The Ibero-American Strategy for Culture and Sustainable Development was approved by the Heads of State and Government at the 27th Ibero-American Conference of Ministers of Culture, held in Andorra on 21 April 2021. The document, approved by the 22 member countries of the Ibero-American Conference, will soon begin implementation. In October 2019, member countries entrusted the design of the Strategy to the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) in coordination with the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI), to advance the social, economic and environmental transformation of Ibero-America, with a special focus on cultural diversity, cultural and creative industries, cultural heritage and gender equality. Around 60 professionals working in cultural institutions in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay have received specialized training to boost skills in risk management of contemporary art collections. The training workshop held on 15 and 16 April 2021, was organized by the Ministry of Culture of Argentina with the support of UNESCO and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). As a follow up to the Central American Ministerial Agreements on Culture, the 32nd Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Culture of the Central American Educational and Cultural Coordination of the Central American Integration System (CECC/SICA) was held on 20 May 2021. Ministers of Culture from the eight countries of the SICA - Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Belize, Panama and the Dominican Republic - discussed progress in cultural policies and strengthening the CECC, and UNESCO updated participants on preparations for the next World Conference on Cultural Policies: Mondiacult 2022.  

Culture and Education in the Voluntary National Reviews Culture and education are cross-cutting competencies for achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They are the mutually-reinforcing building blocks needed to nurture the skills to deal with today’s complex challenges. Within their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), which are submitted by Member States to monitor progress towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, several Member States cite training initiatives to boost cultural employment, in line with SDG 8. Most VNRs, however, refer to SDG 4 as the primary reference point for the linkages between culture and education, in particular Target 4.7, which calls for education to promote a culture of peace and non-violence, appreciation of cultural diversity and culture’s contribution to sustainable development. The VNRs demonstrate that many Member States are approaching this through teaching in and through the arts and culture in formal (in school) settings.

The “Porto Santo Charter” was the key outcome of the conference “From Democratisation to Cultural Democracy: Rethinking Institutions and Practices”, organized by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 27 and 28 April 2021. The Charter provides guiding principles and recommendations for cultural democracy in Europe, and calls on each European citizen to participate and take responsibility for shaping the cultural environment, in accordance with the European Democracy Action Plan put forward by the European Commission last December. European institutions and organizations that gathered for the Porto Social Summit, held on 7 and 8 May 2021, agreed to the Porto Social Commitment, which aims to give fresh political impetus and strengthen the commitment to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The Commitment includes calling upon the European Union (EU) to boost investment in skills, lifelong learning and training, in order to achieve targets of at least 60% of Europeans participating annually in training, and at least 80% of people aged 16-74 with access to basic digital skills by 2030. The Executive Committee of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) launched the multilingual digital platform, which invites European citizens to contribute to shaping the future of Europe. The initiative – for the first time at a transnational EU level – focuses on a citizen-led approach to policy-making processes. Available in all 24 EU official languages, it also aims to be a tool for information on the CoFoE’s set up and proceedings. The digital platform follows on last month’s official launch of the CoFoE by the European Parliament, Council of the European Union (EU) and the European Commission.  

Judges and other officials during the 2-day workshop in Juba © AMDISS

During the 54th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), held virtually from 3 to 5 May 2021, ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa announced that it will step up efforts for climate change adaptation and resilience in response to the growing threat facing the Asia and the Pacific region. The announcement was made during the high-level event, “Raising the Bar on Climate Ambition: Road to COP 26” that discussed how green, resilient, and inclusive recovery can drive economic growth while moving towards net-zero emission. The ADB will invest in more projects focused on climate adaptation, and will integrate ecological, social, institutional and financial aspects of resilience across its activities in the region. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) signed The Future of Tourism Coalition, joining almost 550 signatory organizations to the Coalition’s 13 Guiding Principles. The Guiding Principles are grounded on sustainable standards and local development, which place destinations at the centre of recovery strategies. The Coalition was created in 2020 by six global non-governmental organizations (NGOs).  

The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) Observatory released a report on the development progress of Arab countries, particularly in relation to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report includes data and indicators on five categories: education, culture, scientific research, ICTs, and the economy, between the period 2014 and 2019. UNESCO joined with the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to develop a virtual museum to support distance teaching and learning processes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual museum aims to present Palestinian cultural heritage through displaying selected artifacts from the Paleolithic until the end of the British Mandate period in 1948. Through a web platform and mobile application, students, teachers and researchers can learn about each historical period.