capacity building activities will be used to enhance the multi-cultural sensitivity of various media services. UNICEF and UNDP will work jointly on implementing these activities along with the UN Communication Group and local partners, such as the BiH Media Centre and other private communication firms. Sustainability of the proposed interventions will be ensured in various ways. The support for strategic policy and the complementary legal framework will guide initiatives in this area long after the joint programme has run its course. Vocational training to be offered to disadvantaged people will increase these individuals’ opportunities for gainful employment after the short-term employment generation associated with restoration activities finishes. But perhaps the most significant sustainability aspect of the joint programme will be its impact on increasing the understanding and tolerance between people, and especially children, of different cultural backgrounds. This will play a role in conflict prevention, without which human development progress is not possible, as was clearly shown during the recent war.

The following quantitative and qualitative indicators will be used to monitor programme outcomes: Outcome 1: Cultural policy and legal framework developed and implemented ? Built consensus re: BiH’s cultural identity Measurement: Kick-off conference report approved by stakeholders ? National Cultural Strategy developed Measurement: Strategy document approved by stakeholders ? Policies and guidelines for improving access to quality multi-cultural education created – yes/no Measurement: Education policies and guidelines development ? # of educational guidelines for implementation of Laws and Strategies developed Measurement: BiH Gazette and legal review ? # of relevant educational policy recommendations incorporated into Ministry’s plans Measurement: Ministry Plans ? Supported preparation of state law on protection of cultural heritage Measurement: Delivered set of recommendations to government counterparts ? Assisted in ratification and implementation of applicable international conventions Measurement: Final ratification and proof of becoming state party of the Convention ? Built capacity of government agents to undertake monitoring and evaluation of cultural development progress, specifically with respect to the strategic plan Measurement: Number of trainings organized ? # of governments monitoring and documenting improvements in implementation of educational policies on access and quality in education Measurement: Government and CSO reports Outcome 2: Cross-cultural understanding at community level improved ? Restored major symbols of cultural heritage Measurement: Number of restorations ? Supported selected community-based projects Measurement: Number of projects and number of municipalities ? # of schools and communities engaged in development of strategies and approaches to address issues of culturally-based exclusion in education Measurement: Partner progress reports ? # of schools and communities engaged in development of strategies and approaches to address issues of culturally-based exclusion in education with full participation of children and young people Measurement: Partner progress reports ? # of children and adolescents in primary schools actively involved and participating in creation of protective environments in their schools and communities Baseline: Divided schools research Measurement: Records (survey, evaluation and other document) about parent, student and community ? # of recommendations for improved educational inclusion reflected in school plans Measurement: School plans ? Cross-cultural tolerance improved Measurement: Analysis performed, and report with recommended strategies produced ? Cross-cultural tolerance improved Measurement: Number of strategies implemented Outcome 3: BiH’s Cultural Industry Sector strengthened ? Financial support of cultural industry development Measurement: Number of grants/concession loans applied for and distributed ? Basic business skills offered Measurement: Number of training sessions offered ? Generated employment Measurement: Number of short-term jobs directly created ? Promoted cultural tourism Measurement: Number of advertising campaigns Outcome 4: BiH’s unique multicultural identity promoted ? Successful and continual nation-wide media campaign using different fora Measurement: Number of campaigns ? # of communication and information approaches to address issues of culturally-based social exclusion in education with full participation of children and young people developed and implemented Measurement: Partner progress reports ? Improved the multicultural sensitivity of media providers Measurement: Number of workshops/training sessions The highly decentralized and fragmented nature of the political-administrative structure in the country is a risk that will have to be mitigated. UN agency practice of working simultaneously at the highest policy level and the lowest community level has proven effective and will be continued. Given the lack of prioritization given to culture and cultural policies in the country, there is a risk that governmental partners will not have the capacities required to fulfill their mandates in this area. Broad consultation at the earliest stages of project implementation will ensure that priorities are chosen carefully and are achievable. In education, the highly politicized nature of the sector will require considerable sensitivity. Results already achieved in this field will be furthered and will allow for enhanced strategic partnerships and the replication of appropriate models/interventions. Restorative work on key sites may prove overly political. Broad and meaningful stakeholder consultation will be required to mitigate the risks in this area.

1. The UN Country Team in Bosnia and Herzegovina The UN Country Team (UNCT) in Bosnia and Herzegovina includes: FAO, ILO, IMF, IOM, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNICTY, UNOHCHR, UNV, WHO and World Bank. The MDGs, the BiH Government’s Medium Term Development Strategy (equivalent to a PRSP) and the increasingly relevant concept of social inclusion, are guiding principles for UN agencies and are reflected in the three main outcomes of the UN Development Assistance Framework (2005 – 2008, to be extended to 2009). Considerable work has been done in the area of post-conflict reconciliation and social inclusion by the agencies involved in this proposal, particularly at the municipal level. UNDP has been implementing projects to strengthen the rights-based approach to municipal development, include refugees into communities in a meaningful and durable manner and to promote socio-economic development in Srebrenica, among other things. UNICEF has been working consistently on promoting inclusive and intercultural education – both through improvements to the curriculum, as well as through the promotion of life skills for students and anti-bias training for teachers and principals. UNESCO has been engaged in various activities within the context of its mandate that have indirectly contributed to post-conflict reconciliation and the reduction of social exclusion. Aggregate expenditures of the UN agencies included in this proposal - UNDP, UNICEF and UNESCO - were USD 26,170,000 in 2005 and USD 22,330,000 in 2006, which shows significant delivery capacity among these three agencies. 2. Key partners of the Joint Programme The following list of Government partners reflects the highly complex government and administrative system in BiH, as well as the breadth of the four inter-related outcome areas in this programme. Legislative and policy change will necessarily take place with state-level national partners such as the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Commission to Preserve National Monuments. As all implementation of policies and legislation takes place at the Entity, Cantonal and Municipal levels, partnerships will be strengthened with the Entity and Cantonal Ministries of Education and Culture. All of the community-based interventions will take place in priority Municipalities (as defined by the Steering Committee). Partnerships with the private sector, the media, academia and selected NGOs will also be sought. 3. Proposed Coordination and Governance arrangements The UNCT will ensure that the implementation of culture and development projects will be done in a coordinated manner and monitored by broad range of stakeholders through the establishment of a programme Steering Committee. This Steering Committee will be crucial to ensuring local ownership and participatory decision-making. The Committee will include representatives from governments, non-governmental organizations, relevant multilateral or bilateral agencies, academic institutions, media and, potentially, private businesses.

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C. MDG-Related Indicators

  • Goal 0: Millennium Declaration: an enabling environment (human rights, democracy and good governance)
  • Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
  • Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
  • Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
  • Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
  • 2. Poverty gap ratio [incidence x depth of poverty]
  • 6. Net enrolment ratio in primary education
  • 7. Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach grade 5
  • 45. Unemployment rate of young people aged 15-24 years, each sex and total
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D. Formulation Advance

Yes
$20,000
UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
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E. Resident Coordinator's Undertakings

  • The Concept Note has been reviewed by the national government and the UN Country Team.
  • If approved by the MDG-F Steering Committee, the UN Participating Organizations undertake to submit a draft Joint Programme Document within eight weeks of notification.
  • All UN Participating Organizations have or will sign the global Memorandum of Understanding with the Multi-Donor Trust Fund Office.