Cultural Sustainability and Heritage Management

Abstract

he concept of cultural sustainability has been receiving increasing attention as an emerging pillar of sustainable development along with the social, economic, and environmental pillars. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development (2015–2030), an international action plan addressing global issues recognizes that culture can
contribute to and is a crucial enabler of sustainable development. However, the concept of cultural sustainability has not been fully integrated into the Agenda due to the insufficient level of understanding among policymakers, development practitioners and stakeholders. To address this issue, this paper analyses its conceptual development through a case study on safeguarding the cultural sustainability of the Nubian heritage and culture in Egypt and how these efforts have been linked to sustainable development through UNESCO’s normative frameworks adopted in the 21st century such as the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage