This thematic study aims to capture the main achievements of the 18 Joint Programmes (JPs) funded under the Thematic Window on Culture and Development of the UNDP-Spain MDG Achievement Fund (MDG-F). The MDG-F is the result of a major partnership signed in December 2006 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Spain, with the aim of contributing to progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the internationally agreed objectives in the field of development which have, since 2000, galvanised international efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest. The MDG-F was initially provided with a contribution of €528 million (USD 710 million), which increased by €90 million (USD 121 million) in 2008.  

Even though cultural aspects are not explicitly referred to within the MDGs, the last decade has witnessed an increasing recognition of the links between cultural aspects and human development. The connection between culture and development was made explicit in the Outcome Document of the MDG Review Summit held at the UN General Assembly in September 2010, as well as two other recent resolutions. Other international milestones in recent years include a number of legal documents (including UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions) and major international reports (including the 2004 edition of UNDP’s Human Development Report, entitled Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World, and the two UNCTAD / UNDP Creative Economy Reports published in 2008 and 2010), as well as policies, programmes and publications designed by several local, regional and national governments, development agencies, regional and international organisations and NGOs. 

The 18 JPs funded under the MDG-F’s Thematic Window on Culture and Development stand as a substantial contribution to this area, taking account of the financial resources provided and the innovative and diverse approaches implemented. The main arguments given for the affirmation of the place of culture in human and sustainable development are twofold. On the one hand, culture is seen as a resource to achieve international development objectives in other fields of human activity, including the alleviation of poverty and social exclusion, the promotion of health and education and the preservation of the environment. On the other hand, culture is also affirmed as a substantial component of human and sustainable development, rather than merely existing as a tool for the achievement of results in other fields. Activities supported under the Thematic Window’s 18 JPs, which are diverse in terms of the countries where they have been implemented, the topics addressed and the achievements sought, attest to both these perspectives.

http://www.mdgfund.org/sites/default/files/Culture_Thematic%20Study.pdf