The main reason for a shift in emphasis on culture, is related to complex socioeconomic stages through which present day Gulf States and UAE, in particular, are passing.

Currently, UAE is laying down the foundations for sustainable development. It has a world -class service sector industry, together with well-connected air and sea links to worldwide destinations, coupled with a first-class road network. Advances in public health and educational systems are also being undertaken.

Along with this world-class infrastructure, UAE is characterized by social tranquility and a high level of security which makes UAE an attractive place to live and work. Consequently, government agencies, federal and local, work together to make it a world-class cosmopolitan center for business and trade, and tourism.

Culture and Development

Culture has only been considered as part of developmental thinking in the past decade or so when the World Commission on Culture and Development submitted its report entitled, "Our Creative Diversity" to UNESCO and the United Nations 1995. The gist of this report was that; “Development divorced from its human or cultural context is growth without a soul. Economic Development in its full flowering is part of a people's culture."

Therefore, at the heart of the development process is: what policies promote a sustainable development that encourage the ‘flowering’ of different cultures? This leads to the concept of human development which we are most concerned about, and which refers to the individual, who is both the ultimate objective of development and instrumental to it. A skilled, educated, healthy, motivated labor force is the most productive asset of society.

Today people come together for many reasons and culture can connect them and make the developmental process a feasible one. We consider development and economy a part of culture; hence, culture is not only a means to material progress, but an end, and "development” is considered as existence as an integrated whole.

What is Culture?

The word 'culture' stems from the Latin "colere" - to build on, to cultivate, to foster. In early philosophical debate about 'culture', the term often refers to the opposite of ‘nature’ where 'culture' was referring to something constructed willingly by man, while nature was given, in itself.

The concept of culture has many definitions:

 Topical: Culture consists of everything on a list of topics, or categories such as social organizations, religion etc.
 Historical: Culture is social heritage or a tradition that is passed on to future generations.
 Behavioral: Culture is a shared, learned human behavior, way of life.
 Normative: Culture is ideals, values, or rules of living.
 Functional: Culture is the way humans solve problems, adapting to the environment or living together.
 Mental: Culture is a complex of ideas and learned habits that distinguish people from animals.

It is difficult to adopt a single unified definition of culture: in this context, we adopt the definition as, a collectively held set of attributes, i.e. shared values, beliefs and basic assumptions, which is dynamic and changing over time.

The Power of Culture

We are presently living in a culturally value-added world. Two aspects illustrate this:

 Creativity: Creativity allows us to; re-invent every day life, re-invent meanings and responses, and to shape and design our future. It unites people around key principles: infinite diversity and universal values. Hope for the future lies in the limitless powers of creative imagination.
 Interaction: Everybody who utilizes multiple languages, interacts with people of different backgrounds or nationalities, draws on their cultural resources and on ability to engage with cultural diversity.

What is required for the realization of the power of culture is cultural freedom; hence, UNESCO's Report stresses cultural freedom as a prerequisite for realization of the power of culture and it also states that it is not quite like other forms of freedom because; most freedoms refer to the individual while cultural freedom, is a collective freedom which refers to the right of people to follow or adopt a way of life of their choosing.

1. Culture and Globalization

Globalization is a process affecting every part and aspect of today's world. It is apparent in the growth and extension of international businesses, linked to the search for world markets and economies of scale, in the form of international labor markets that take no account of national frontiers.

Rapid progress in transport systems and communications has shrunk the world. With the rise of the internet, intercultural communications have become "a mouse click away". The international spread of cultural freedoms is just as important as that of economic freedoms. However, globalizing cultural processes entails the demise of other cultures, societies which do not command influence in the international community.

Globalization has two components: those who 'globalize' and those who are 'globalized'. In UAE, given our strong cultural heritage, we aim to be among those who 'globalize' and will work hard in order not to be 'globalized'. We will work hard to step beyond the view of development that sees nothing but macroeconomic growth achievements.


2. Culture and Education

Education is fundamental not only to the transmission of culture but to preparing the ground for its continuous renewal. No-one can deny that education is the key to meeting two most important challenges; promoting sustainable development and nurturing a culture of peaceful coexistence. There is no more important task for education at the present time than to:

 Educate with a sense of openness and comprehension toward others, their diverse cultures and histories, and their shared humanity.
 Teach the importance of refusing violence and adopting peaceful means for resolving disagreements and conflicts.
 Call for the rejection of the logic of force in favor of the force of logic.

It is believed these principles are essential to the pursuit of creativity and innovation. This can not be realized unless all are highly committed to the principle of "education for all throughout life- culture for all throughout life".

In conclusion, to highlight key issues in educational policies, UNESCO's final report on cultural policies for development affirms:

 Cultural policy should be implemented in coordination with policy in other social areas, in an integrated approach.

 Cultural policies for the present must anticipate and respond to, persistent problems and new ones.

 Effective participation in, and the mastery of, the information society constitutes is significant in any cultural policy.

Finally, a critical factor for achieving a sustainable development process is reducing the present dichotomy between culture and education, and rapidly integrating culture into our academic curriculum at all educational levels. When culture is understood as the basis of development and when policies for development become profoundly sensitive to and inspired by culture, the funds necessary for broadening educational policies, in order to achieve this objective, may well be released by governments.

References:
Tend 2000 Crossroads of the New Millennium Conference
UNESCO Report on Cultural Diversity 1995