WB and UNESCO – expanding opportunities for collaboration on culture and sustainable development

WASHINGTON/PARIS. July 3. KAZINFORM UNESCO and the World Bank have cooperated informally over the past decades, in particular on conservation efforts in the World Heritage sites. On July 1, the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding formalizing that on-going collaboration and expanding it to encompass a larger strategic scope, the World Bank's press service reports.

Thanks to this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed by Inger Andersen, World Bank Vice President, Sustainable Development and Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, concrete joint initiatives have been identified in an effort to pursue common objectives of the two organizations in the areas of culture and sustainable development.

"By joining forces, UNESCO and the World Bank can provide very positive input for the improvement of aid effectiveness, and make the most of culture as a motor for social development and poverty alleviation, through employment and job creation. We believe also we can give impetus and concrete follow up to the recent resolution of the United Nations General Assembly which underlined the links between culture and development," said Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO.

The MoU is part of UNESCO's efforts to promote the culture and development agenda, and its efforts to support countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For the World Bank, signing the MoU communicates a clear message that it attaches increasing importance to cultural values in its operations and recognizes the positive role of culture in development.

"This Memorandum of Understanding formalizes the ongoing cooperation between our organizations on culture and sustainable development. Future collaboration between UNESCO and the World Bank will focus in particular on urban development for cultural heritage and the economics of culture, but will also extend to cultural diversity and social inclusion," said Inger Andersen, Vice President, Sustainable Development, The World Bank.

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