----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Forwarded from the NINCH list.
Judy
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From: David Green, INTERNET:[log in to unmask]
To: Multiple recipients of list, INTERNET:[log in to unmask]
Date: 12/9/97 6:56 PM
RE: Getty Trust--World Bank Partnership
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NINCH ANNOUNCEMENT
December 9, 1997
An intriguing and powerful alliance was recently announced by the Getty
Trust and the World Bank to work together to "support access to,
conservation of,
and education about cultural heritage." It is perhaps especially
interesting in the link seen between the protection and promotion of
cultural heritage and the building of sustainable economic development.
This relationship had been initiated earlier in specific projects and new
projects will be announced. Stay tuned via the Getty Information
Institute's impressively re-designed Website as well as
this space.
David Green
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November 4, 1997
Contact:
Sylvia Sukop, J. Paul Getty Trust
(310) 440-6474
David Theis, World Bank
(202) 473-1955
WORLD BANK AND GETTY TRUST
PARTNER TO SUSTAIN CULTURAL HERITAGE
Organizations Sign Operational Partnership
Agreement at the Getty Center
Los Angeles, Calif./Washington, D.C. -- The World Bank and the J. Paul
Getty Trust today agreed to an operational partnership to sustain cultural
heritage in developing countries--to support access to, conservation of,
and education about cultural heritage.
The agreement was co-signed November 4, 1997 at the Getty Center in Los Angeles
by James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, and Harold M.
Williams, President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust. It reflects a
growing focus by the Bank in the cultural field and increasing efforts
with a number of institutions to integrate cultural heritage as a force in
promoting sustainable development; for the Getty, it continues a
longstanding commitment to forging broad alliances on a global scale--in
conservation, education, scholarship, information technology, and
museology.
"In every country I have visited," said World Bank President Wolfensohn,
"I have seen the importance of a sense of history and a link to the past.
For real development to occur, it should be grounded in the culture of the
people--drawing strength from their history. I am proud that the Bank and
the Getty can help people preserve and pass on their heritage."
"We have always worked in close collaboration with other organizations
around the world," said Getty Trust President Williams. "Now, by
combining the experience and resources of our two organizations, the
Getty-World Bank partnership will generate needed attention and support
for some of the most important cultural heritage sites that are at risk."
The Bank and the Getty Trust will strengthen their activities related to
cultural heritage by working together to:
* Identify specific operations and projects where the Bank and the
Getty can collaborate to protect and sustain cultural heritage--the Getty,
for example, providing expertise to Bank-assisted projects;
* Jointly undertake pilot projects in cultural heritage and develop a
research and evaluation agenda to assess the performance of these
projects;
* Develop the Bank's knowledge of current international standards
of conservation and documentation practices and identify potential
applications of Getty expertise;
* Mobilize financial and institutional resources for these objectives.
In addition to these actions, the World Bank and Getty Trust will engage
in staff exchanges to increase awareness of the methods, resources,
and operational practices of the partner organization.
The relationship between the World Bank and the Getty Trust is not
entirely new. Prior to 1997, the organizations had already engaged in
two cultural heritage projects, one in Djenne, Mali, and another in St.
Petersburg, Russia. The Getty Conservation Institute assisted in the
design of the preservation strategy and project implementation for a new
$55.5 million urban development project in Mali. Approved by the Bank's
board in December, 1996, the project includes a $12.1 million component
to preserve cultural sites in the towns of Djenne and Timbuktu. It
provides infrastructure, technical assistance, and training to 10 local
governments, and preservation of historic sites covering a five-year
investment program.
Other initiatives now underway, such as the Buenos Aires Exhibition and
Project Partnership, and an ambitious, five-country Mundo Maya project,
led to today's agreement on a formal partnership between the Bank and
the Getty with a commitment to cultural heritage and sustainable
development and a clear vision of the vital role both play for present and
future generations.