Tibet development and poverty alleviation programme :: United Nations Development Programme

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Tibet development and poverty alleviation programme

The Challenge

Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) continues to lag far behind other areas of China in terms of human development income poverty as well as health and education. Meanwhile, the cultural wealth of Tibet is one of the world’s richest and most celebrated, with great potential to generate jobs and incomes. However, much of that potential goes unfulfilled due to constraints in awareness, planning and capacity in both private and public sector. Local Tibetans do not fully benefit from their natural and cultural resources, while old age of Master Artisans, pressures of modernisation and rising tourism all pose severe challenges to cultural treasures as well as the unique but fragile natural environment.

The Response

The Tibet Development and Poverty Alleviation Programme aims to simultaneously reduce poverty and protect traditional cultural expressions by leveraging cultural resources to develop livelihoods. It will demonstrate the strong link of economic development with cultural and environmental protection in the fields of handicrafts, sustainable tourism, trade and protection of the old city core.

Planned Activities

The programme will work on building capacity, improving planning and raising awareness as well as piloting concrete models for pro-poor development at the community level. While aiming to strengthen the local private sector, it will emphasize linkages between sectors and coordination of government management, and help create overall development strategies that are effective and sustainable. The programme will assist in reviewing the master plans for tourism to ensure environmental sustainability and protection of cultural resources while using the economic potential to create jobs and incomes. It will also strengthen implementation of the plans by piloting community based rural tourism models and building capacity for vocational training of tourism professionals.

In order to help protect and reinvigorate the challenged Old City of Lhasa, the programme will help to institute a government protection scheme and support integrated planning techniques for the city.

The traditional handicrafts industry will be strengthened by creating supportive institutions and networks, establishing an official seal for authentic Tibetan handicrafts and piloting new models for business that also record and disseminate traditional skills.

A Lhasa handicrafts Emporium and a Tourism Resource Centre will be established in one living cultural space, combining art exhibits and workshops with sales and information services.

Digital solutions will be used to merge commercial and cultural information into an integrated system, to reinforce the linkages for users accessing it with different aims and perspectives. This is expected to strengthen commerce by endowing products with higher cultural content as well as providing an accessible source of knowledge, awareness and interest for the unique Tibetan culture.

The programme works in partnership with the Chinese government to elaborate recent policy level emphasis on culturally based development into practical strategies to help local communities build future prosperity on the foundation of their past.

Combined, it is hoped that these efforts will not only protect the unique cultural expressions of Tibet but also revitalise their use and provide a sustainable source of employment and poverty reduction.

Start Date: July 2006
End Date: June 2010
Executing Agency: China International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchange (CICETE)
Project ID: 00047091

UNDAF: Outcome 1 – Social and economic policies are developed & improved
Outcome 3 – More efficient management of natural resources
MDG: Goal 1 – Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 7 – Ensure environmental sustainability

UNDP: US$ 2,000,000
TAR: US$ 1,000,000
To be mobilized: US$ 3,000,000
Total Budget: US$ 6,000,000

To contribute to this initiative, or to find out more about the programme, pleasecontact Mr. Peter Zetterstrom, Programme Manager at (86-10) 8532-0753 or peter.zetterstrom@undp.org

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