L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

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UNESCO Sourcesis available on

Internet

under the headings:new or publications

at our address:http://www.unesco. org

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THE VICIOUS CIRCLEClaudia Elizabeth SprioPsychologistBuenos Aires (Argentina)

I only recently learnedof your magazine. I find it very interestingas it offers so many possibilities to learnof UNESCO’s work around the world.

By chance, I have the issue on streetchildren (No. 88) lying open before me.The article From Inquisitor to Guardianreporting on police training has caught myattention.

In my country, abuse committed by thepolice - complicity, breaking the law andviolating human rights - are still very topi-cal. In my opinion, the Brazilian politicalscientist Gisalio Cerqueira Filho offers theonly democratically possible perspective(“ turning a political police force into onefor ordinary citizens”).

Knowledge reduces the power of vio-lence. Spurred on by fear and ignorance,the vicious circle of violence can do noth-ing but generate even more violence. Theonly way of breaking this lies in trainingand educating police and citizens. Thismeans going to the roots of learning andknowledge while understanding the raisond’être of each human being and acceptinghim or her as they are, despite any differ-ences. This recognition reduces fear (of theunknown, of the masses, of the loss of emo-tional relationships) and aggression whichare intertwined. By identifying with oth-ers, we find a dimension of citizenship andequality before similar problems or na-tional crises. It incites us to work togetherand make a commitment as a people unitedunder the same banner.

We will certainly have made a start indefeating bias and fear while stirring up thepolice institution if we manage to arrive ata training programme which includes con-cepts of psychology, psychological vulner-ability and even sociology.

20 YEARS LATERJean-Paul RüttimannDirector of the Service for Continuing EducationUniversity of Fribourg (Switzerland)

STILL A PLEASUREJuan Gonzalez DiazRubiera Ramon Centre for Information,Documentation and Literary ResearchLos Palos (Cuba)

UNESCOIN ESPERANTOF.L. VeutheyEditor of KontaktoUniversala Esperanto-AsocioRotterdam (Netherlands)We have always enjoyed

receiving your magazine. The variety andtimeliness of the themes addressed make itvery useful for the people using our centre.

I am responsible forjournalism classes in the journalism insti-tute of our university. I focus in particularon the cross-border flows of information.As a result, I have been talking aboutUNESCO for more than 20 years. And Imust admit that I am pleased with the wayit has evolved. Actually, one of the mostpositive points has been the creation ofyour magazine. Congratulations!

I often use excerpts from your articlesin my classes. Your issue on the media (No.89) was so interesting that I passed aroundthe entire dossier to the students at the in-stitute.

I would like to thankUNESCO Sources for the possibility of re-printing such interesting articles which letour readers know about the work ofUNESCO throughout the world.

For your information, our magazineKontakto has recently reprinted in Espe-ranto 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (No.87) concerning the Titanic as well asTongue Twisters (No. 89) on linguistic poli-cies in Africa and a reader’s response tothis article published in issue No. 92 un-der the title Tongue Lashing or Wagging.

I N S I G H T

PAGE AND SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . 4

PEOPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

C O N T E N T S

F O C U S

A l l a r t i c l e s a r e f r e e o f c opy r i gh tres t r i c t ions and can be reproduced,i n wh i c h c a s e t h e ed i t o r s wou l dapprec ia te a copy. Pho to s ca rr y ingno copyright mark © may be obtainedb y t h e m e d i a o n d e m a n d .

U N E S C O S O U R C E S

Editorial and Distribution Services:UNESCOSOURCES, 7 place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP. Tel.(+33 1) 45 68 16 73. Fax. (+33 1) 45 68 56 54.This magazine is destined for use as an infor-mation source and is not an official UNESCOdocument. ISSN 1014-6989.

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Pages 6 to 16

PLANET:

Heritage• A SELECTIVE MEMORY . . . . . . . . . . 18

Culture of Peace• ESCAPING RAMBO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Education• TEACHING HOW IT'S DONE . . . . . . 22

Youth• GIVE AND TAKE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

LOOKING AHEAD . . . . . . . . . . 24

Cover photo: Cairo© Béatrice Petit

ln safe keeping.

Timbuktu at risk.

Contraception is nota dirty word.

A SEA CHANGE

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

René L E FORT

GROWING PAINS

3. . . . .

I n t h e po l yphony o f s pee che s made du r i ng t h e 29 th s e s s i on

o f t h e Gene ra l C on f e r en c e (21 O c t . - 12 Novembe r ) , e ve r y -

one wa s , o f c ou r s e , f o l l ow i ng t he i r own mus i c s c o r e -

d e f end i ng t he i r own i n t e r e s t s o r i n c l i n a t i on s , s e ek i ng

r e spon se s t o t h e i r mo s t p r e s s i ng need s o r s uppo r t f o r t h e i r

f u t u r i s t v i s i on s . T he i d ea o f mo re t han 2 ,800 r ep r e s en t a -

t i v e s o f S t a t e s , i n t e r na t i ona l o r gan i za t i on s , gove rnmen ta l

and non -gove rnmen ta l ob s e r ve r s g e t t i ng t oge t he r c on j u r e s

up mo re a c a c ophony t han a s ymphony : t h e i r v e r y d i v e r-

s i t y wou l d s e em t o ex c l ude any po s s i b i l i t y o f ha rmony.

No t s o howeve r. T he p r og ramme p r opo sed f o r t h e c om ing

two yea r s ha s - i t c an be no t ed w i t h s a t i s f a c t i on - l a r ge l y

been app roved by UNESCO ’s s o ve r e i gn body. Bu t t h e mo s t

impo r t an t t h i ng t o r e t a i n pe rhap s , i s t h e r e f r a i n t ha t f ound

i t s way i n t o mo s t o f t h e i n t e r ven t i on s : t o s um up , pove r t y

and env i ronmen ta l d eg rada t i on a r e i n c r ea s i ng l y wo r r y i ng ,

and t he be s t way o f d ea l i ng w i t h t h e s e i s s ue s i s v i a

edu ca t i on , mo s t no t ab l y bu i l t on t h e ba s e t ha t i s f o rmed

by human r i gh t s .

I t c ou l d be s a i d t ha t t h i s i s me re p r ea ch i ng t ha t r equ i r e s

no c ommi tmen t , c o s t s l i t t l e , and s e r ve s t o ab so l v e t ho s e

who se p r a c t i c e s a r e qu i t e d i f f e r en t . Bu t i t may a l s o

i nd i c a t e t ha t a s ea c hange i s unde r way ; UNESCO , a f t e r a l l ,

h a s l ong been one o f t h e f o rums t ha t s i gna l f u t u r e d i r e c -

t i on s . T h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i on i s no t s o f a r- f e t c hed . T he OECD

ha s r e c en t l y a cknow l edged t he dange r s t ha t l ong - t e rm h i gh

unemp loymen t and/o r l ow s a l a r i e s p r e s en t f o r s o c i a l

c ohe s i on , and a rgue s t ha t t h e mo s t v i ab l e s o l u t i on l i e s i n

t he de t e rm ined p r omo t i on o f l i f e l ong edu ca t i on . T h i s

r ep r e s en t s a r ea l b r eak w i t h t h e pa s t - and unwave r i ng -

po s i t i o n o f t h i s em inen t o r gan i za t i on .

25 YEARSOF SAFEGUARDINGWORLD HERITAGE

P A G E A N D S C R E E N

4 . . . . . .

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

EQUITYIN THE CLASSROOM“Why is it that boys and girlsexperience schooling sodifferently? Is it possible thatstyles and approaches that weconsider to be appropriate forteaching pupils are in realitymore appropriate for boys?”The book’s introduction sets thestage to examine internationaltrends in subject performancethroughout schooling in areaslike science, mathematics andtechnology. This uniquecollection of papers primarilyfrom industrialized countriesclearly show that pedagogycannot be isolated from theoverarching gender perspectivesin the education system if

problems of inequity are to beaddressed. The experts offer arange of strategies to makeeducation more just.

● Equity in the Classroom -Towards Effective Pedagogy forGirls and Boys, edited byPatricia F. Murphy and CarolineV. Gipps, The Falmer Press/UNESCO 1996, 286 pp.,130 FF.

UNESCO publications andperiodicals can be purchased atUNESCO Headquarters andthrough national distributors inmost countries. In each MemberState, books and periodicals can beconsulted at a UNESCO depositarylibrary.For further information or directorders by mail, fax or Internet:UNESCO Publishing, 7 place de Fon-tenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP (France),tel.: (+33 1) 01 45 68 43 00; fax:(+33 1) O1 45 68 57 41; Internet:h t tp ://www.UNESCO.org/publishing.

BOOKS

PERIODICALS

BREAKING THE SILENCE“The voices shoot out liketongues of flame that no onecan, or dares put out.” FromIndia to Australia, Europe to theAmericas, women are gaining avoice. They are speaking outagainst the old traditions thatkept them silent. In the course of

INTERNATIONAL SOCIALSCIENCE JOURNALThis issue (No. 153) and thatfollowing take an eclectic butrepresentative look at the“intellectual ferment” nowreinvigorating the field ofanthropology. While thisdiscipline has in the pastfocused almost exclusively ontraditional organization inremote societies, it is nowturning to the forces andimpacts of globalization in themodern world. “It is abundantlyclear that the vast increase inavailable topics, scale ofperception and sheer complex-ity of subject-matter do not seemto be compelling the disciplineto an early retirement.” The nextissue will offer “critical sound-ings of new configurations of itssubject-matter”.

THE WORLD HERITAGEREVIEW“With an annual movement ofat least 500 million peoplearound the world, mass tourismrepresents a potential threat forlocal populations, the environ-ment, traditional economies andthe protection of WorldHeritage sites. However, withthe implementation of speciallyadapted measures, touristscould become agents for thepreservation of world heritage.”In a nutshell, the editorialistdescribes the central theme,cultural tourism, of the latestissue of the review (No. 5).

a series of journeys, the authorfinds women infused with a newconfidence and vitality despitetheir humble and unjust livingconditions.“By listening to women’s lives intheir own words, she (theauthor) honours the female halfof the world,” writes GloriaSteinem. “There is more truthhere than in a thousand novels.”

● Breaking the Silence -Voices of Women from Aroundthe World, by Anees Jung,Penguin Books/UNESCO 1997,187 pp., 65 FF.

THE UNESCO COURIER“Theatre’s changing scene” is thetheme of the November issue ofThe Courier. Producers, theatredirectors, playwrights, andanthropologists provide the cuesneeded to trace the art’sevolution. The drama resultingfrom the electronic invasion,cultural mixing and the explo-sion of the avant-garde repre-sents a vital passage for thetheatre. African companies are,for example, finding fertilematerial in public awarenesscampaigns while new troupesspring up in the countryside ofIndia. The curtains rise aroundthe world as contributorsdescribe innovative approacheslike that of Arab directorsrooting Western techniques intradition. At the same time,Russian theatre rises from theashes after the Soviet period.

PROSPECTS“The emergence of cyber spacein no way means that ‘all’ is atlast accessible, but rather that‘all’ is definitively out of reach.What can we save from theFlood” of information, asksPierre Levy in this issue of

From “the roof of the world” inSagarmatha National Park inNepal, trek down to Cuba’s OldCity of Havana before divinginto the coral reefs of Australia,the Philippines, Seychelles andBelize. The trip continues alongthe French Canal du Midi linkingthe Mediterranean and theAtlantic before heading to theoldest national park in theUnited States, Yellowstone datingback to 1872.

Prospects (No. 102). “All of us,institutions, communities, humangroups and individuals, need tomake sense out of the surround-ing chaos, to tame and to markout areas that are familiar tous.” Levy sets the stage for theissue to explore new technolo-gies in education. Fromcollective intelligence toenhanced reality, the articlesalso offer concrete discussionson how networks can modernizeschools.The issue’s special format alsooffers a slightly off-beat analysisof the famous Delors Report andthe World Bank’s EducationSector document. “Could goodquality education be providedmore cheaply?” is also debatedbefore wrapping up with aprofile of the great Spanisheducator Joseph Calasanz(1557-1648).

COMPACT DISCS

PLANET SOCIETYAn eclectic blend of artists tracetheir musical roots in thiscollection of songs from the likesof Peter Gabriel, Radio Tarifa,Cesaria Evoria, Cheb Mami,Los Van Van and Bally Sagoo.Proceeds from the disc will helpfinance Planet Society, anetwork linking grassrootsinitiatives by young peoplearound the world promotingeverything from recycling totraditional dance (see p. 23).

● Planet Society. UNESCO,110 FF.

P E O P L E

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

5. . . . . .

the sea to the central ‘honeycomb’memorial. “Duality ” intertwinesfunction with symbolism. Thelofty spaces provide the breadthneeded for a grand exhibition hallwhile the nooks house officescrowned by a terrace facing westto the sea with a contrasting gazeto Gorée.

With a museum on the slavetrade and a library also “on land”,Di Blasi harks back to the waterwith an air conditioning systemskimming the cool sea breezes.The rising air heats just enoughto cut the humidity - a key con-cern for artefacts and archives -and energy costs by 30%.

The plans may be set on pa-per but remain far from the avail-

able concrete. “We didn’twant to import steel andglass from Europe,” saysDi Blasi. “But it is diffi-cult to build somethinglyrical with such aheavy material.” Thearchitect will count onthe expertise of a localbuilding partner.

An international

commission, set up by UNESCO,will meet early next year to pro-mote the project and help raise themoney needed. Di Blasi is nowin the process of estimating thecosts. Meanwhile, he will takethat long-awaited first step inSenegal with a model of hispraised “powerful Africanform”.

Amy OTCHET

He has won international ac-claim for capturing “the

spirit, voice and symbolism ofAfrica” with a memorial to theslave trade’s victims. But at 43Ottavio di Blasi has yet to set footsouth of the Sahara. Just what hasgotten into the Italian architect?

“ The universal spirit,” hesays. “Diaspora is part of every-one’s history. Yet, when Europe-ans do talk about Africa, theythink about problems. Instead, Ilooked to the future of Africa inbuilding a link with the past.”This vision has brought Di Blasifirst prize, worth about $42,000,in an international architecturalcompetition to design the GoréeMemorial. In an initiative by theGovernment of Senegal with thesupport of UNESCO and the Or-ganisation for African Unity, thememorial will be built on thewestern Corniche of Dakar be-fore the Island of Gorée, an in-famous slave port inscribed onthe World Heritage List in1978.

“Some see a contradic-tion in not having an African

design the project,” says the ar-chitect, who has worked closelywith Renzo Piano. “My work isn’tbased on experience but on reflec-tion on a community dramaticallycut in two, with one part on landand the other leaving by sea. Yet,they remain complementary, de-pending on one anther.”

To restore the link, his designsets ‘afloat’ a navigation museumand planetarium on piers bridging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

OTTAVIO DI BLASI:FIRST STEPS IN AFRICA

THE RICH & FAMOUSWITH CHILDREN IN NEED

THE PROPOSED GORÉE MEMOR IA L

O n October 7 UNESCOopened the doors to royalty

and celebrities with a gala con-cert and dinner for the benefit ofthe Children in Need Programme.Queen Noor of Jordan, the Prin-cesses Lalla Meriam of Moroccoand Maria Teresa of Luxembourgrubbed shoulders with super-model Naomi Campbell as theymade their way through the pho-tographers and crowds. Thehouse was packed, with standingroom only among the 1,300 seatsof the concert hall.

“This is not a gala but a fam-ily gathering because the world’schildren are our children,” an-nounced French actor Jean-Claude Brialy, who presented theevening’s events. “Each of thesechildren should be loved with allour heart,” echoed Ute-HenrietteOhoven, UNESCO’s SpecialAmbassador for Children inNeed.

Six kids between the ages often and twelve then took thestage. Coming from differentcountries to speak in the name ofchildren around the world, theydescribed the pain involved indaily lives filled with exploita-tion, malnutrition, exile and aban-donment in rich and poor coun-tries alike.

The evening then headed intomusic with a concert programmerunning the gamut: opera musicfrom Montserrat Caballé, aUNESCO Goodwill Ambassa-dor, and her daughter MonserratMarti; jazz with the pianist andcomposer Michel Petrucciani;French songs with Juliette Gréco;rock with Isabelle Boulay; andthe classical music of l’Octuorof France and a duo of twoyoung Yugoslav musicians,

Sara Marianovich and IlijaMarinkovic.

The gala raised about$50,000, although the donationsare still coming in. The moneywill go directly to some of the 100

projects linked to the Children inNeed Programme.

Created in 1992, it runs ex-clusively on donations from pri-vate and public organizations andindividuals. Mrs. Ohoven hasbeen the engine behind the in-credible success in raising a totalof about $12m.

Financial considerationsaside, the main goal of the galawas to garner media attention toraise public awareness of theplight of these children, their edu-cational needs and UNESCO’sactivities. It also highlighted aparadox of our times: to get themedia and public to focus on pov-erty, it is sometimes necessary tospotlight the rich and famous whocouldn’t be farther from the real-ity they would like to improve.

Nadia KHOURI-DAGHER

● “We consider peace to be anoble human value in which wefirmly believe,” said YASSERARAFAT, President of thePalestinian Authority, addressingthe General Conference onOctober 23. “It is also a tenet of

all three revealed religions,since it is the basis for thedevelopment of relations ofcooperation, tolerance andcoexistence among peoples.”However, Mr. Arafat alsoexplained that “it is not possible

to stem acts of violence andterrorism, unless we pull outtheir roots and eradicate theircauses.” Among the causes ofterrorism, he listed occupation,settlements, collective sanctions,arbitrary arrests, economic and

food embargoes. In greeting Mr.Arafat, the Director-Generalannounced that UNESCO willspend $14m in 1998-99 oneducational and cultural projectsin the Autonomous PalestinianTerritories.

UTE -HENR I E T TE OHOVENAND NAOMI CAMPBE L L

( P ho t o UNESCO/ I nez Fo rbe s ) .

THE AÏR AND TÉNÉRÉ NATURAL RESERVESIN NIGER: CONFLICT AND SUBSEQUENT LACKOF PROTECTION SAW THESE SITESINSCRIBED ON THE ENDANGERED LISTIN 1992 (Photo © J. Thorsell/IUCN).

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U N E S C O S 0 U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

F O C U S

7. . . . . .

GROWING PAINS25 YEARS OF SAFEGUARDING WORLD HERITAGE

T h i s m o n t h ’s d o s s i e r

In 1975 only 20 countries ratified thefledgling World Heritage Convention.

Today, with 151 States Parties, it has be-come UNESCO’s most popular interna-tional instrument, and can justly be cred-ited with having changed the way the worldlooks upon its natural and cultural treasures.

Today, in all regions, experts, govern-ment officials and common citizens havemobilized to identify and protect thoseplaces recognized as being of outstandinguniversal significance.

The number of sites inscribed on theWorld Heritage List stands at 506 in 108countries and is still growing. Communi-cations among heritage specialists are atan all time high, with best practices andtechnological solutions being shared fromone country to another. Training and tech-nical assistance have been made availablethrough the World Heritage Fund,UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, and thescientific advisors to the convention (seebox page 8).

UNESCO campaigns have beenlaunched to safeguard places like the his-toric centre of Sana’a in Yemen, and themonuments of Angkor in Cambodia. New

organizations have been created by StatesParties to further mobilize support, suchas the Nordic Centre in Norway and theOrganization for World Heritage Cities inCanada. Support has also come from theUnited Nations Development Programme(UNDP) and the World Bank, to name buta few.

Public support and interest have alsogrown enormously. World heritage siteshave become major tourist destinations: aUNESCO/United Nations EnvironmentProgramme (UNEP) survey of 98 naturalsites in 1994 revealed that 53% of the sur-rounding populations in 70 of them earnedtheir livelihoods from tourism. France’sMont St-Michel receives more than 2.5million visitors annually, while Yellow-stone Park in the United States tops threemillion.

While few would argue the success ofthe Convention’s first quarter century, allis not well with world heritage. Considerthe Eurocentric nature of the World Herit-age List: 506 sites spread throughout 108countries may sound impressive, but al-most half of them are in Europe andNorth America. Africa accounts for only

46 listings while the Pacific Island stateshad none at all at the time of writing. Thereare many Christian monuments but veryfew presenting other religions and beliefs.It would be easy to conclude from this lop-sided vision, that the peoples of the rich,industrialized and Christian countries havea monopoly on humanity’s heritage... Thenthere are three times more cultural sitesthan natural ones. The list also fails to re-flect living cultures, landscapes, and manyof the broad areas of human activity whichare undeniably of outstanding universalvalue.

Conscious of these imbalances, theWorld Heritage Committee in 1994 en-dorsed a “global strategy” which called forconsideration of “the products of cultureby means of several new thematic ap-proaches: modes of occupation of land andspace, including nomadism and migration,industrial technology, subsistence strate-gies, water management, routes for peo-ple, traditional settlements and their envi-ronments”. A number of workshops havesince been held in different regions to workout how this can be implemented and whatcriteria could be used when judging

The World Heritage Convention is 25 years old. Its passage from adolescence to adulthood gives causeto celebrate its remarkable achievements, including almost universal recognition of the concept andvalue of our natural and cultural heritage (p.13). But as the world has become aware of the need tosafeguard its treasures, the task of doing so has become all the more difficult, as witnessed by theever-lengthening list of World Heritage in Danger (p12).Population pressures, social and economic development needs, are placing enormous strain on resource-rich natural sites such as the Everglades (p.9) and Galapagos (p.11). Conflict has seriously damagedCongo’s national parks (p.14). In Mali, desertification, poverty - and perhaps even good intentions - arethreatening Timbuktu’s ancient mosques (p.15), while modernization of urban areas casts shadows onthe historical hearts of cities such as Potsdam (p. 10). At the same time, there is clearly a need torethink the question: what is World Heritage today? (see below and p. 16).

F O C U S

U N E S C O S 0 U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

D o s s i e r

8. . . . . .

whether a site is of outstanding universalsignificance. The task is not an easy one.

Another major issue is sovereignty.After sites have been listed, they have acontinuing need to be closely observed ona regular basis in order to catch problemsat an early stage. While this “monitoring”(a term not found in the convention) is theresponsibility of individual countries, thereis much to be gained by reporting the stateof conservation to the international com-munity. Some have interpreted this as in-terference in internal affairs. Howeversuch monitoring is really the only way bywhich States Parties can identify priori-ties for international cooperation and emer-gency assistance, duties prescribed in arti-cle 6 of the convention.

The changing vision of world heritagehas also prompted intense debate over thecriteria of “authenticity”, or in the case ofnatural sites, environmental “integrity”.What do these terms really mean? Howapplicable are they? For some regions ofthe world, the “test of authenticity” hasbeen a barrier to inscription, implying as itdoes, minimal change to the physicalmake-up of monuments and buildings. Thislack of change runs counter to practices insome cultural groups, which sanction fre-quent intervention and maintenance forpractical or ritual purposes. Participants ata major conference on the issue, held inNara (Japan), found that the actual word“authenticity” doesn’t even exist in manylanguages! Although there has been nomodification yet of the actual wording in

the operational guidelines of the WorldHeritage Committee, a broader interpreta-tion of its meaning has been accepted anddiscussions are continuing.

The question of environmental integ-rity is as prickly. Maintaining natural sitesin pristine condition is an almost impossi-ble task. Pressures are mounting as grow-ing populations clamour for more arableland, water and other vital resources oftencontained in these sites. Once environment-al integrity has been besmirched - once thewater has been drained from the wetlandsfor example - should a site still be able toclaim world heritage status?

There hasn’t yet been a case of a sitebeing removed from the list. However, thelist of World Heritage in Danger has neverbeen as long as it is today, with 22 sitesand several potential candidates for it. “En-dangered” status means that the WorldHeritage Committee believes there is a sig-nificant threat to the values for which a sitehas been inscribed.

THE PROBLEM WITH PEOPLETo some extent these threats defy categori-zation, since they grow out of the specificcircumstances of individual sites. Some canbe blamed on unexpected natural disasters,like the recent, devastating earthquake inAssisi (Italy), but most are due to humanactivities.

Armed conflict has inflicted consider-able damage on world heritage sites caughtin the crossfire of opposing forces. Gorillahabitat and the animals themselves have

suffered badly in the National Parks ofCongo. Many cultural treasures in the his-toric centre of Dubrovnik in Croatia werespecifically targeted and severely damagedduring the grinding conflict in ex-Yugosla-via.

However, the exploitation of resourcesfor economic and social benefit probablyposes the most frequent threat to culturaland, especially, natural heritage. For ex-ample, the World Heritage Committee hasexpressed concern over the impact of ahydro-electric dam that has altered thewetlands at Ichkeul National Park in Tuni-sia, prompting its inclusion on the endan-gered list in 1996. The effects of miningproposals on the integrity of sites such asMount Nimba Reserves, a transborder parkbetween Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire, andYellowstone National Park in the UnitedStates have been the cause of many hoursof debate by the committee. What emergedfrom these discussions was the realizationthat the World Heritage Convention is notable to prevent private-sector investmentin such projects surrounding heritage sites.This question is particularly complex, asmany listed sites encompass privateproperty or are bordered by it: the con-vention is binding on States Parties, notprivate owners, businesses or foreign in-vestors.

So is it really possible to ensure long-term protection of humanity’s heritage? Isthe convention an adequate instrument todefine and designate that heritage? Recentconvention “successes” in Ecuador’sGalapagos Islands and in Potsdam in Ger-many, would indicate that the answer toboth these questions is yes.

The World Heritage Convention wassigned 25 years ago. In retracing its devel-opment over the past quarter century, it isevident that the convention is strong andadaptable. Over the years, the World Her-itage Committee has had the skill and abil-ity to apply the convention to a range ofcircumstances unforeseen at the time it wascreated. It is an ongoing process, whereideas, concepts and vision continue toevolve, making a vital contribution to theconservation of a cultural and naturallegacy for future generations.

Christina CAMERONDirector-General,

National Historic Sites, Parks Canada.

The World Heritage Convention was adopted by UNESCO in 1972 to encourage the identification, pro-

tection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage. The convention is managed on a day-to-day basisby the World Heritage Centre set up at Headquarters in 1992. Its governing body is the World Herit-age Committee, made up of 21 representatives from the States Parties to the convention, which is

responsible for implementing the convention and deciding whether a site will be accepted for inscription onthe World Heritage List. The Committee follows the state of site conservation, allocates funds for repairor restoration, for emergency action if sites are in immediate danger, for technical assistance and training,

and for promotional and educational activities. The World Heritage Fund receives its income essentiallyfrom compulsory contributions from States Parties - amounting to 1% of their UNESCO dues - and voluntarycontributions. The total amount received each year is just under $3m.

Potential sites are nominated by States Parties and evaluated by two advisory bodies - the InternationalCouncil on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Selection criteriaare revised regularly by the committee to match the evolution of the world heritage concept itself.

WHO’S WHO AND DOES WHAT?

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U N E S C O S 0 U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

F O C U S

D o s s i e r

9. . . . . .

SQUEEZED DRYThe “biggest environmental restoration attempt ever” aims to get Florida’s Evergladesback to “something that works”.

It was once a shimmering river of grassflowing unchecked for 100 miles

(160km), spreading nearly 50 miles(80km) between the Atlantic Ocean to theGulf of Mexico. Its heart it was so wild asto be impenetrable.

But the Everglades has been choked,its fresh water diverted to the ocean, andmore than half its lands drained for homesand farms. Of what remains, 609,688 hec-tares forms the Everglades National Parkon Florida’s southern tip, a wild areaunique in all the world and under seriousthreat. It is one of the most fragile ecosys-tems on earth, sharing space and resourceswith an urban area whose population hasswelled from 600,000 in 1947 to six mil-lion today.

More than 400 species of birds, 25mammals and 60 amphibians and reptilesroam the Everglades. Of those, 14 spe-cies are endangered. The number of wad-ing birds has decreased by 90% since the1940s. Alien plants have invaded thou-sands of acres. Fertilizer-contaminatedwater from the farms around LakeOkeechobee is degrading the marshes.Without enough fresh water reaching thetip of the park, Florida Bay becomes a seaof algae, killing sea grass and marine life.

THE P LANTo undo the damage of 50 years of floodcontrol and urban development, the U.S.and Florida governments have embarkedon one of the most ambitious restorationprojects ever undertaken. Everyone agreesthat it would be impossible to restore the siteto what it once was. But can they restore itto something that works?

“We are dealing with probably the big-gest environmental restoration attemptedever, anywhere,” said Rick Cook, publicaffairs officer for Everglades NationalPark. The goal is to re-establish the natu-ral flow of water to what is left of theEverglades, without flooding the homesand businesses that have been built in ar-eas that can never be restored. Scientistsmust also find a way to clean pollutedwater, coming in from surrounding urbanand farm areas, that has contributed to aproliferation of exotic plants that choke outthe natural growth.

Both the U.S. and Florida governmentshave set aside money for restoration, butmuch more will be needed to meet the es-timated price tag of five billion dollars.Time is also of issue. Critical work to re-design the entire water management sys-tem, to take into account both environmen-tal needs and projected population growth,will not begin before 2006. Bureaucratic

wrangling between the myriad agenciesworking on the project and interests affectedby it could delay that timetable even further.

In the meantime, South Florida contin-ues to grow ever closer to the Everglades.Houses continue to mushroom in areaswhere it might be better to have bufferzones that could be flooded from time totime, in order to control the flow of waterinto the wild areas and increase supply. Aplan to develop the former Homestead AirReserve Base into a commercial airportraises the threat of further developmentnear the park, plus add the noise of 250,000planes a year.

“Provided we have the resources andthe commitment, the Everglades can besaved,” said Eva Armstrong, of the Na-tional Audubon Society, an environmentalgroup. “The question is whether ourelected officials will step up and fund whatthey say they need to do. You’ve got a wholedevelopment community that doesn’t wantto see growth stopped and the local gov-ernment is easily persuaded.” The samestate agencies that are charged with pro-tecting the Everglades are still issuing per-mits to develop it.

Still, the chances for success seemgreater today than previously, says TomAdams, a lobbyist for the NationalAudubon Society in Washington. “The fed-eral government has made this a priority.Ten years ago, there was not this commit-ment.” His optimism is partly based on thefact that the Everglades holds the drinkingwater for South Florida. If the Everglades

dry up, if the water flowing through isn’tclean, those urban dwellers will have noth-ing to drink.

The key to maintaining the Evergladesas a viable nature area will be keeping thecommitment strong through the decadesand the dollars it will take to do the work.That’s where international pressures anddesignations such as UNESCO’s worldheritage listing will play a role.

The Everglades was the first U.S. siteto be put on the World Heritage in Dangerlist, in 1993, though Yellowstone NationalPark has now been added. “More than any-thing, the biggest challenge is going to bewhether people are going to continue to beconcerned.”

Biologist Ron Jones, director of theSoutheast Environmental Research Pro-gramme, agrees that international attentionand pressure are important. “The real threatis not the damage that’s occurring. The realthreat is that the taxpayers come to theconclusion that the Everglades aren’t worthsaving...”

Teresa MEARSFlorida

D Y I N G ,D Y I N G . . .D E A D( P h o t oU N E S C O / A .D e C r é p y ) .

F O C U S

U N E S C O S 0 U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

D o s s i e r

10. . . . . .

POTSDAM: BLENDING OLD AND NEWModernization of urban areas often clashes with the historical treasures around which they havebeen built. Can the future accommodate the past?

There’s a Jeykll and Hyde element toPotsdam. For the thousands of tourists

who visit this former seat of theHohenzollern dynasty each week, it is oneof the most outstanding “royal” cities inEurope - a Prussian answer to Windsor andVersailles.

After all, few other places in Germanycan boast such an array of architecturalsplendour in one location. In Potsdam’scase it is the town’s legendary SanssouciPark, with its French landscaped gardensand English-style parkland peppered withbaroque and 19th century royal buildings.

The jewel in this crown is the famous18th century Sanssouci Palace, a single sto-rey baroque construction overlooking a ter-raced vineyard that King Frederick theGreat had built to escape the three thingshe apparently most despised - Berlin, theGerman language and his wife.

But then there are the parts of Potsdamthat most visitors don’t see - the Mr. Hydeside of the eastern half with sprawling con-crete office and apartment blocks stand-ing as a monument to the “functional” ar-chitecture of communist East Germany.

Up until the end of the 1960s, apparatchikswere obsessed with eradicating the city’sPrussian imperial links. After World WarII, they flattened Potsdam’s east side, bury-ing it under a sea of concrete.

“We were only able to look on as muchof the city was systematically destroyed forideological reasons,” says SaskiaHuenecke, an art historian and a leadingcampaigner in the fight to preserve thecity’s architectural heritage.

When the Berlin Wall was still stand-ing, Potsdam was a garrison town for So-viet Army troops. Bureaucracy and ma-chine-gun-toting border guards made it anawkward place for westerners to visit. Butthe few who did get there discovered a for-bidden city.

Six years ago UNESCO bestowedWorld Heritage status on Potsdam. Butthen another bout of architectural vandal-ism appeared ready to besiege the city.

In 1993, the city council, controlled bythe Social Democrat and Reform Commu-nist party, approved what was to become a

hugely controversial development projectcovering 190,000 square metres around themain rail station on the town’s westernmostedge. The Potsdam Centre scheme envis-aged a 250-room hotel, a multiplex cinemacomplex and 12,000 square meters of of-fice and shop space.

“The area was no more than a waste-land which was badly in need of develop-ment,” says Regina Thieleman, a city coun-cil spokeswoman. “We approved thescheme because it seemed the best way tomodernize the area quickly.”

Citizen’s groups sprang up to opposethe project. In particular the protestersfound the glass fronted high rise buildingsof the proposed Potsdam Centre crassly outof harmony with 18th century town-housesin the old city centre.

A hitherto uninhibited view of the city’shistoric 18th century Nikolai Church wasscheduled to disappear along with accessto the Havel River that cuts throughPotsdam with a green swathe of gardenson its banks. “The city government wasallowing a project of monstrous dimensionsto go ahead,” said Saskia Huenecke.

The protesters alerted the powersabove. In Bonn, the issue attracted the per-sonal attention of Chancellor Kohl, whileUNESCO suggested that the proposedbuildings would place a “stranglehold”around sections of the city deemed to be of“extraordinary architectural value”. TheWorld Heritage Committee warned of in-cluding Potsdam on its list of World Herit-age in Danger.

Stung into action, the city governmentbegan looking at alternatives and launchedan architectural competition. After review-ing 267 schemes, a toned-down plan by Ber-lin architects Klaus Zillich and WolfgangEngel was declared the winner last October.

The new project includes the hotel, of-fices and shopping centre, but the build-ings are kept at a significantly lower leveland won’t interfere with the view from thestation to the old town centre. It also offersa broad new area of parkland along thebanks of the Havel and Nuthe rivers.

“The new design does not completelydo away with all aspects of the old one.There are still large buildings running thelength of the rail track,” says Dr. HeinzSchoenemann, curator of the Foundationfor Prussian Palaces and Gardens. “But it

is successful because it achieves a senseof architectural flow between old and new.Even the ugly East German concrete blocksdon’t look quite so bad because they aregiven the backdrop of the new developmentand no longer stand alone.” The WorldHeritage Committee will decide this De-cember whether Potsdam still merits “en-dangered” status.

“In many ways the whole affair hasbeen a belated lesson in democracy. Bothourselves and the protesters should havediscussed the whole issue earlier,” saysThieleman. “In the end we were gratefulthat UNESCO got involved.”

Tony PATERSONPotsdam

T H E W AY I T U S E D T O L O O K ( A l l R i g h t s R e s e r v e d ) .

ARCH I T ECTURAL VANDAL I SM

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U N E S C O S 0 U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

F O C U S

F irst on the list of World Heritage sites,with 97% of the land protected as a

national park, a strong park service and aninternational research station on site, howcan it be that the Galapagos Islands teeteron the brink of the list of World Heritage inDanger? Why has World Heritage statusfailed to prevent their decline? Has the de-bate over possible “endangered” listinghelped or hindered resolution of their prob-lems? Questions such as these have beenflying around the internet in intense debateover the state and fate of Galapagos.

Nowhere has debate been hotter thanin Ecuador itself. Surely no country takesWorld Heritage status more seriously thandoes Ecuador for its jewel in the PacificOcean. The archipelago, a cluster of 13main islands and 115 smaller ones, is theworld’s most ecologically intact reserve:of the marine and land-based species iden-tified, an astonishing 50% of birds, 42%of land plants, more than 70% of insects,17% of fish and 95% of the reptiles areunique.

The government viewed the prospect of“endangered” status as a blow to nationalpride and a threat to the $300m tourism in-dustry. The national press debated the is-sue extensively and conservationists fearedthat politicians hostile to the park authoritymight use endangered status as a pretext forinstalling a “puppet” park director or at-tacking foreign interference in Galapagos.There was also widespread resentment atthe lack of recognition for nearly four dec-ades of protected area management.

Essentially, the threat to Galapagosarises from a conflict between conserva-tion and development. In a country that hasserious survival problems on a day to daybasis, conservation is often popularly un-derstood (and politically exploited) as with-holding a resource of immediate availabil-ity and benefit in order to save it for use inan uncertain future. The islands are a bigtourist drawcard, so why not maximizetheir potential with more hotels, boats andservices? Their waters are rich in marinelife so why not develop a major fishingindustry? Part of this attitude is in re-sponse to demands from residents for

11. . . . . .

D o s s i e r

THE ORIGIN OF THE SPECIESForeigners are invading the Galapagos Islands taking a heavy toll on the local inhabitantswho inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

better infrastructure and higher standardsof living. But the improved living condi-tions have changed the mainlanders imageof Galapagos from being a hostile placenot fit to live in, to a place where no one ispoor and jobs are plentiful. The population

has ballooned, growing by eight percent an-nually: from 2,000 in 1970, it is today wellover 15,000. Tourism now brings morethan 60,000 visitors each year, with boatcapacity for many more.

However, islands are a special case andthe arrival of people on them the world overhas eventually led to a catastrophic chainof extinctions. This hasn’t happened in theGalapagos, but it could. Along with the newmigrants to the archipelago have come awhole range of unwanted guests in the formof creatures that destroy native plants andanimals by disease, competition and pre-dation. In the early 80s, only a handful ofgoats were seen on Alcedo Volcano inIsabela Island, but by the mid 1990s theirnumbers had grown to some 100,000. Theyare destroying the habitat of the largestpopulation of giant tortoises, as well asmany other endemic plants and animals,and will cost over $8m to eradicate. Dogshave decimated most of the land iguanason southern Isabela, and on Santiago, goats,pigs, burros, and rats have devastated na-tive plant communities. Fire ants and waspshave moved in, as have some 490 species

of plants - of which about half arrived dur-ing the past decade.

Whilst there have been no recent spe-cies extinctions of which we are aware,there are alarming, accelerating declines inmany endemic populations.

Ecuador failed to tackle the causes ofthis problem in good time. In the past, iteven encouraged immigration. However,after years of lobbying by the Charles Dar-win Foundation and other national and in-ternational conservation groups, the con-stitution was changed, paving the way fora special law for Galapagos.

The drafting of the law was fraught withproblems and political in-fighting, but thethreat by the World Heritage Committee toinscribe the site on the endangered list fi-nally concentrated minds, and last April anemergency Presidential Decree was issued.The draft law restricts the introduction ofalien species and introduces residence con-trols, measures to promote environmentalconservation in the inhabited zone, and astronger quarantine system. It also expandsthe marine reserve to 64 kilometres aroundthe archipelago and gives it a workable le-gal and institutional framework, in an at-tempt to stem the other major problem ofuncontrolled fishing. But the law is not apanacea. It includes positive measures andprinciples, but the debate surrounding it hasbeen marked by simplistic models of sus-tainable development and community ben-efit that overlook the fundamental ecologi-cal issues and are not applicable to oceanicislands.

The Islands’ World Heritage status cancontinue to be a powerful influence in pro-moting measures to reverse the currentdecline. The dreaded “endangered” listinghas been held off on the proviso of closemonitoring for the next five years. But thejob to save Galapagos is a long term one -and one that must first start with the mottothat conservation IS development.

Ing. Jorge ANHALZERPresident, Charles Darwin Foundation

for the Galapagosand Dr Robert BENSTED-SMITH

Director, Charles Darwin Research Station

A $300M INDUSTRY

H E L P !( P h o t o © I g n a s i R i e r a ; J . C . B l a n c o ) .

QUARANT INE

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

F A C T S I N F I G U R E S

12. . . . . .

GUARDIAN OF THE TEMPLEUNESCO's most popular convention serves to identify and protect our natural and cultural heritageand to sound the alarm when, as is increasingly the case, it comes under threat.

1. Benin: Royal Palaces of Abomey2. Bulgaria: Srebarna Nature Reserve3. Cambodia: Angkor4. Croatia: Old City of Dubrovnik5. Croatia: Plitvice Lakes National Park6. Ecuador: Sangay National Park7. Ethiopia: Simien National Park8. Guinea/Côte d'Ivoire: Mount NimbaNature Reserve9. Honduras: Rio Platano BiosphereReserve10. India: Manas Wildlife Sanctuary11. Jordan: Old City of Jerusalem andits Walls12. Mali: Timbuktu (see p. 15)13. Niger: Air and Ténéré NaturalReserves14. Oman: Bahla Fort15. Peru: Chan Chan ArchaeologicalZone16. Poland: Wieliczka Salt Mines17. Tunisia: Ichkeul National Park

WORLD HERITAGE IN DANGER

18. United States: Everglades NationalPark (see page 9)19. United States: Yellowstone20. Yugoslavia: Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor21. Zaire: Virunga National Park(see page 14)22. Zaire: Garamba National Park(see page 14).

Thirteen of the 22 sites on the World Herit-age in Danger list are “natural” sites, wherethe ecological “integrity” has been threat-ened by conflict, mining operations, devel-opment projects, agricultural activities andurbanization.

The menaces facing the nine “cultural”sites include conflict, but also climatic andenvironmental changes such as desertific-

1

2

3

45

6

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1011

1213 14

15

16

17

18

1920

2122

ation in the case of Timbuktu, devastatingfloods provoked by the El Niño phenom-enon at Chan Chan (for which the Peruviangovernment has requested emergency as-sistance), typhoon damage at Abomey andwater seepage into the Wieliczka SaltMines.

This list could get much longer in thenot too distant future. The Galapagos Is-lands (Ecuador) and Potsdam (Germany)have only just avoided inclusion. Howeverquestions are now being raised about sitesin Australia, Canada, Cameroon, CentralAfrican Republic, Congo and Venezuelawhere mining, illegal logging, poachingand major power generation projects arecausing concern.

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

F A C T S I N F I G U R E S

13. . . . . . 0

50

100

150

200

Natural

One of the loudest criticisms of the WorldHeritage List is that it is too Eurocentricand focused on monuments (p. 16). Almosthalf of all sites (249) are located in Europeand North America. Africa has a total 46sites, the Arab States have 52, Asia and thePacific 104, and Latin America and theCaribbean have 65. Of the total 506 sites,380 are cultural, only 107 are natural sitesand 19 are mixed ones.

There are none at all in the PacificIsland nations (apart from New Zealand),however Member States of this region havebeen urged to consider sites for eventualinclusion.

BREAKDOWN OF WORLD HERITAGE LIST BY REGION AND TYPES OF SITES.

Europeand North America(48 out of 54)

32%

18%20%

10%

20%

Latin Americaand the Caribbean(27 out of 32)

Africa(30 out of 46)

Arab States(16 out of 33)

Asia and the Pacific(30 out of 38)

REGIONAL BREAKDOWN OF STATES PARTIES TO THE WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION.

Mixed

Cultural

Africa Arab StatesAsia and

the PacificEurope and

North AmericaLatin America and

the Caribbean

THE NORTH DOMINATES THE LIST

BUT THE CONVENTION IS WIDELY SUPPORTED

However the World Heritage List remains a lopsided "honour-roll", dominated mainlyby the industrialized North and its monuments.

Of UNESCO’s 185 Member States, 151have ratified the World Heritage Conven-tion, making it the Organization’s mostsuccessful such instrument. The big gapsare in the South Pacific, where only threeMember States have joined the club (PapuaNew Guinea, Fiji and the Solomon Is-lands), and the Àrab States, where less thanhalf of the countries in the region haveratified the convention.

However, within the framework of theGlobal Strategy aimed at broadening thescope of the World Heritage List and mak-ing it more representative of the world’scultures and environments, a major push isbeing made to raise awareness and makethe convention more attractive in theseregions.

F O C U S

U N E S C O S 0 U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

D o s s i e r

14 . . . . . .

CONSERVATION IN CRISISIs conservation a luxury to be pursued in times of peace? Or is there a way of protecting naturalheritage in times of conflict?

L ike jewels on a necklace, the Virunga,Garamba and the Kahuzi-Biega Na-

tional Parks, along with the Okapi WildlifeReserve, stretch through northeasternCongo-Zaire from the Sudan border in thenorth, to the border with Uganda andRwanda in the south, and span an array ofenvironments from lowland tropical forestsand moist savannas to glacial mountainpeaks. They boast one of the most diverseassemblages of plants and animals on thecontinent.

These four World Heritage sites arealso the backdrop for the most dramatic hu-manitarian and political crises on the con-tinent today: crises that saw these sitesturned into sprawling camps for hundredsof thousands of refugees, who were subse-quently and violently dispersed, and then,as wilderness areas in a frontier region,retreats for fleeing human populations andmilitias on both sides of the conflict. Parkheadquarters in all four sites were looted,

staff fled or were killed. Endangered moun-tain gorillas were killed in Virunga andmost elephants in the upland portions ofKahuzi-Biega Park were slaughtered.Heavily armed poachers have already takena serious toll on the elephant populationsin Garamba and several of the seriously en-dangered northern white rhino have alsobeen killed.

While deplorable, wildlife and infra-structure losses in military operations couldbe recovered in many cases if the protectedareas remain basically intact. However, thisis increasingly difficult as the war gives

way to anarchy and neighbouring popu-lations begin to move into all four of theareas to hunt, log, pan for gold and miner-als and even set up new villages.

Some might argue that concern for na-ture conservation is a luxury to be pursuedin times of peace and prosperity. This er-roneously represents these areas as essen-tial resources in times of need. Yet, the con-version of some of Kahuzi-Biega’smontane forests to grazing land were ac-tually land grabs by the locally powerfulelite and resolved none of the region’s needfor improved land tenure. Firewoodstripped from Virunga by refugees pro-vided only a few weeks supply.

Retreat from conservation in the faceof humanitarian disasters and politicalchaos offers no solution to these chal-lenges. It is just retreat.

What lessons can be drawn from theplight and predicament of Congo’s embat-tled heritage sites? In the past international

aid has flowed to these reserves in the formof development aid, and assumed function-ing state institutions and ultimate respon-sibility for these parks by national govern-ments. This has proven inadequate. Manyaid agencies withdrew at the first sign ofpolitical instability, leaving protected ar-eas bereft of any support at all.

While losses of wildlife and infrastruc-ture from protected areas may be inevit-able during times of crisis, recovery is gen-erally dependent on long-term, locally de-veloped and supported initiatives which aresite specific. This is not new. But to work

effectively, they need to be strongly linkedto international institutions and sources ofsupport that will endure when national in-frastructure and institutions collapse.Funds and staffing could be developed forsites most at risk. These projects should beable to function autonomously and to pro-vide a sense of identity and organization.They would not replace legitimate state in-stitutions, and indeed would collaboratewith them, but would not be dependent onthem during times of crisis.

One model for this is found with some ofthe international human rights groups whichmanage to support local individuals in theface of suppressive regimes, and thus ef-fectively and meaningfully draw attentionto abuses and gain support for change. Allinvolved, however, must accept that thisstrategy implies some risk.

It also implies what could be seen asunwelcome intervention in national affairs.But it should be remembered that inclu-sion of a site on the World Heritage List isdone with the authorization and support ofhost countries. World Heritage status alsoimplies that the site is of global importanceand significance, thus of concern to peo-ple everywhere. Inclusion of a site shouldalso be preceded by debate with host coun-tries on how it will be managed in a crisis,or how damage will be repaired. Periodicre-evaluation of sites must continue.

And here is the rub. The World Herit-age Committee accords status, but has lim-ited means to fund site protection and man-agement. Should sites have “trust funds”set up to support them? Could the WorldHeritage Centre develop a framework com-parable to the International Red Cross thatcould serve as emergency support in timesof crisis and work on prevention?

Each situation varies, and it would benigh on impossible to develop a single, glo-bally-applicable policy. But it has becomeurgent to develop a flexible approach thatincludes a range of degrees of engagement,and that breaks down the barriers that sepa-rate humanitarian concerns and conservation.

John HARTWildlife Conservation Society, Okapi

R E F U G E E S O NT H E E D G E O FT H E V I R U N G A

N A T I O N A LP A R K

( P h o t o ©G e o r g e

M u l a l a /R e u t e r s /

M A X P P P ) .

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U N E S C O S 0 U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

F O C U S

“Money has already been made avail-able to the Malian government,” adds Inal.“The experts are about to begin their sur-veys and work will soon follow. It will becarried out in coordination with UNESCO,CRATerre and others. We have no inten-tion of building great paved boulevards.The idea is to preserve the historic parts ofcities by restoring monuments. But $3.5million is not much to finance all the workinvolved, like sanitation, the installation ofelectricity and telephone systems, with un-derground pipes and cables, the tracing ofpedestrian routes for tourists...”

The World Heritage Centre is, however,cautious. “The amount of money involvedis much higher than anything which seemsnecessary,” says Saouma-Forero. “I fearthere’s too much money going into badlyidentified needs. This risks destroying as-pects of the living tradition of Timbuktu likethe upkeep by the masons. This is all-the-more true since, for the moment, we haveonly a budgetary line, no actual projects.”

This concern is shared by some Malianswho are afraid of being “buried in finan-cial sands”. “ We have already received alot of money from IDA with no significantresult,” says one official linked to theproject. “And our debt level is so high thatwe can’t add to it rashly. There are thingswe should do without borrowing money.”

“There are two ways of carrying outprojects in Africa,” Saouma-Forero adds.“You can invest huge amounts of moneywith complicated procedures. But whatworks are small projects which Africanscan handle themselves, both in terms ofmanagement and technical expertise.

“Of course, we can introduce innova-tive methods but we must always ensuremaximum local participation. Mali hasbeen trying to develop tourism for a longtime and this involves valorizing its herit-age. Yet, our major concern is not to makethese sites into museums to please tourists.We must ensure that they remain livingplaces of faith.”

Sophie BOUKHARIand Mohamed AMARA DICKO

Timbuktu

15. . . . . . .

D o s s i e r

TRIUMPH BUT TRAVAIL IN TIMBUKTUA major restoration plan to dig Timbuktu’s monuments up from under the sandmay bury it in debt.

It was unique among the cities of BlackAfrica in the solidity of its institutions,

political liberties, the purity of spirits...” Butthe golden age of Timbuktu (16th century),so highly lauded by the author MahmoudKati, is far gone. Today, it is with a tug atthe heart-strings that the visitor discoversthe “mysterious city” of 333 saints, dilapi-dated, victim of the encroaching sands,strewn with heaps of garbage. “A quarterof the historic city is in ruins,” says BabaCisse, President of the Association for theSafeguarding of Timbuktu.

The site was added to the World Herit-age in Danger List in 1990. The three prin-cipal mosques (Djingarey Ber, Sankore,Sidi Yehiya), mausoleums and cemeteriesof the saints, and the houses of scholarshave suffered. “The mosques are composedof fragile materials constantly menaced byrare but violent storms,” says GaliaSaouma-Forero of the World Heritage Cen-tre in Paris. According to the imam of theDjingarey Ber mosque, “the walls are bulg-ing and cracking... and there is a risk thatthe minaret will collapse.”

Sand represents another serious menace. Apilot workshop, organized by the FrenchNGO CRATerre last December with$40,000 from the World Heritage Fund, re-ported that some parts of the Sankoremosque haven’t been seen in half a century.“The western facade is buried under 1.5metres of sand,” says Ali Ould Sidi whoheads the Timbuktu cultural mission. Ac-cording to the environmentalist Jean Dakuo,sand doesn’t just menace the religious edi-fices. “It dries up the ponds and under-ground water and destroys the plant cover.Already hard hit by the great droughts ofthe 1970s, the city was further torn by con-flicts during the Touareg rebellion whichled to the exodus of a large part of thepopulation.”

But Timbuktu also risks losing a moreintangible aspect of its heritage: its linkwith the surrounding community. “We un-covered an intricate social organizationwhich looks after the maintenance of themosques,” explains Saouma-Forero. “Ma-sons are assigned to the job from father toson. Each year at the time of the ‘wintering’,

the faithful send offerings (silver, karite nutbutter) and take part in cleaning and re-pairing the buildings all day.”

But this seven century-old tradition isbeginning to erode. “The degradation ofliving standards is such that it turns peo-ple away from anything cultural,” saysSane Chirfi Alpha of Cedrab, a local docu-mentation centre. The imam of DjingareyBer agrees. “Those who get involved are

increasingly rare. We haven’t seen a do-nor since the drought years, except whenit comes to the water supply system.”

This is why the people of Timbuktuplace great hope in assistance from the in-ternational community. “Twelve milliondollars have been allocated to ‘HistoricCities and Monuments’ under Mali’s Ur-ban Development and DecentralizationProgramme,” says Abdelghani Inal of theWorld Bank. “Of this amount, $3.5 millionis earmarked for Timbuktu.” Half of thisprogramme is financed by the InternationalDevelopment Association (IDA, an affili-ate of the World Bank which provides loansunder preferential conditions). The restcomes through cooperation with Europeanorganizations. For the first time in Africa,historic and cultural cities are included insuch a programme and duly financed, saysSilvio Mutal, a consultant at the WorldHeritage Centre.

H IGHER THAN EXPECTED

DOWN UNDER

R E S T O R I N G D J I N G A R E Y B E R( P h o t o © C R A Te r r e / T. J o f f r o y ) .

F O C U S

U N E S C O S 0 U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

D o s s i e r

16. . . . . .

A PRIVATE CLUB OR OPEN HOUSE?

Uganda’s Commissioner for Museumsand Antiquities, Dr Ephraim Kamu-

hangire is one expert who thinks some ofthe provisions of UNESCO’s World Herit-age Convention belong right where heworks: in the museum, as antiquated relicsof an unfair document.

The small number of African sites in-scribed (46) “does not mean that Africahasn’t got much to offer the world in natu-ral and cultural heritage, but rather thatwe haven’t been able to fulfil the ratherstringent requirements for listing - espe-cially for cultural properties that requireprotection from man-made and naturalhazards.”

He believes the so-called “outstandinguniversal value” requirement, which de-mands assurances of “authenticity” ,knocks out most of Africa’s nominationsfor the list. He argues that “integrity” and“cultural relevance” are not universallycomparable: sites must basically “be au-thentic and approved by the eyes of the can-didate country, not a panel of outside ex-perts who fail to understand the complexi-ties of African cultures.” Apart from whathe sees as the World Heritage Committee’s“reliance” on the specialist NGOsICCROM and ICOMOS for site evalua-tion, he also criticizes the lack of Africanrepresentation on the Committee which hesays is “insignificant” .

Dr Kamuhangire says many of the Af-rican nominations cannot be compared tothe monuments and ancient cities found inother civilizations, but rather fall into the cat-egory of “cultural landscapes”, which hasbeen accepted by the World Heritage Com-mittee since 1992. The Commissioner wouldlike to see the selection criteria for these “re-laxed and made as flexible as possible”.

“The World Heritage Convention isalso poorly understood by most govern-ments in Africa,” he observed, adding thatmost African countries have dozens of sitesof great cultural value that are yet to gainany recognition.

I D EM FOR THE PAC I F I CFor Soroi Marepo Eoe, the director of PapuaNew Guinea’s National Museum and ArtGallery, the total absence of any Pacific Is-land sites on the World Heritage List is duelargely to the fact that the Convention hasnot been seen as relevant to the governmentsand peoples of this vast and lightly popu-lated region: rather it has been seen as an“instrument to protect monuments, andthere are not too many Gothic cathedralsin the South Pacific.”

Consequently “the Convention and itsgoals are not well known, and conserva-tion or preservation is not an issue. For mostgovernments the important thing is today andwhat we are building and living now.”

The first job, therefore, is one of rais-ing awareness - both governmental andcommunity - of the importance of heritagein the Pacific.

Then comes the question of criteria. Ameeting on identifying world heritage prop-erties in the Pacific, held in Fiji last July,agreed that potential sites there were morelikely to be “serial sites” and “multi-lay-ered cultural landscapes”, spread through-out several islands and linked by themesrelevant to the region: sites, for example,that attest to the history of voyaging, tradeor agriculture and settlement. Nonetheless,Eoe sees the Convention as “a very posi-tive tool” that will at least help set up anetwork that can provide support andknowledge.

TO FIND OUT MORE ...

Physical difficulties aside, there are some who believe that the World Heritage Conventionis not evolving fast enough or in the right direction to ensure that it fulfils its role in site protection.

While numerous voices criticize theWorld Heritage List as being too restric-tive, there are also those who consider thatit may becoming too “open”. Jim Thorsell,the head of the World Conservation Un-ion’s (IUCN), Natural Heritage Pro-gramme, is among those concerned aboutits evolution.

“The quest for representativity hasseen a continual expansion of the criteriafor world heritage listing to allow an ever-widening array of features, phenomenaand places to be nominated. But is theWorld Heritage List meant to be a cata-logue of important heritage places aroundthe world, or a select, exclusive list of the‘best of the best’? Although the operationalguidelines suggest the latter, the WorldHeritage Committee’s decisions do not al-ways adhere to them. The list becomes in-clusive, not exclusive.

“With such an extensive list, keepingtrack of the conservation status of sites hasbecome an almost impossible task. TheCommittee now deals with some 50-60monitoring reports each year.

“However, not only is the managabilityof the list a concern. There are clearly, forone reason or another, ‘mistakes’ on it.Marginal sites that did not receive rigor-ous evaluation, or where other factorstipped the scales, result in a decline of theoverall credibility of the World HeritageList. Are we devaluing the currency? Ifevery site is considered unique, is every-thing then unique? The Convention’s op-erational guidelines do not limit thenumber of sites on the List. Perhaps it istime to consider if they should.”

Billy O’KADAMERI in Kampalaand S.W.

THE WORLD HERITAGE REVIEW: a quar-terly publication available on subscription,featuring in-depth, illustrated articles oncultural and natural sites.

THE WORLD HERITAGE NEWSLETTER:published six times a year, it provides in-formation on policy and other issues fac-ing world heritage.

THE WORLD HERITAGE MAP: a foldingposter in colour available free of charge inEnglish, French and Spanish.

THE WORLD HERITAGE: a series for youngpeople from 8-15 years. Childrens Press/UNESCO Publishing, Paris.

CD-ROM WORLD HERITAGE CITIES:presents 100 historical cities around theworld. For PCs and Macintosh. Cyberion/UNESCO, Paris, 1996.

Information on world heritage is also avail-able through UNESCO’s server on Internetat http://www.unesco.org/whc:

UNESCO World HeritageDesk Diary

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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Please send me . . . . copies of the UNESCO World Heritage Desk Diary 1998. 110 FF each + postage: 30 FF. Cheque enclosed.

UNESCO Publishing, Sales Division, 7, Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP.

■ A contributionto thesafeguardingof our worldheritage

■ More than 100colour photos ofnew cultural andnatural worldheritage sites inabout 20countries

■ 18.5 x 26.5 cm,trilingual:EnglishFrenchSpanish

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A l l a r t i c l e s a r e f r e e o f c o p y r i g h tr e s t r i c t i o n s a n d c a n b e r e p r o d u c e d .

U N E S C O S O U R C E S

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

P L A N E T

presented in the application. As Jean-PierreWallot of Canada, who presided over thesession, pointed out, “China apparentlywants to register the entire Tibetan archi-val collection. It undoubtedly contains aprecious corpus of texts which have beenconserved for a very long time in the mon-asteries. But it also includes a lot of recentdocuments of which we know nothing aboutthe content.” There is also an “ownershipproblem”, as pointed out by Stephane Ipert,director of the French Centre de conserva-tion du livre (book conservation) and anobserver at the meeting.

Another sensitive proposal concernedmanuscripts from the Balkans, presentedby Bulgaria. Ipert called for caution, re-calling the conflict of ownership betweenBulgaria and Greece.

More generally, Ray Edmondson, anAustralian specialist in audio-visual ar-chives and committee member, pointed outthe political dimension of promoting or, onthe contrary, destroying certain documents.He, for instance, deplored “the burning offilms taking place in Afghanistan at thesame time that this meeting is being heldon its very doorstep.” The representativeof the International Council on Archives(ICA), Joan Van Albada, recalled that thewar in ex-Yugoslavia was accompanied by“a veritable purification of archives someticulously carried out that it is diffi-cult to obtain even a deed or a birth cer-tificate.”

“What should we save first?” askedIpert. “Old illuminating manuscripts whichare no longer read, or documents like landsurveys or civil status registries, less pres-tigious but more useful? In the Middle Eastwhere I am currently working, the value ofadministrative archives is not always rec-ognized. In Jordan for example, the landsurvey records are poorly maintained,clumsily patched together with scotch tape,and any architect can carry away an origi-nal document. More astonishing, I foundthe entire cadastral survey of Transjordandrawn up by the British in a cellar under apile of old tires. No one seems to care.”

For Ipert, the committee’s job is par-ticularly arduous because “each country

What should be included in the world’sdocumentary heritage? This was the mainquestion posed at the third session of theInternational Consultative Committee forthe Memory of the World, meeting inTashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, from Sep-tember 29 to October 1. Coming togetherfor the first time to inscribe jewels of thisheritage on the Memory of the World Reg-ister, 12 committee members examinedsome 60 nominations. The objective was tocreate a choice selection of archival docu-ments and works of universal interest, simi-lar to the World Heritage List but withoutthe legal (the Convention of 1972) and fi-nancial props (the World Heritage Fund).

“Half the nominations were accepted.They came from archives, national and uni-versity libraries and private foundations in33 counties,” said Abdelaziz Abid, coor-dinator of UNESCO’S Memory of theWorld Programme. The Register of docu-mentary heritage was thus enriched by 28elements from 22 countries as exceptionalas the Othman Koran, the oldest knowncopy of the sacred book of Islam(Uzbekistan), the largest collection of tra-ditional music (China), the colonial ar-chives of French Equatorial Africa (Sen-egal) and one of the planet’s most beauti-ful map series (Finland).

“For the others, the committee either rec-ommended their inscription on nationalregisters, which it would like to see cre-ated in each country, or requested moreinformation,” Abid explained. “TheBelarussians, for instance, proposed toomany unrelated documents. In the sameway, Belgium presented the archives of apolitical leader, Emile Vandervelde. But thecommittee has not yet selected criteriawhich will enable it to sort through this typeof document, since we know we can’t in-scribe all the archives of political figureson the Register. In the case for two filmsproposed by Nigeria, the committee hasasked for the opinion of qualified experts.”

The committee also postponed a deci-sion on Tibetan archives presented byChina. This example illustrated the diffi-culties involved in selecting documentssimply on the basis of the information

H e r i t a g e

18. . . . . .

A SELECTIVE MEMORYPolitics and meagre resources complicate the tricky processof safeguarding the world’s archival heritage.

▼

Young people in Cuba and Mexicowill learn to restore monuments whileefforts are undertaken to inventoryHaitian heritage and valorize earthenobjects in Togo. These are just some ofthe new projects in 1998 for theUNESCO Forum - UNIVERSITY ANDHERITAGE - a network of 72 universi-ties in 42 countries. Representativesmet in Quebec City (Canada) fromOctober 5 to 10 to define activitiespromoting research, higher educationand international cooperation insafeguarding cultural heritage.

●

The f o rme r r oya l c ap i t a l o f L ao s , L U A N GPRABANG , w i l l b e t h e s i t e o f a newWor l d He r i t age I n f o r ma t i on Cen t r e .F o l l ow i ng a c oope ra t i on ag r eemen t s i gneda t UNESCO on O c t obe r 2 , t h e Reg i onCen t r e o f F r a n c e w i l l c o n t r i b u t e a b o u t$67 ,000 t o r e s t o re a 19 th c en t u r ybu i l d i ng f o rme r l y u s ed a s a F r en ch

cu s t oms o f f i c e i n a t ea ch i ng p r o j e c t t op rov i de t e c hn i c a l c on s e r va t i on t r a i n i ng .Known i n t h e 13 th c en t u r y a s “ t hek i ngdom o f m i l l i o n s o f e l ephan t s ” , t h i sWo r l d He r i t age s i t e c on s t i t u t e s aha rmon i ou s en s emb l e o f t r ad i t i ona l andF r en ch c o l on i a l a r c h i t e c t u r e .

(Ph

oto

UN

ES

CO

)

A N O W N E R S H I P P R O B L E M

B U R N I N G F I L M S

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

P L A N E T

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19. . . . . .

H e r i t a g e

has priorities and, inside each country, noteveryone wants to save the same pieces.In Egypt, the Coptic archives are very pre-cious but the Arab countries generallydon’t place much value on the Christianperiod of their history.”

Van Albada would like to settle the is-sue by advocating the inscription of all ar-chives on the Memory of the World Regis-ter. “There is no objective criteria for se-lecting one series rather than another,” hesaid. “The choice made by states them-selves always answers to political consid-erations or the personal taste of curators.”

“The problem is that everyone has adifferent sense of what is the Memory ofthe World,” said Guy Petherbridge who isresponsible for evaluating the programme.“Basically, librarians and archivists havedifferent approaches. Archivists always ac-cumulate large amounts of records but theydon’t have the means to keep them all. Soafter sifting through it all, one of theirmajor jobs is actually to destroy.”

“What we have in our stocks is the prod-uct of a careful selection carried out by twoor three generations of archivists followingvery strict rules. On average, we keep onlyfrom 1 - 10% of material,” Van Albada con-firmed. The value of all that remains istherefore inestimable.

“On the contrary,” Petherbridge added,“librarians generally deal with groups ofreproduced things in tens, hundreds andthousands of copies. For them, the questionis not to preserve all of the copies.”

“There is another difference between li-brarians and ourselves,” Van Albada said.“Librarians can select works individuallywhereas an archival document has no valueexcept in relation to other material. It hasno meaning outside its context.” For him,the selection of certain archives would betantamount to denying the value of othersand thereby running the risk of seeing themneglected, even destroyed.

Another committee member disagrees.Edwina Peters, director of the National Ar-chives of Trinidad and Tobago, insists that“according the status of Memory of theWorld to a treasure does not detract fromthe value of others. But it can be used asleverage to get more resources.”

Indeed the profession is sorely lackingin funds. “Last year, the state provided theRussian National Library with only 20% ofits budget,” said Marie-Therese Varlamoff,representing IFLA (the International Fed-eration of Library Associations). In Africa,the accent is on university libraries becausethey require urgent attention, although theothers are also in disastrous condition.

This scarcity of resources is all the moredeplorable in view of technologicalprogress, particularly with digitalizationmaking it possible to safeguard documen-tary heritage while facilitating access.

“Beyond our present work,” concludedPhilippe Queau, the director of UNESCO’sInformation and Informatics Division, “theMemory of the World Programme is a drawcard for a broader idea which consists incalling the attention of states to the immenseriches of their public heritage. Our ambi-tion is to increase access to the world pub-lic domain constituted by the intangibleheritage in all its forms.”

S.B.Tashkent

T H E O T H M A N C A L I P H O F M E D I N A W A SA S S A S S I N AT E D W H I L E R E A D I N G T H I S

K O R A N W R I T T E N I N 5 6 1 . I T E N D E D U PI N U Z B E K I S T A N P R O B A B LY A F T E R

T A M E R L A N E ’ S C O N Q U E S T O F I R A K .( P h o t o © A l l R i g h t s R e s e r v e d ) .

▼

“Can the past be given to the presentand preserved for the future?” Thisand other tourism-related questionswere raised at a round-table last yearat UNESCO. Synthesizing thesediscussions, the booklet entitledCULTURE, TOURISM, DEVELOPMENT:crucial issues for the XXIst century,offers a series of graphics on skyrock-eting growth in this sector: the numberof international tourists multiplied 25

times in 50 years and is expected toreach 937 million in the year 2010.The text focuses on mitigating theimpact of tourism on natural andcultural environments.

●

How can ART I SANS t ake advan t age o ft he i n t e r na t i ona l ma rke t w i t hou t b e i ngt aken advan t age o f ? T h i s wa s a t t h ehea r t o f a s ympo s i um o rgan i z ed i nMan i l a ( Ph i l i p p i ne s ) , O c t obe r 6 -8 , byUNESCO and t he I n t e rna t i ona l Tr adeC e n t r e .Rep r e s en t i ng abou t 40 c oun t r i e s , t h epa r t i c i p an t s i d en t i f i e d p r i o r i t i e s f o rr e i n f o r c i ng t h i s e c onom i c s e c t o r, v i t a l f o rs o many deve l op i ng c oun t r i e s .T hey d i s c u s s ed way s o f d i s t i ngu i s h i ngbe tween t h i s c r a f two rk and manu fa c t u r edp r o d u c t s , e n s u r i n g c o p y r i g h t p r o t e c t i o na n d d e v e l o p i n g n e w m a r k e t i n gs t r a t e g i e s .

P U B L I C D O M A I N

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A l l a r t i c l e s a r e f r e e o f c o p y r i g h tr e s t r i c t i o n s a n d c a n b e r e p r o d u c e d .

U N E S C O S O U R C E S

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

P L A N E T

men are violent. They are not inherentlyevil nor are they biologically inclined to-wards aggression. In short, testosteronenever made anyone do it.

Instead, violence is something learnedfrom family, friends, schools, workplacesand the media, says Pineda, with genderconstructions beginning at birth. “If awoman bears a son,” he says, “the familywins a chicken and the midwives chargemore... The boy grows up learning not tocry, to be tough and to play war.”

“But this explanation - called sex roles- can only go so far,” says Robert Connellof the University of Sydney. “It doesn’taddress the pleasure men sometimes feelin aggression - the active way in which theymay embrace a violent form of masculin-ity in constructing their own identities. Nordoes it account for gender diversity.”

For the past 17 years, Connell has been try-ing to understand just that. Far from dis-covering the quintessential male, he hasuncovered an eclectic range ofmasculinities. However, societies tend tohave a preferred or dominant form - be itthe strong-but-silent type, the fierce war-rior or the high-powered executive. “Yetmany men cannot match it nor do they de-sire to” which, Connell says, may open thedoor to new possibilities in building a cul-ture of peace. Unfortunately, violence is theeasier way out of self doubts.

But there is more to the gender puzzle.A dominant social position comes completewith economic privileges, reminds AlbertoGodenzi of the University of Fribourg(Switzerland). “Many men may feel threat-ened by women’s rising influence. So theyfeel pressure to do something... As a group,they tend to try to restore the previous stateof inequality.”

Pineda fine-tunes the argument bylooking to the other lead actor - women.“During the war, we were fighters whowanted change in our country. Women lefttheir homes, left their babies to fight asguerrillas. They gave up their femininity,”he says. “Gender agendas were never dis-cussed. We were more concerned and so-cialized by class difference - that was con-sidered the basis of equality, not gender.

C u l t u r e o f P e a c e

20. . . . . .

ESCAPING RAMBOFor the first time in the UN system, experts turn to new researchon violence and masculinities to find ways of promoting peace.Daniel Rios Pineda must have felt like a fishout of water. The El-Salvadorian was inOslo surrounded by about 25 gender expertsat a UNESCO conference on masculinities.The room buzzed with talk of sex roles,biological determinism and patriarchy.Pineda’s expertise lay with manure andcrop yields, working in an NGO withpoor farmers. But like a breath of freshair, Pineda made a bee-line to the heartof the meeting.

“We just don’t know how to deal withour wives,” he says with a shy smile.“They’ve become feminists. We want tosupport them but we feel like the bad guys...Five years after the civil war, we want aculture of peace. We have UNESCO pro-grammes for demobilizing soldiers andwomen are slowly making it into politics.But domestic violence is still rising. Wedon’t have statistics but we even hear ofpolicemen killing their wives... We mustask why. Why do men feel they must domi-nate?”

Ingeborg Breines of UNESCO’sWomen and a Culture of Peace Programmecouldn’t have explained better the ‘why’s’for organizing the meeting - the first of itskind in the UN system to explore gen-der-related factors promoting or hamper-ing a culture of peace. In doing so, shehas taken equality out of the ghetto ofso-called ‘women’s issues’ by tappinginto a new field of research onmasculinities.

From ethnography to criminology and edu-cation, these researchers have sought tounderstand the complex reasons why menwill adopt one form of masculinity overanother. While their work is largely basedin universities in North America, WesternEurope and Scandinavia, they are layingthe conceptual groundwork for people likePineda who want to engage men in build-ing equality instead of blaming or excus-ing them for the socio-economic privilegesthey enjoy or the violence some wreak. AsBreines points out, men account for 80-90% of criminal statistics globally.

To begin with, everyone agreed on afew ground rules: “ape-man” theories arefirmly rejected. Neither all or even most

N E I T H E R B L A M E N O R E X C U S E

T H E G E N D E R P U Z Z L E

▼

“Every day, irreplaceable culturaltreasures are taken from the placeswhere they belong to enter theinternational art market... while theauthorities concerned stand helplesslyby.” The handbook Preventing ILLICITTRAFFIC in Cultural Property, outlinesthe scope of the problem before

reviewing ways of implementing the1970 UNESCO Convention. Designedprimarily for police and customsofficers, it also reviews means forinternational cooperation andprocedures for seeking return orrestitution of cultural property in caseswhere the Convention does not apply.

☞ Division of Cultural Heritage

●

W h a t d o e s t h e “ A l A n d a l u s m o d e l ”r ep r e s en t : an i n t e r- c u l t u r a l and r e l i g i ou sd i a l ogue o r a s o c i e t y s epa ra t i ng oneg roup f r om t he nex t ? Th i s i s bu t one o ft h r ee axe s t o b e exp l o r ed i n t h eAL ANDALUS ROUTES p ro j e c t exp l o r-i ng t h e l i nk s b e tween I s l am , Ch r i s t i an i t yand Juda i sm and be tween Eu rope , t h eA rab wo r l d and A f r i c a . Abou t 30h i s t o r i an s , s o c i o l og i s t s and an t h r opo l o -g i s t s me t i n G r enada ( Spa i n ) , S ep t embe r27 -30 t o l aun ch t he r ou t e j o i n i ngUNESCO ’s “ S i l k Road s ” p ro j e c t . “ Fa i t hand r a t i ona l i t y ” a r i s e s w i t h t h e pe r i od ’ss c i en t i f i c and ph i l o s oph i c a l d eve l opmen twh i l e t h e t h i r d axe w i l l f o c u s onex change s i n know l edge and know -how.

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

P L A N E T

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21. . . . . .

C u l t u r e o f P e a c e

And when the war ended, some of theseex-fighters participated in the women’smovements. But usually they returnedhome.”

Pineda has faith in his wife; meaninghe is confident that the women’s movementwill make progress on the economic andpolitical fronts. Granted, the task is ambi-tious and women cannot go at it alone. Menmust actively support the movement whichmeans ‘giving up the power’ in strivingtowards a culture of peace. Practical meas-ures are needed like equal employmentlaws, day-care and paternity leave.

But for Pineda, the problems go deeper.He looks North where equality might beless of a distantdream and yetmen still make up90% of parlia-mentarians. Theyown four times asmany guns aswomen in the USwhile accountingfor 90% of thosecharged withmurder in 1993.And in countrieslike Australia,Connell remindsthat young mendie driving fourtimes more thanyoung women onthe roads and killat an even higher ratio. Then there is theglobal scourge of domestic violence, rapeand related crimes. And finally, Pineda isbombarded with stories of the anti-femi-nist backlashes stretching from the UnitedStates to Russia.

But there are some bright spots like theWhite Ribbon campaign originating inCanada in which men pledge to break thesilence surrounding sexism and violenceand raise funds for local women’s shelters.While interested in bringing this movementhome, Pineda is not entirely convinced.He’s thinking of the boys surrounding hisown son: their obsession with violentgames and constant fighting.

But it’s time to burst Pineda’s bubble:girls can be just as bad. “Girls are growingup and feeling powerful, which is a greatthing,” says Canadian Michael Kaufman,perhaps the world’s only fulltime activist

against sexism. “But they are adopting avery masculine definition of power basedon domination.”

These power relations are reinforced bythe school’s hierarchical and authoritarianstructure. “That’s hard to change,” admitsKaufman who has spent eight years work-ing in education systems. But adjustmentsare possible. Connell has a gender check-list looking at curriculum content, assur-ing that female teachers are fairly promotedwhile encouraging girls to major in scienceand boys in literature. The list includes spe-cial activities - namely workshops and re-treats - to help kids untie their gender straightjackets.

This is whereKaufman stepsin. Now, don’tjump to conclu-sions - but hetakes boys out inthe woods to talkabout sex. Hegives them ba-bies in need of adiaper change sothat they “seethat caring andnurturing arepart of what itmeans to be aman.” He headsinto the media,teaching kids totake apart the

stereotypes. “Ten or 15 years ago, womenbegan criticizing images of women. Nowwe find boys feeling inadequate in frontof the Calvin Klein ads.” And finally, hegets them to talk about homophobia. Notjust limiting the discussions to the hatredand aggression directed towards homo-sexual, Kaufman goes into the wider phe-nomena in which boys feel the need toprove to themselves and other boys thatthey are real men. To get over this “fearof other men,” he helps them explore thealternatives.

Pineda chuckles at the thought of ask-ing teachers at home to explore homopho-bia. Of course, “we need to break the ta-boos for a culture of peace.” But Pinedamight begin by helping his wife at home.

A.O.Oslo

(© Sidney Harris).

“It’s an excellent proof, but it lacks warmth and feeling.”

●

To ma rk t he 25 th ann i v e r s a r y o f t h eWORLD HER I TAGE CONVENT ION , f i v ec ommemora t i v e c o i n s r ep r e s en t i ng s i t e si n s c r i b ed on t he L i s t we r e p r e s en t ed a tHeadqua r t e r s on O c t obe r 23 .

P r odu ced by t h e Span i s h M in t , t h e c o i n sa r e pa r t o f a s e r i e s l aun ched i n 1996 t or a i s e pub l i c i n t e r e s t i n p r o t e c t i ng wo r l dhe r i t age . T he new c o i n s d ep i c t s i t e s a sd i v e r s e a s t h e Buddh i s t monumen t s o ft h e H o r y u - j i r e g i o n i n J a p a n t o C h i l i ’sR a p a N u i N a t i o n a l P a r k . R o y a l t i e s w i l lb e d o n a t e d t o U N E S C O t o f i n a n c es a f e g u a r d i n g a c t i v i t i e s .

▼

“Building the future of Burundi” wasthe title of a series of meetingsorganized through UNESCO’sCULTURE OF PEACE Programme inParis, September 26-28. Representingthe country’s gamut of political andsocial perspectives, participants met inthe presence of observers fromconcerned countries, inter and non-governmental organizations. Theinformal discussions aimed at encourag-ing the ongoing political negotiations.

●

The pho t o o f t h e l i t t l e V i e t namese g i r lr unn i ng nude f r om napa lm f l amescon t i nue s t o r em ind t he wo r l d o f t h eho r r o r s o f wa r. Bu t a t t h e age o f 34 ,K IM PHUC h a s b e come a s ymbo l o f anda c t i v i s t f o r p ea c e , go i ng s o f a r a s t opub l i c l y f o r g i v e t h e man r e s pon s i b l e f o rt he bomb ing wh i c h l e f t h e r p e rmanen t l yd i s f i gu r ed i n 1972 . Du r i ng a c e r emonya t Headqua r t e r s on Novembe r 10 , s hebe came a UNESCO Goodw i l l Amba s sado rf o r t h e Cu l t u r e o f P ea c e . M s . Phu c nowl i v e s i n Canada w i t h he r hu sband andch i l d r en .

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A l l a r t i c l e s a r e f r e e o f c o p y r i g h tr e s t r i c t i o n s a n d c a n b e r e p r o d u c e d .

U N E S C O S O U R C E S

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

P L A N E T

E d u c a t i o n

22. . . . . .

TEACHING HOW IT’S DONEFamily planning has arrived in Uzbekistan where the populationis growing by 3.3% annually.“In this part of Central Asia, awarenessabout contraception is lacking even amongeducated people,” explained HafizuddinAhmad, the coordinator of the project pro-moting family planning in Uzbekistan, be-ing executed by UNESCO and financed bythe United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA). Launched in April 1997, it relieson information campaigns, but above all ontraining health personnel to produce educa-tional materials and raise awareness. “We’realso creating a corps of 760 volunteers, eachof whom will be assigned 100 households.This means that 76,000 households will bevisited four times a year in the capital andtwo rural regions.

“You must remember that under the So-viet regime, a mother with nine or ten chil-dren was awarded,” Ahmad said. But sinceindependence in 1991, priorities havechanged. “The five Central Asian repub-lics have a total of 55 million inhabitants.Over 23 million of them live in Uzbekistanwhere population is growing by an annual3.3%. The objective is to bring the fertilityrate down to 2% over the next five years.”

The country is not lacking in assets. Besidesa literacy rate of 96%, it has a good net-work of hospitals and health centres inher-ited from the Soviet period. Most now offerfamily planning services. “Demographicgrowth is slowly falling. But if women couldlearn more about the different methods ofcontraception, it would go down evenfaster.” According to a recent study, 56%of married Uzbek women use some contra-ceptive device and another 14% would liketo do so.

“Today, women, particularly the besteducated, resort too often to abortion in-stead of using safer methods,” Ahmadadded. As in other former USSR republics,this practice is considered to be just anothermethod of contraception: 14% of pregnan-cies were thus interrupted over the last threeyears. This rate reached 22% in cities and31% in the capital Tashkent. Only 12% ofthem were done after contraception failed.

Among all women of child-bearing agein the study, 16% had aborted at least once.A third of the women over 35 years hadhad an abortion, and of them, 57% had had

more than one. Almost all of these abor-tions (87%) took place in governmenthealth centres. However, 9% of the womenconcerned had subsequent health problems- ranging from infections or interruption oftheir menstrual cycle, to excessive bleed-ing; 2% of the women had to be hospital-ized for an average 12 days.

“Moreover, even when they know aboutseveral methods of contraception, womenhave no way of judging which device suitsthem the best. An increasing number ofwomen have an IUD inserted withoutknowing that it is not prescribed for womenwith anaemia, for example.”

The information materials produced bythe project will, therefore, attempt to pro-vide answers to questions posed by differ-ent target groups. “The same brochure can-not apply, for instance, to married women,adolescents or persons suffering from AIDS

who, fortunately, are not numerous (about50 cases have been declared),” Ahmad ex-plained. But for the moment, the most im-portant task is to teach volunteers how toprepare documents. “This is new for them.Before, everything came from Moscow. Youcouldn’t even have a photocopy machine,much less produce printed materials.”

S. B.Tashkent

FA L L I N G T O O S L O W LY

W O U L D S H E H A V E M O R E I F S H E H A D A C H O I C E ? ( P h o t o S o p h i e B o u k h a r i ) .

●

L i f e and Hope A l ong t he Mekong t ake sv i ewe r s on a 40 m inu t e v i d eo t r i p t o f i ndwomen l i v i ng i n t h e moun ta i n s o f L ao sl ea rn i ng new l i t e r a c y and i n c ome -gene ra t i ng s k i l l s t h r ough a UNESCO

▼

“The world we leave to our childrendepends in large measure on thechildren we leave to our world.” In ajoint message marking WORLDTEACHERS’ DAY on October 5,UNESCO, Education International (theworld’s largest teachers’ union) andthe International Labour Organizationhighlighted teachers’ “primordialrole” in shaping society while recog-nizing the often adverse conditions inwhich they work. For example, closeto one third of the world’s 50 millionteachers have not received training.

p ro j e c t p r o m o t i n g E D U C AT I O N F O RALL . T he i nnova t i v e app roa ch c omb ine sp ra c t i c a l s k i l l s i n ag r i c u l t u r e and c r a f t sw i t h l anguage l e s s on s i n L ao a s many o ft he s e women a r e f r om e t hn i c m ino r i t i e sl i v i ng i n i s o l a t ed and poo r c ond i t i on s .

☞ G l oba l A c t i on P r og rammeon Edu ca t i on f o r A l l

U N E S C O S O U R C E S N o . 9 5 / N O V E M B E R 1 9 9 7

P L A N E T

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23. . . . . .

UNESCO SOURCES is a monthly magazine publishedby the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul-tural Organization [tel: (+33 1) 45 68 16 73; fax:(+33 1) 45 68 56 54]. English and French editionsare produced at Paris Headquarters; the Spanish edi-tion in cooperation with the UNESCO Centre of Catalo-nia, Mallorca 285, 08037 Barcelona, Spain; the Chi-nese edition in cooperation with the Xinhua NewsAgency, 57 Xuanwumen Xidajie, Beijing, China; thePortuguese edition in cooperation with the PortugueseNational Commission for UNESCO, Avenida InfanteSanto, No. 42-5°, 1300 Lisbon, Portugal.

Editor-in-Chief: R. Lefort. Associate editors:S. Williams, S. Boukhari, A. Otchet, N. Khouri-Dagher.Assistant Managing Editor: C. Mouillère. Span-ish edition: E. Kouamou (Barcelona), L. Sampedro(Paris). Lay-out: G. Traiano, F. Ryan. Circulation andSecretariat: D. Maarek.

Photoengraving and printing in UNESCO Work-shops. Distribution by UNESCO's specialized services.

Y o u t h

GIVE AND TAKEFrom megaliths to cookbooks, local groups are pulling togetherwith a network for sustainable development.

●

Wi th “ r ea l i sm and humou r ” , two youngSenega l e s e a r t i s t s have g r ee t ed de l ega t e sa t t end i ng t he Gene ra l C on f e r en c e w i t h amura l s pann i ng 18 me t r e s . D i s p l ayed a tHeadqua r t e r s , t h e wo rk o f Kha s s imMbaye and Sayo Camara i l l u s t r a t e sYOUNG PEOPLE ’ S d a i l y l i f e i n wo rk i ngc l a s s u r ban a r ea s l i k e t h e i r na t i v eMed i na i n Daka r. T he exh i b i t i o n wa s ac oope ra t i v e v en tu r e o r gan i z ed t h r oughUNESCO ’s Spe c i a l You th P r o j e c t and t heN G O E N D A , b a s e d i n D a k a r.

▼

“Your name should also receive thehonorary crown of nations.” With this,Leopold Sedar Senghor began hismessage of tribute to AIMÉ CÉSAIRE ata solemn ceremony on October 8 atUNESCO. “A humanism for our time”was the central theme around whichwriters, philosophers, academics aswell as African, American andEuropean politicians highlighted therelevance and permanence ofCesaire’s message. From theMartinique, the poet was a descendantof African slaves deported to America.His literary work and political activismexpressed a universal aspiration forjustice and well-being.

What’s the connection between an Argen-tine co-operative running an FM radio sta-tion to promote local indigenous culture, agroup of Italian architecture students whorestore neglected monuments in their town,some Mauritanian schoolchildren setting upa plant nursery to roll back the advancingdesert, and inhabitants of Tunis who areturning a local rubbish dump into a publicgarden?

Don’t bother searching for any physi-cal links. Conviction is what ties this dis-parate group together with the belief thatsmall, locally-based sustainable develop-ment projects can improve the quality oflife while respecting the environment, lo-cal culture and wisdom. Thousands of suchgroups work alone around the world butwith this common ideal. So UNESCO de-cided to help them exchange ideas by set-ting up an information clearing-house,where members indicate what they arelooking for and what they can offer in re-turn via the press, television, radio and re-cently via Internet.

More than 1,000 organizations on five con-tinents are in the process of becoming mem-bers of the network, Planet Society, includ-ing associations, peasant groups, coopera-tives, schools and informal groups. “Itsoriginality and strength is that everyonemust be able to offer something if they wantto ask for something,” says MirianaLanfrey, the local network coordinator inAix-en-Provence (France). Planet Societyhas, for example, enabled an ecological res-taurant in Havana, which offers traditionaldishes and courses in cooking, to find twopartners to bring out a book of top localrecipes, and a group in Angola has madecontact with a view to doing somethingsimilar. Students at a college in Malaga,Spain, discovered a megalith and wantedtechnical advice on how to protect it fromwater damage. They got in touch with anItalian cultural association specializing inthe preservation and restoration of dolmens,and the young Italians invited the Spaniardsto come and visit their site and see their work.

“ It’s very important for groups with asimilar view of the world to be able to ex-change experiences,” says Lamberto

Gamberini, who coordinates the Libraproject for setting up small companies in theItalian city of Bologna. Libra has made con-tact with similar programmes elsewhere inEurope. “With the advent of globalizationand the new single currency, we have to be

able to exchange our ideas for an alterna-tive way forward,” he says. “Especially inItaly, where we are rather behind the times.”

The Libra project manager, EnzoFazzino, says UNESCO’s help “also offersall these groups a window to publicize theirachievements to the world.” On the islandof Elba, a group of schools reviving Etrus-can methods of smelting has been helpedby the network to present its project on Ital-ian television and so raise money for whatwill soon be an “experimental park for an-cient metallurgy” to boost local tourism.

Planet Society is helping to spread theword about such small and little-known ini-tiatives which, when taken together, are per-haps quietly changing our world. For moreinformation, send a fax (33 1 45 68 56 38)or an email message (planetsociety@unesco.org) to the office in Paris.

N. K-D.

O R I G I N A L

P L A N T I N G T R E E S I N N E G R O S ( P H I L I P P I N E S )W H I L E A D D I N G T O P L A N E T S O C I E T Y

( P h o t o A l l R i g h t s R e s e r v e d ) .

Through the SLAVE ROUTE Project, a round-table on the St-Domingue insurrection of August 22,

1791 will be held in Port-au-Prince (Haiti) from December 8 to 10. HUMAN RIGHTS DAY will

be marked throughout the United Nations system on December 10. In Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles) from

December 10 to 12, a sub-regional expert consultation on EDUCATION FOR NON-VIOLENCE

will notably focus on ways of promoting a culture of peace. “Honour and Violence - Fatality or Circumstances

for TURKISH WOMEN?" is the theme of a conference bringing together about 200 anthropolo-

gists, psychologists, lawyers and representatives of women’s groups at Headquarters, December 12-13, to

notably discuss the origins and dynamics of domestic violence before turning to means of punishing and

preventing this crime. In Cairo (Egypt), a regional consultation of YOUTH NGOs, December 14-17,

will notably focus on ways of better coordinating activities and cooperating with agencies of the United Na-

tions. To safeguard and promote traditional techniques of BAMBOO IN MODERN LIFE, an

international seminar will be held in Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam) from December 17-19 gathering about 500

craftspeople, development experts and governmnental officials from all continents. Permanent delegates

and observers to the Organization will meet at Headquarters on December 18 for a briefing on the role of the

International Oceanographic Commission in the 1998 International YEAR OF THE OCEAN. About

500 young people between the ages of 15 and 18 are expected at Headquarters on January 13 to compare

their methods and approaches in building a 21st CENTURY FREE OF DRUGS.

With 1998 the International Year of the Ocean, OUR NEXT DOSSIER will offer a prognosis of the

health of the seas with a series of articles on overfishing, pollution, biodiversity and other ‘heavy-weight’

issues illustrating just how fragile the marine world is despite its immensity.

L O O K I N G A H E A D ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

SOURCESU N E S C O

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