FRANCE-UNESCO
CO-OPERATIONAGREEMENT
Putting French expertise
to work for the world’s heritage

Whether in the form of natural sites, geological features
and wilderness preserves, historic monuments,
archaeological sites, ensembles of urban or rural built
heritage, roads or sites of historical significance, interestin the world’s heritage is steadily increasing. At thesame time, concern for the conservation of these sites
has become more widespread and heritage-related
issues have become more complex. Heritage can beused by a people to outline their identity and values,
and therefore as a way to cope with today’s rapid socioeconomic changes. Far from resisting change, heritage
based projects are a vector for sustainable development.
But, whether heritage be cultural or natural, it is above
all fragile and precious, and great attention needs tobe paid in order to maintain its diversity.

The principlesof the Agreement
Signed in 1997, the Co-operation Agreement between
UNESCO and the French government for the protectionand enhancement of the monumental, urban and natural
heritage was established to enhance understanding of
cultural and natural heritage, to encourage the integrationof the preservation of heritage in urban and territorial
development projects, and to ensure the inclusion of asocial element to heritage conservation.

A working tool
The Agreement supports UNESCO’s actions to protect
and enhance cultural and natural heritage throughtechnical and financial aid that draws on France’s
acknowledged expertise in heritage conservation.
French know-how was developed over many years ofexperience and specialised educational and training
programmes. Consequently France can put the skillsof a wide variety of professionals and experts – including
researchers, historians, archaeologists, architects,curators, urban planners, restoration professionals, legal
experts and economists – at UNESCO’s disposal, thus
contributing to its fieldwork in the countries thatrequest its assistance.
Over the last ten years approximately one hundredprojects have been undertaken in more than fifty
countries throughout the world.

Objectives
Contribute to the World Heritage Global Strategy to develop a more
representative and balanced World Heritage List.
Develop long-term heritage projects that take account of both economic
and social factors with a view to achieving sustainable development.
Serve as a leverage to the existing potential of developing countries thatlack the financial and technical resources to undertake preservation
projects on their own by participating in heritage protection efforts in
those countries.
Promote decentralised co-operation for heritage protection involving regionalor local French bodies, and help implement international aid and cooperation programmes that are more democratic and more participatory.
Provide impetus for the development of co-operation agreements andother projects financed through multilateral or bilateral mechanisms.
Explore new approaches and themes, such as the “Rivers and Heritage”
and the “Heritage, Local Governance and Poverty Alleviation” initiatives,linked to UNESCO’s normative tools and the development objectives of
the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Activities
The Agreement activities follow the World Heritage Committee’s objectives
and priorities.
Preparatory assistance
By providing preparatory assistance, UNESCO seeks to help countries
identify their heritage properties, and those which might be nominatedfor inscription on the World Heritage List. UNESCO’s French partnerscontribute to the World Heritage Committee’s strategy through participationin seminars designed to raise public awareness and by organising fieldstudies by experts to help countries prepare nomination proposals.
Building heritage skills
Another priority of UNESCO’s mission is to build heritage-related skills
at the national and local levels. UNESCO’s French partners contributeby developing long-term experimental projects at sites following theirinscription on the World Heritage List. These might include training for
heritage professionals in the country concerned, or involvement inspecific areas such as heritage inventories, cultural mapping, urbanpreservation, land-use management and landscape preservation,
restoration, conservation and heritage enhancement. Other initiatives
might aim at strengthening legal and administrative frameworks andhelping improve management of cultural resources.

French Partners
Four different French ministries are affiliated with the Co-operation Agreement:
the Ministère des affaires étrangères [Foreign Affairs], the Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication[Culture and Communication], the Ministère du Transport, de l’Équipement, du Tourisme et de la Mer[Transport, Planning, Tourism and Maritime affairs], the Ministère de l’Écologie et du Développement
durable [Ecology and Sustainable Development].
Also associated in the activities of the Co-operation Agreement are the French Development Agency
and a public financial institution, the Caisse des dépôts et consignations.
Local authorities at different levels are also involved: the regions of Centre and Provence - Alpes - Côte d’Azur,the cities of Angers, Arles, Chinon, Grenoble, Lyon, the urban district of Lille, and the Mission Val de Loire(World Heritage).
There are also partnerships with several architectural schools and universities, regional natural parks
and associations concerned with the urban heritage or inter-city development:
the Association nationale des villes et pays d’art et d’histoire et des villes à secteur sauvegardé,
the Cités Unies France.

The secretariat of the France-UNESCO Co-operation Agreement is run jointly by the World Heritage
Centre, UNESCO and the Department of Heritage and Architecture at the French Ministry of Cultureand Communication.
UNESCO
Jim Williams
World Heritage Centre
UNESCO
7 place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP+33 (0)1 45 68 10 00

FranceIsabelle Longuetdirection de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine
ministère de la Culture et de la Communication
182 rue Saint-Honoré, 75033 Paris cedex 01+33 (0)1 40 15 80 00

layout: B.F. – printing: Darantière

For more information: http://whc.unesco.org/en/initiatives/21/