Workshop on the valorization of cultural heritage organized within the framework of the COMMHERITOUR project
Organized by the Fund for European Affairs and Development of the AP Vojvodina, in Novi Sad, in the Science and Technology Park, a well-attended workshop was held on April 22nd to elaborate recommendations for policies on the valorization of cultural heritage within the project “Community-based models for sustainable valorization of crafts in the field of cultural heritage in order to improve the economic and tourist performance of remote areas of the D
The president of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Balint Juhasz, and the Director of the Fund for European Affairs and Development of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Ognjen Dopuđ have addressed the workshop.
President Juhasz stated that “we in Vojvodina often forget one key development fact: what we have inherited is not a burden of the past — but an unused economic opportunity. Vojvodina today is a strong and stable region. We contribute with about a quarter of the total GDP of Serbia. More than 50 elements of intangible cultural heritage have been recorded in Serbia, and a significant part of that wealth lives right here — in our villages, in workshops, in the knowledge and skills that are passed down from one generation to another. That heritage is not just part of identity. It is a development resource. But we have to be honest: we still don’t use that resource enough. The issue is not that we do not have value — it is that it is not connected, it is not offered to the market and it is not passed on to new generations. In other words: we have the potential, but we have not yet converted it into development. This is where we come to the essence of today’s meeting. The COMMHERITOUR project is important because it does not just have an idea — it brings a model. A model that connects knowledge with the market. A model that turns craft into a product, and heritage into economic value,” said the President of the Assembly. Director Dopuđ reminded that the immeasurable value of this project is in fact the cooperation between the profession and the younger generations, because through unity, the exchange of knowledge, and the combination of retro and modern, we can reach all generations.
This workshop aimed to present the key findings and conclusions of the project, as well as to develop concrete recommendations in a structured manner for improving public policies in the areas of tourism, culture, crafts and local economic development. Special focus was placed on the sustainable valorization of underutilized cultural and craft heritage in rural and peripheral areas, all with a view to strengthening its role in local economic development and improving the quality of life of local communities. The workshop brought together relevant decision-makers, as well as representatives of the public, professional and civil sectors, with the aim of exchanging knowledge, identifying key challenges and defining concrete recommendations for improving existing policies and practices. Representatives of the Museum of Vojvodina, the Chamber of Commerce of Vojvodina, the Regional Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities, the Regional Secretariat for Economy and Tourism, the Tourist Organization of Novi Sad, the City Museum in Sombor, the Chamber of Commerce of Sombor, the Regional Chamber of Commerce of Subotica, took part in it, among others.
