1. Cultural Heritage and Sustainability: Focusing on the Implementation Phase of Major Projects

2. Purpose
Demonstrate how implementation of a project-based cultural heritage management program can help establish a sustainable cultural heritage program at the national level
Discuss capacity building efforts in the context of project construction and post-construction phases
Current presentation will focus on several major projects in Azerbaijan
Suggest how this approach can be applied to projects in Africa to stimulate national-level cultural heritage programs

3. Key Premise
Steps can be taken to reinforce national-level cultural heritage practice through the implementation of commitments made during the impact assessment phase of major projects
These efforts can build programs that support sustainable development and cultural heritage

4. Implementation Phase
Refers to efforts taken after completion of the impact assessment
Fulfills commitments made in an impact assessment are carried out:
During early works
During construction
Post construction
During operations
Possibly during decommissioning
Lender-favored approach, which often includes capacity building

5. Role of Capacity Building
Capacity Building is linked to the concept of sustainability and includes growing institutions to be self-sufficient and to meet international standards in the future
Capacity building can go beyond project “compliance,” to engage national parties for long-term enhancement of their respective programs

6. Role of Capacity Building (cont.)
The Guidance Note for IFC Performance Standard 8 (Cultural Heritage) states:
“A general capacity building effort, which might be a benefit to the project and a country’s heritage program, may be the building of the regulatory capacity of the heritage authority in ways that relate specifically to the client’s project.”

7. Role of Capacity Building (cont.)
IFC’s focus on capacity building derives, in part, from World Bank policies and procedures:
“When the borrower’s capacity is inadequate to manage physical cultural resources that may be affected by a Bank-financed project, the project may include components to strengthen that capacity.” (Revised Draft Operational Policy/Bank Procedure 4.11: Physical Cultural Resources)
“When the borrower has inadequate legal or technical capacity to carry out key EA-related functions…for a proposed project, the project includes components to strengthen that capacity.” (OP 4.01, Environmental Assessment)

8. BP’s Caucasus Pipelines
Western Route Export Pipeline (WREP)
Length of 830 km (from the Caspian to Black Sea)
Capable of transporting 100,000 barrels of oil per day
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline
Length of 1,768 km (from the Caspian to the Ceyhan Terminal on the Mediterranean): 443 km through Azerbaijan; 249 km through Georgia; 1,076 km through Turkey
Crosses the South Caucasus Mountains at altitude of 2,800 m
It has a capacity to export 1.2 million barrels of oil a day
Facilities include eight pump stations (two in Azerbaijan, two in Georgia, four in Turkey)
During construction the project employed some 22,000 people
South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP)
Length of 691 km (from the Caspian to eastern Turkey): 443 km through Azerbaijan; 248 km through Georgia
Runs parallel to the BTC Pipeline
It has a capacity to export 8.8 billion cubic meters per year

9. AGT Pipelines

10. AGT Pipelines Cultural Heritage Requirements
Directed by International Finance Corporation (IFC), a unit of the World Bank
Follows IFC Performance Standard 8 (Cultural Heritage)
Designed to meet internationally-recognized practice
One focus became Capacity Building during project implementation
Company saw Capacity Building as a component of the cultural heritage program to build long-term relationships with national-level authorities

11. AGT Pipelines Archaeological Program
Phase 1: Pre-Construction Baseline Survey
Over 80 sites identified during surveys and management options were selected, with local specialists
Phase 2: Trial Investigations of Sites
Numerous sites were tested during to determine their importance
Phase 3: Investigation of Sites
Prior to construction, a number of sites in each country were identified for detailed excavations
Phase 4: Pipeline Construction Activities
Includes watching brief and late find excavations. Additional sites were found that required excavation during construction
Archaeological Sites Strategy
This slide present a summary of the cultural heritage work and resulting finds made to date.
Teams of BTC Co archaeologists, Institute of Archaeology staff and labourers (hired from local communities) have been in the field for over 2 years undertaking surveys and conducting investigations.
Phase 5: Post-Construction Activities
Analysis of finds, display of finds, publication of information

12. AGT Pipelines Capacity Building
Initial Commitments
Sponsoring an international conference in Baku in 2005
Upgraded the MoCT’s Garanboy Museum
Provided hardware, software, and training to the Gobustan Reserve for establishing a GIS program
Assisted the Gobustan Reserve in the preparation of a cultural heritage management plan

13. AGT Pipelines Capacity Building
Initial Commitments (continued)
Provided guidance to the IoAE on how to manage archaeological collections
Established an artifact conservation laboratory and gave training IoAE archaeologists
Worked with the IoAE to present the archaeological data collected during the project to the public in monographs and television broadcasts

14. AGT Pipelines Capacity Building
Initial Commitments (continued)
Supported national-level NGOs in an audit program
AGT Grant to Smithsonian
Prepared an archaeology exhibit at the Caspian Energy Centre
Assisted the Gobustan Reserve to determine best practices for protecting the Reserve’s rock art
Provided training to archaeologists from the IoAE and the Georgia National Museum at the Smithsonian

15. AGT Pipelines Capacity Building
AGT Grant to Smithsonian (cont.)
Organized and hosted a conference for archaeologists from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey to discuss the results of the AGT pipelines projects
Prepared a web site ( to present a summary of the results of the cultural heritage programs
Prepared a book on the results of the cultural heritage program for distribution to national leaders and educational institutions

16. AGT Pipelines – Lessons Learned
Gains made in the administrative functions at the IoAE
Improved capacity for executing a major archaeological project by IoAE
Artifact collections at the IoAE were nearly doubled

17. AGT Pipelines – Lessons Learned
(Cont.)
BP sensitized to the significance and scale of the archaeological resources in Azerbaijan and the value of stakeholder engagement
BP learned what can happen if a cultural heritage baseline survey is conducted poorly
The complexity of the relationships between national-level authorities became clear and BP learned the importance of engaging those authorities early

18. Shah Deniz 2 Project
Includes additional offshore drilling and production
The expansion of the Sangachal Terminal
The South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion (SCPx) Project
Feeds the natural gas to the Southern Corridor

19. Shah Deniz 2 – Proactive Efforts
Engaged a cultural heritage expert in planning to scope the cultural heritage needs and to participate in the impact assessments
Undertook early consultation with the IoAE and the MoCT to assess the two authorities’ expectations to expedite approvals
Conducted a systematic pre-construction archaeological and architectural baseline survey
Implemented a program of active archaeological monitoring during construction activities, from 2012 to 2016, that was led by a team of archaeological professionals

20. SD2 – Benefits of Proactive Steps
BP gained a more effective relationship with the MoCT and IoAE, which will support future projects
The IoAE gained additional management and personnel experience from participating in intensive field surveys and a long-running monitoring program
The SD2 team opted to relocate their proposed new entrance to the Terminal and eliminated impacts on the Sangachal Caravanserai
The project construction team implemented a seismic monitoring program to minimize impacts on the Sand Cave

21. Shah Deniz 2 Cultural Heritage

22. Shah Deniz 2 Cultural Heritage

23. Recommended Capacity Building from Cultural Heritage Projects in Africa
Reinforce national authorities and local cultural heritage practitioners through integration into major project teams
Promote regular engagement with international experts until local capacity meets long-term needs
Focus on cooperation between national-level authorities and promote regular engagement and communication with key project proponents
Determine best practices for engaging with NGOs and incorporate their input into planning and decision making

24. Recommended Capacity Building from Cultural Heritage Projects in Africa
cont.
Establish or strengthen data management capabilities in the national-level authorities, including GIS, and build systems for preserving reports, records, and collections
Enhance awareness of cultural heritage sensitivity and provide means to acquire key data through a system similar to the Country Profiles begun by the World Bank
Create a means to specifically define the sensitivity (i.e., significance) of cultural heritage sites and monuments, to streamline their management and enhance communication with relevant parties

25. Thank You
Christopher R. Polglase Cultural Heritage Practice Leader Gray & Pape, Inc