Euro-Arab cities Forum

Dubai 10 – 11 February 2008

Speech by Hilde Zach, Mayor of Innsbruck, President of the Committee on Culture and Education - Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear friends,

It is an honour for me to participate in this most interesting and challenging forum dedicated to a better mutual understanding between Europe and the Arab world – an issue which is taking on a growing importance on our continent today. I am particularly pleased that the symposium takes place in Dubai, a city which is also facing the challenge of blending modern development into the traditional historic canvas. We would like very much to share our experience dealing with the protection of heritage in Europe with other municipalities, but also to learn from innovative methods and practices used by others.

I do believe that this is one of our common and shared objectives of this forum, a forum which comes at a time when, after centuries of wars and strife, confrontation and division, we can say that we are in the process of building an economically strong and socially more conscientious Europe based on the shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We would like to share these values, we believe to be universal, with you.

Yet, those who forget their past do not have a future. Economic development has its price. Our historic sites and buildings, our rich landscapes, our cultural heritage are in burning need of protection and preservation as a result of many years of neglect for environmental issues and sustainability requirements. Far too often, they were sacrificed for the sake of economic development – at national, regional and local level.

Our cities and regions are under growing pressure today to reconcile local development and economic needs with preserving cultural and architectural heritage and landscape. However, preserving and protecting does not necessarily mean putting it under lock and key. We must find ways of putting our heritage at the service of modernity, giving our historic sites and buildings a new life, using them in a sustainable manner for the benefit of our citizens – in other words, reconciling heritage and modernity. Because, after all, it is all about the quality of life in our communities.

This is why this forum is so timely. During these two days, we shall be looking at approaches and working methods in order to see what Europe can learn from the Arab world and what Arab cities can learn from European cities with respect to preserving and developing heritage as an integral part of the economic and social development of our societies. In various cities in Europe like in my home city Innsbruck, but also in the case of Amsterdam, which has been presented during a international seminar organized in Innsbruck, in October last year, we were able to learn more about integrated strategies and how cities were able to bring new life into historic quarters, as city authorities began putting culture and heritage at the centre of municipal development and urban planning.

The Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is also not new to the issue. Reconciling heritage and modernity is high on the agenda of the Congress Committee on Culture and Education, of which I am President. In 2006, at the Committee’s proposal, the Congress adopted a recommendation to the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, calling on governments of Council of Europe member states to promote job-creating investment in heritage, and to encourage financial and political backing to the public sector and associations involved in heritage promotion and conservation. The Congress also recommended putting into place a network of cities which set up examples of good practice, and promote trans-frontier cooperation in areas involving culture and the preservation of a common European heritage.

In this regard, we strongly believe that cities and regions should be equal partners with central governments as far as urban and spatial planning is concerned. Federal authorities can set out guidelines and the framework for heritage conservation and use, but the implementation of national policies and their adaptation to the situation on the ground rest on the shoulders of local and regional authorities, and should be coupled with appropriate means and resources. There must always be a scope for action by local and regional structures within any governmental framework.

At the same time, we understand that municipal resources are limited, and there is a clear need for a fair distribution of tasks, competences, financial means and resources between the federal and local level, a question which I hope we will to give some thought, during our discussions, as well as another issue linked to finances and fund-raising – that of partnerships with the private sector and the need to reconcile the interests of private partners with requirements for sustainability.

Here, again, central governments should play the guiding role in setting up cooperation frameworks while leaving to the cities the establishment of partnerships and implementation of specific projects. We must make sure that such partnerships lead to the harmonious development of historic sites and eventually our communities, at the same time taking into account the legitimate interests of private partners. We should remember that private partners have not only obligations and duties, but also rights.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to conclude by referring to the well-known slogan “Create the heritage of tomorrow”. This is exactly what is expected of us: building a new partnership between the Arab world and Europe is the best guarantee for a prosperous future, bearing in mind that the results of our action of today will be inherited by generations of tomorrow. So, let us join our forces at all levels – central, regional and local – and across the board, involving public and private sectors, NGOs and civil society, to make sure that new architectural concepts become the basis of what will be the heritage of tomorrow in a World of Heritage and Modernity.

Thank you.