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MDGF-1805: Albania’s Cultural Transformation: From Isolation to Participation

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.
Ven, 2007/06/22 - 12:38pm — entela.lako@undp.org
Ven, 2007/06/22 - 2:11pm
Lun, 2007/11/12 - 10:02am
entela.lako@undp.org
English  (current)

ID: MDGF-1805

Culture and Development
Round 1
(26/04/2007 - 31/12/2009)
Albania
$4,979,915
24 Mois
Albania’s Cultural Transformation: From Isolation to Participation

Attached Documents:

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A. Informations relatives au candidat

Europe
  • Pays à revenu intermédiaire inférieur
  • Moyen Indicateur de développement humain du pays, d'après le Rapport mondial sur le développement humain 2006 du PNUD
  • Gulden Turkoz-Cosslett
  • gulden.turkoz-cosslett@undp.org
  • Entela Lako
  • entela.lako@undp.org
  • Entela Lako
  • UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
  • Programme Analyst
  • entela.lako@undp.org
  • Siniša Šešum
  • UNESCO - Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’éducation, la science et la culture
  • Programme / Project Officer
  • s.sesum@unesco.org
  • UNDP - United Nations Development Programme ($2,993,995)
  • UNESCO - Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’éducation, la science et la culture ($1,985,920)
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B. Note Conceptuelle

The proposed joint programme is designed to strengthen the capacities of Albania in the fields of culture and development and to articulate Albania’s cultural identity and heritage to the promotion of the country’s image abroad. Achieving the goal will represent an important contribution to Albania’s national priority of accession to the European Union. Interventions will include provision of policy support, improvement of capacities in the field of the protection, promotion and management of cultural assets, safeguarding of the most valuable cultural heritage monuments and sites, and strengthening the cultural industries sector for socio-economic development and achievement of the MDGs. The programme will utilise a participatory approach at the policy, state and local intervention levels. The relevant Millennium Development Goals that are being targeted in Albania are MDG’s 0, 1, 7 and 8. The agencies involved in the programme are UNDP and UNESCO.

Albania has been described as the last secret of Europe. Albania is almost unknown internationally, and its rich and diverse cultural heritage is undervalued within the country, much of it suppressed or neglected during the long years of isolation. The reality is very different: two current, and three potential, UNESCO World Heritage Sites are complemented by extremely valuable intangible cultural heritage, such as iso-polyphonic singing traditions, distinctive textile designs, and exemplary inter-faith cultural relations. Mosques, Muslim quarters, Orthodox and Catholic Churches, convents, Bektashi Teke, Byzantine walls, Roman and other ancient vestiges all testify to the meeting of different peoples and civilizations, and a history of peaceable co-existence over nearly three millennia. The proposed project seeks to capitalize on this distinctive history of cultural liberties, tolerance, and acceptance to further promote an accurate and positive image to the world. As it moves towards accession to the European Union, it is important that Albania utilizes its cultural heritage to project a more positive image of the country abroad than that projected by its recent tumultuous transition to democracy. Affirmation of identity is considered a key component of Albania’s transformation from dictatorship to democracy, from isolation to participation. As a first step, Government and civil society need support to rediscover Albania’s cultural and historical identity, and to take action to better protect, manage and promote its national patrimony. The 2004 Human Development Report: “Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World” points out that, “Human development requires more than health, education, a decent standard of living and political freedom. People’s cultural identities must be recognized and accommodated by the state, and people must be free to express these identities without being discriminated against in other aspects of their lives. In short: cultural liberty is a human right and an important aspect of human development—and thus worthy of state action and attention.” (HDR 2004, Overview.) Changing Albania’s image in the world will serve to meet Millennium Development Goals, impacting all levels of Albanian society. As the image of Albania returns to a more stable and positive one, foreign investment is likely to increase and Albania’s diverse heritage can be exploited for social-economic development by articulating it to the demands of the international tourism market. This programme has been designed in response to national priorities, as articulated in the new Government strategies on culture and tourism development. In these strategies, Albania’s image is articulated as one of the key challenges for preserving cultural heritage and developing culture-based tourism. Interventions proposed in this programme will directly support Government strategy formulation and implementation, based on previous and ongoing cooperation activities, such as UNDP’s support to the “Strategy and Action Plan for the Development of Tourism Based on Cultural and Environmental Tourism” (December 2005) and UNESCO’s report on “Cultural Patrimony in South-Eastern Europe: Albania” (No. 3: May 2004). The joint programme will also supplement current interventions being undertaken by both agencies in Albania, such as UNDP’s Support to Eco and Cultural Tourism Development Programme (April 2006-April 2009), UNESCO’s Center for Restoration of Monuments in Tirana (June 2005-November 2009), and other innovative initiatives related to the further safeguarding and promotion of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Albania. The proposed programme directly supports the first UNDAF Outcome for Albania, a transparent and accountable government, developing and implementing effective national policies. The programme also includes activities that will indirectly support the other three outcomes for Albania: an enabling environment is in place to ensure people’s participation in policy formulation and the national decision making process; increased use of quality public services delivered in an efficient, transparent, accountable and equitable manner, and regional and local development strategies implemented with full participation of communities. Programme formulation has benefited from a strong consultative process with the Spanish Embassy in Tirana, and is fully aligned with the Spanish Cooperation strategy.

The first outcome aims to support more effective government policies on culture and cultural-related issues. To achieve this outcome, three indicators will be used to measure progress: the number of new legal instruments approved by the Government, the number of action plans developed and implemented on culture and related sectors, and an increase in public awareness of national cultural heritage. Government capacities to implement effective national policies on the safeguarding of cultural heritage will be strengthened, as will its capacity to generate useful and accurate information on its activities. Public awareness activities will serve to enhance the capacities of all stakeholders to participate in a socially-inclusive society that takes pride in and protects, preserves, and promotes Albania’s cultural heritage. The second outcome of the joint programme will be the safeguarding of Albania’s cultural heritage following international conservation standards. This outcome will be measured through the number of management plans developed for cultural heritage sites, and through the successful implementation of demonstration projects. This is understood as a prerequisite for activities to be undertaken under other outcomes, notably outcomes 4 and 5, which will enable stakeholders to utilize cultural resources for social and economic development. Outcome two will enhance the capacity of Albania to physically protect and present its national cultural resources. Outcome three of the joint programme deals specifically with the enhancement of local and national capacities to manage and preserve Albania’s cultural heritage. To achieve this outcome, three indicators will be used to measure success. The first indicator is the number of staff trained at cultural heritage sites in conservation and management. The second indicator is the number of craftsmen to receive vocational training in cultural restoration and related fields. This is essential as there needs to be a skilled workforce able to meet a rise in demand foreseen by the increased opportunities and access to funding developed for the private and public sectors to utilize cultural heritage for economic development activities. The third indicator to measure enhanced capacities in cultural heritage is the number of postgraduate students receiving a formal education on cultural heritage and cultural tourism – this, too, is essential for ensuring there is a legacy developed of qualified experts in cultural resource management, and policy planning and management, for the future in Albania. Outcome four - Albania’s cultural heritage developed to successfully exploit its potential for cultural tourism – builds on the successful achievement of the three preceding outcomes. Dealing with both tangible and intangible heritage, this outcome most clearly demonstrates the culture and cultural industries as drivers of economic and social development and as means for expanding people’s opportunities. The first output is the number of interventions undertaken to improve the visitor experience at cultural heritage sites. The second output will enhance the capacities of local artisans to reach international and tourism markets, measured by the number of artisans and craftsmen selling to foreign clients. The last output of this outcome is the number of privately-owned cultural structures transformed for use in the tourism industry. This last output will strengthen the capacity of the government to manage its cost-sharing funds for restoration works of Category I and II cultural monuments, and also strengthen the capacity of private citizens and businesses to complete this process, gain access to credit for such projects and write applications for doing so. The fifth outcome of this proposed joint program builds on all other outcomes to promote an improved image of Albania’s cultural heritage to the world. The primary output is an increased awareness of Albania’s cultural heritage in the world, to be measured using sophisticated survey tools and indicators. These indicators will be developed jointly with the government to build its capacity to generate useful and accurate information. The activities designed for this output will strengthen capacities in the government, civil society, and in the private sector to positively and accurately promote Albania.

This framework for this joint programme was designed by UNDP and UNESCO in close cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports (MoTCYS), which sponsored an eight-person working group of government specialists to provide input on strategic interventions in line with government policies and the forthcoming, unpublished strategies on culture and tourism. Policy intervention initiatives (Outcome 1, Output 1) are considered crucial to ensuring that the interdependent relationship between tourism and culture is developed and managed in a sustainable manner at the both the national and local levels. One of the most visible interventions that can be made is the ratification and implementation of applicable international conventions for the protection of culture and cultural heritage. Of the 37 conventions, protocols and agreements of a standard-setting nature issued by UNESCO, only 17 of these instruments have been ratified or accepted by the Albanian Government. The project steering committee will need to assess which of these legal tools is of the greatest, immediate importance and applicability to Albania. An important focus will be aligning Albania with EU frameworks to support its ability to access and absorb EU cultural funds that will become available as part of the accession process. UNESCO will provide technical assistance to the Government to design and implement innovative fiscal mechanisms to support culture and cultural heritage, based on global best practice. These tools must be adapted to Albanian legislation and Albanian cultural needs. UNESCO and UNDP will ensure that Government capacities are built for successful implementation of the actions plans to be drafted, and that all mechanisms and tools are financially sustainable. A number of localized activities from the culture action plan will be implemented by the UN agencies through participatory processes, in conjunction with the relevant local, regional and national stakeholders as demonstration projects. Cooperation with civil society, such as the media, will help support the Government to maintain its commitments to culture through a number of public awareness activities (Outcome 1, Output 3). Existing networks of Youth and of Culture Ambassadors will be mobilized, and press trips with the national media and advertising campaigns will be organised to increase public awareness of the importance of Albania’s cultural heritage as national resource for development. In parallel with the development of a strategic governance framework to protect Albania’s cultural heritage, parallel physical interventions need to be made to safeguard the country’s cultural heritage for future generations. Two cultural heritage attractions are in noticeable need of safeguarding: the country’s archaeological park system and the National History Museum, both managed by the state. Assessments leading towards the development and implementation of management plans (Outcome 2, Output 1) for these institutions will be conducted with the oversight of the MoTCYS and in direct cooperation with site directors and section chiefs. Based in part on these assessments and the activities called for in the management plans, the Project Steering Committee will decided on a number of interventions (Outcome 2, Output 2) to be made. One clearly identified intervention by the MoTCYS is the complete rehabilitation and re-conceptualization of the National History Museum in Tirana, transforming it into a modern cultural institution overseen by a Governing Board of public figures and independent experts. Other suggested and foreseen interventions include improving site security from fire, theft, vandalism, and waste, and documenting and archiving the cinematic heritage of Albania in proper storage conditions at a National Film Theatre. The safeguarding of Albania’s cultural heritage is not a sustainable intervention in itself, however. National capacities need to be developed to sustainably manage these national treasures and also to enhance individual capacities in the cultural industries. Training programs, working with existing centers and universities, will be created for government staff working in cultural heritage, including government directorates and institutions, archaeological parks, and museums (Outcome 3, Output 1). Special management training will be offered for site directors, as they will be responsible for directing the management assessments supported through Outcome 2. Individual and private sector capacities in cultural industries will be enhanced through vocational training opportunities (Outcome 3, Output 2), offered to the greatest extent possible on all restoration and rehabilitation projects undertaken. The goal of this training to create a skilled workforce that can be employed by state and non-state actors alike in future restoration projects. Finally, efforts need also to be concentrated on fostering interest in these trades and careers in the formal education sector (Outcome 3, Output 3). A new Masters programme on Cultural Resource Management & Policy Planning will be created, to create a sustainable future cadre of professionals for Government, public institutions and the private sector. To solidify the bridge between culture and development, interventions need to be made to create a sounder, more solid and transparent link between Albania’s cultural heritage and sustainable tourism development. Small, simple interventions, developed in partnership with site managers and directors, can be made to improve visitor experience at cultural heritage sites (Outcome 4, Output 1); creating visitor centers, signage, offering tour guide services in foreign languages, and creating specialized guidebooks and promotional materials geared towards the international visitor all serve to improve the visitor experience. Linkages also need to be strengthened with intangible heritage, also. Quality artisan craftsmanship is highly demanded on the international market and is often sought out first as tourist souvenirs. UN agencies will work directly with local artisans and any civil society organization supporting them to create artisan centers and business incubators (Outcome 4, Output 2). These centers and incubator can also provide training to the artisans in product development, marketing and business planning activities, helping them access foreign markets, via the tourism industry or the Internet. Further, capacities of private individuals and businesses will be one step closer to increasing their quality of life through a number of informative seminars and publications informing them how to access funds to transform the built cultural heritage into use for the tourism sector (Outcome 4, Output 3). Conducted in partnership with local NGOs and the Government, these seminars will be targeted at those communities hosting significant numbers of built cultural heritage of potential use and that are located near existing cultural heritage sites. Clustering these cultural heritage attractions together will serve to strengthen the attractiveness and marketing pull of the destination to the tourist. Bridging over all other interventions are those interventions involved with the promotion of an improved, positive image of Albania to the world based on its cultural heritage (Outcome 5, Output 1). Increasing this international awareness of Albania’s cultural heritage will serve to further validate the work the country’s officials have done to improve culture and benefit from it, and also to attract more investment to the country, via tourism or other forms of FDI. Key to this awareness raising is a strategy of how to do so. Support will be given to the MoTCYS’s marketing and promotions arm, the National Entity of Tourism, for the creation and implementation of a strategy and action plan to promote Albania’s cultural heritage internationally. The implementation of this strategy will necessitate the use of a variety of promotional tools, such as a National Geographic-quality album of Albania’s cultural heritage and the support of artists and artisans at international trade fairs, and rely upon long-term measurement instruments to monitor this change in level of awareness. Capacity building is a key element of changing awareness levels, and as no Albanian embassies abroad have official cultural attaches, training will be offered to Albanian embassy staff abroad on how to act as cultural attaches and promote Albania’s cultural heritage in their duty stations. Finally, an innovative idea is to use Albania’s long history of cultural and religious tolerance and acceptance in the UN Alliance of Civilizations to demonstrate how culture can transcend religion to be a unifying factor in diverse societies.

M&E is central to adaptive management, as well as the programme’s emphasis on elaborating and applying lessons learned and sharing lessons with others. Monitoring and evaluation feedback mechanisms will be put in place to allow adaptability in project management. Lessons learned will be shared and replicated nationally and internationally. Monitoring occurs throughout the year and is the responsibility of the participating UN agencies as well as the Project Steering Committee. Progress will be monitored during the Annual review meetings. The planned monitoring and evaluation of the joint programme should be part of UNDAF M&E plan. The UNDAF Evaluation will include a specific assessment of the joint programme looking in particular at UN System Collaboration. The scope of the assessment will depend on the size and strategic importance of the joint programme. UNDP in cooperation with UNESCO and the Government will be responsible for continuing monitoring and evaluation with the view to ensuring efficient utilisation of the programme resources as well as accountability, transparency and integrity. The programme monitoring and financial control will allow data sharing and analysis. Audits are foreseen to be undertaken by private audit services. Each participating UN organization will prepare reports in accordance with its financial regulations and rules and operational policy guidance. Reports will be submitted to the Project Steering Committee for discussion and approval. The reporting formats should be harmonized to ensure easier consolidation by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall be responsible for submission of the consolidated report to the Resident Coordinator to be shared with the donor in accordance to the agreed timelines. Objectively verifiable indicators will be used whenever possible to evaluate and monitor progress. Possible indicators include quantitative indicators such as the number of integrated and strategic assessments performed; the number of sectoral interventions; percentage of staff trained; the number of legal acts/mechanisms developed; the number of awareness campaigns; and the number of people served by the demonstration activities. Qualitative indicators could include the quality of the reports/results/recommendations; the quality of communication with stakeholders; the level of awareness generated from the activities; the capacity of the Albanian authorities to continue work after project intervention ends; and the capacity to replicate the demonstration activities. Impact indicators will be identified during the formulation stage and will be measured using surveys and other analytical tools for measurement.

The programme will be implemented in Joint Programming – Option C – Pass through management (see Guidance Note on Joint Programming of the UNDG of 19 December 2003). UNDP and UNESCO have both been strong supporters to the Government of Albania in the fields of culture and tourism. UNESCO has been continuously active with the Albanian Government since the first World Heritage Site was inscribed in 1992. Since then, UNESCO has responded to the Government’s needs by collaborating in the creation of a Center for Restoration of Monuments in Tirana and of holding in trust Government funds for the rehabilitation of the historic center of Gjirokastra, a World Heritage City. In 2005, the Prime Minister of Albania formally requested assistance from UNDP to develop the country’s cultural and eco-tourism national strategy. UNDP assisted the Government in the drafting of the 2005 Strategy and Action Plan for Tourism Based on Culture and Environmental Tourism and the formulation and implementation of the Support to Eco and Cultural Tourism Development Program, April 2006 – April 2009. UNDP has also previously provided support directly to the culture sector in the implementation of its 2005-2006 Beautiful Gjirokastra project, funded by the Austrian Government. The total amount of UNCT disbursements in Albania for 2005 and 2006 are $26.8m and $27.3m, respectively. Of this, total disbursements of UNDP and UNESCO combined equaled $9,782,000 in 2005, and $12,271,000 in 2006. A Project Steering Committee will be established and will consist of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports; the Prime Minister’s Office; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Embassy of Spain; Municipality Representatives; Institute of Cultural Monuments; UNCT Representatives; and UN Joint Programme Agency Representatives. The Project Steering Committee will serve as the decision-making board and coordinating mechanism among agencies aiming at coordinated achievement of Joint Programme results. The SC will also be responsible for ensuring overall programme monitoring and evaluation. It will meet bi-annually (or more frequently as necessary) to review the Progress Reports, the Technical Reports and take any decisions dedicated to ensure the proper implementation of the project. UNDP will serve as Administrative Agent and will operate as the main interface at the country level with the Government and targeted beneficiaries at local and central level. It will also take over the responsibilities for fund management and consolidated reporting to the UNDP/Spain MDG Achievement Fund. Implementation of the activities under the responsibility of different agencies, and achievement of results will be independent and linked to that specific agency in line with the agreed Joint programming document. A programme management unit will be set up by the Administrative Agent to facilitate the day-to-day coordination of programme activities its implementation, monitoring and reporting. The unit will be staffed with an International Chief Technical Adviser, a National Project Manager, a full-time national technical specialist and other support staff such as finance/administrative assistant and a driver. At the request of the Minister, the unit will be based in the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports. For the activities directly implemented by UNESCO, UNESCO is substantively and financially accountable. The UNESCO component will be coordinated by the UNESCO Venice Office Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (BRESCE), and implemented through the strengthening of existing structures. UNESCO will also provide substantive cross-programme support and coordination (including the coordination with other programmes in the region with UNESCO involvement). UNDP may request the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) to implement certain activities under Outcomes 4 and 5, to be decided during the detailed programming phase envisaged following concept note approval.

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C. Indicateurs relatifs aux OMD

  • Goal 0: Millennium Declaration: an enabling environment (human rights, democracy and good governance)
  • Goal 1: Veuillez cocher tous les objectifs correspondants
  • Goal 7: Assurer un environnement durable
  • Goal 8: Mettre en place un partenariat mondial pour le développement.
  • 1. Proportion de la population disposant de moins d'un dollar par jour en parité du pouvoir d'achat (PPA)
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D. Demande de versement par anticipation

Oui
$20,000
UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
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E. Engagements du Coordonnateur résident

  • La note conceptuelle a été revue par le gouvernement national et l’Équipe de pays de l’ONU
  • En cas d’approbation par le Comité directeur du F-OMD, les institutions participantes de l’ONU s’engagent à présenter le projet du document de programme commun dans les huit semaines suivant la notification d'approbation
  • Toutes les institutions participantes de l’ONU ont signé ou signeront le Mémorandum d’accord avec le Bureau d'affectation spéciale multi-donateurs