FARO Vlaams steunpunt voor cultureel erfgoed

Belgium

Contact: 0032 - 2 - 213.10.60
Postal address: Priemstraat 51 BE 1000 Brussels
Geographic Coverage of NGO’s expertise: Belgium, France, Netherlands, South Africa

URL: https://www.faro.be

Year of creation: 1999

Budget: U.S.$2500000

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- other
- Impact analysis and policy evaluation, surveys, promoting sustainable development, use of information technology, participation methods and cultural brokerage.

Main areas of work related to the Convention:

FARO is the interface for cultural heritage in Flanders/Belgium, providing practical support and other services for museums, archives, popular culture organisations,heritage NGOs and intangible cultural heritage practioners. This includes organizing courses, workshops and training programs, coaching and training field specialists and cultural brokers, publishing books, journals, DVDs and making websites about cultural heritage, developing a documentation and information center, conducting surveys and systematic research, sensitizing and envolving civil society for cultural heritage issues. The interdisciplinary team uses methods and theories of cultural anthropology, ethnology, cultural and social history, public history, art history, linguistics, information science, cultural studies, museology, archivistics and heritage studies. FARO has a specialized library focussed on heritage studies, popular culture and methodology. Special efforts are devoted to ICT and digitization programs, in particular webbased applications and multimedia projects. Programs are being developed for sustainable development, deontology and ethics in heritage safeguarding practices and intercultural exchange. FARO provides expert assistance in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage to groups and communities requesting help. FARO also coordinates recurrent national events, like the cultural heritage day or the week of taste. Implementing and combining international conventions is crucial in the strategy of FARO. FARO has a staff of (on average) 30 full-time employees (21 staff members and, on average, 9 temporary project managers or collaborators) , of which 80% has an academic degree (Ph.D. or master) in heritage studies, history, art history, linguistics, anthropology, information and computer sciences or other disciplines. FARO is the result of the fusion in 2007/2008 of the VCV (NGO founded in 1999, for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage) and CBV (NGO for museums, archives and heritage consultants). The staff of both organizations (VCV en CBV) is now active in the new network organisation FARO, cultivating interdisciplinary collaboration and working. The annual budget ranges between 2 and 3 million euros. Marc Jacobs, Ph. D., director of FARO, has participated as an official expert in all phases of the drafting process of the 2003 UNESCO convention and was the expert representing Belgium in the Intergovernmental Committee in 2006-2008. This illustrates how active VCV, now FARO, has been involved in the whole process of preparing and then implementing the 2003 UNESCO-convention for the safeguarding of ICH.

Relevant projects and initiatives

FARO Flemish Interface for Cultural Heritage in Brussels is a professional interdisciplinary organization doing and facilitating research, exploring and distributing information about new working methods and good practices, and cultivating innovation in safeguarding programs. Raising awareness and promoting dialogue about and through cultural heritage and enhancing visibility of safeguarding practices in the field of intangible and tangible heritage are its main objectives.

Objectives

The Non-Governmental Organization FARO functions as a support center to make interesting policy instruments like the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the 2005 Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society and in particular the (new) cultural heritage decree of the Flemish Community (23 May 2008), work in practice and to explore their full potential. FARO acts as an interface between local, provincial, regional and national governments, international networks, local and national heritage organizations and institutions, the academic world and civil society. Cultivating open collaboration and win-win-situations is a preferred method, next to stimulating communities of practice, reflexivity and working towards milestones and good practices in heritage projects. FARO assists heritage networks and organizations to develop strategies and helps to put these plans in practice. FARO is a professional interdisciplinary organization doing and facilitating research, exploring and distributing information about new working methods and good practices, cultivating innovation in safeguarding programs. Raising awareness and promoting dialogue about and through cultural heritage and enhancing visibility of safeguarding practices in the field of intangible and tangible heritage, are main objectives. Studying the effects and impact of cultural heritage policy and practices and giving feedback to policy makers and organizations are also an important challenge. Facilitating international cooperation and exchange and stimulating organisations in Flanders and Brussels to participate in international debates and projects is a crucial objective. For more information see www.faronet.be.

Cooperation

FARO is the official national support organization in Flanders (including Brussels) for heritage networks, volunteer organisations, local communities, tangible and intangible heritage specialist and practioners.(see www.faronet.be). It is subsidized by the Flemish government to develop and implement methods, training programs and platforms for empowering groups and practitioners to participate in heritage work and policy issues. The Flemish Center for the study of Popular Culture (VCV) now FARO, has since 1999 succesfully managed (in helping) to include volunteer networks and NGOs as full participants in heritage policy and debates, resulting in the official recognition in the 23-5-2008 decree on cultural heritage in Flanders. VCV/FARO has set up dozens of projects with heritage communities and groups (see www.faronet.be). Intercultural contacts, cultural diversity and working with migrant groups is a specific focus of FARO. FARO is also participating in projects establishing international networks of NGOs and stimulating communication (see for instance http://www.heritage-organisations.eu/).