Creativity and Culture key for sustainable development, experts debate at European Development Days
Recognizing the value of culture in the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda was debated during the European Development Days, held in Brussels on 16 and 17 June 2016.
In the session entitled “Culture, where art thou? In search of culture in the Sustainable Development Goals: From the UNESCO Convention 2005 to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” organized jointly by the UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels, Africalia and the Belgium National Commission for UNESCO on 16 June, experts drew attention to the role culture plays in strengthening social and economic progress in the developing world.
During the session, the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage were highlighted as a driving force for development. "UNESCO’s 2005 and 2003 Conventions offer key tools to demonstrate the role that culture can make to reaching the 2030 SDGs global goals and targets", said Ms. Jyoti Hosagrahar, UNESCO Director of the Division for Creativity.
The discussions were taking place only few days after the release, on June 8th, of EU’s new “Strategy for international cultural relations”. This strategy, in particular, underlines that “As a Party to the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, the EU is committed to promoting the diversity of cultural expression as part of its international cultural relations. This reflects and promotes the EU's fundamental values, such as human rights, gender equality, democracy, freedom of expression and the rule of law, as well as cultural and linguistic diversity”.
Ms Nina Obuljen Koržinek, Researcher at the Institute for Development and International Relations in Zagreb, Croatia, made the case for an ambitious implementation of the 2005 Convention, now ratified by 144 Parties: ‘’UNESCO’s 2005 Convention is a key legal instrument and policy tool for the European Union to integrate culture in international and development policies".
Other speakers during the session recognized that much work needs to be done to strengthen the importance of the role of culture in reinforcing development processes. Globally the trading of cultural goods is worth US $212 billion and if more developing countries were able to be part of this creative economy, their societies would benefit further.
Ms Mercedes Giovinazzo, Director of the Interarts Foundation, concluded that there was a growing need to include culture in external and development policies for cooperation.
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