Policy by donor countries

March 2007 -

Culture is increasingly prominent on the international agenda. But the discussion about whether and how culture contributes to combating poverty and sustainable development has far to go. What part does culture play in the development cooperation policy of the various donor countries?

Inge Ruigrok compiled a summary in 2004 describing the primary policy activities of European donor countries in the area of culture and development. Because much has changed in scarcely three years, the articles have now been updated. The revision was performed by Daniel Gad, a scientific researcher from Munster specialized in culture and development.

Two new countries have also been added: Denmark and Austria.

Denmark
According to the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( Danida) “culture may be used as a tool for development and greater mutual understanding among nations”. The Danish Center for Culture and Development (DCCD) promotes the cultural cooperation between Denmark and several developing countries as a parastatal institution under Danida. >>>

Austria does not a have a well-defined strategy regarding culture and development but there are, nevertheless, various projects in progress. Most visible are those carried out by the Wiener Institut für Entwicklungsfragen und Zusammenarbeit ( VIDC),which was founded in 1987. >>>