I’m shortly heading to MONDIACULT 2025, a UNESCO Conference that is billed as the world's biggest cultural policy conference. Its stated mission for the delegates of the 194 Member States of UNESCO is ‘Unleashing the power of culture to achieve sustainable development.’ If we leave the three days in Spain with a renewed energy for celebrating the rich diversity of cultures on this planet, then it is time well spent. However, my expectations are modest because the landscape has shifted considerably since we last gathered.
So my first hope is that we can agree to a common purpose through culture.
While the aim is to take forward the 2022 MONDIACULT Declaration that culture is a ‘global public good,' today’s context is radically different and far more challenging. There was a post-COVID collective consensus on advancing Sustainable Development Goals and a feeling that culture could and should be more prominent. Now, attention has turned to new frameworks beyond the SDGs, my hope is that we continue to be bold about the fundamental importance of culture because as Ernesto Ottone (UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture) said, ‘Culture is what defines us. It is the common thread between our past, present, and future. It is an inexhaustible and renewable resource, which adapts to changing contexts and which drives our capacity to imagine create and innovate.’
My second hope is that we ambitiously collaborate with other sectors to address global challenges.
An important element of British Council’s attendance at MONDIACULT is connecting policy conversations taking place inside and outside of the conference. I hope that in this space, we go beyond focusing messages on the already converted, and realise the ambition to work with other sectors. Manchester is Guest City at the iconic La Mercè Festival, presenting work in Barcelona in the build-up to MONDIACULT that speaks to the themes of cultural rights. The British Council are working with a range of voices and organisations from the Ukrainian Institute to African Digital Heritage. Working outside of our comfort zones means, as outlined by the Missing Foundation: ‘Recognising the complexity and interdependency of current sustainability challenges in flawed systems requires culture to break silos and strategically seek collaboration with other sectors.’
My third hope is that the importance of cultural heritage in sustainable development is recognised.
Our cultural heritage isn’t about a distant past; it is about what gives us our identity, from what has shaped us and is being shaped by us. In particular, intangible living heritage (language, practices, traditions artistic forms) help us appreciate identities - not in relation to lines drawn on a map - but through the patterns we weave with those common threads of humanity. Our responsibility is to nurture them for future generations.
An important tool for addressing sustainable development is identifying what communities value most and coming together to nurture, dignify and celebrate it. Protecting heritage means taking the ‘long view’ – to ensure that what gives us value survives beyond the present day.
British Council’s pioneering Cultural Protection Fund takes a people-centred approach to encouraging sustainable development through protecting cultural heritage that has been endangered due to conflict and/or climate change. Its work has become a driver for British Council ‘s exploration of the role of Arts and Culture in sustainable development. At MONDIACULT we will be highlighting the connection between cultural heritage and climate action and looking at digital cultural heritage, presenting research on both and encouraging policy makers to unleash the power of culture and cultural heritage.
In summary, as we look ahead to the future - beyond MONDIACULT - I hope we leave with an assertive message that the change needed is a cultural change and that cultural heritage is a vital tool for addressing the complex global challenges we face today.
The British Council have partnered on two events during MONDIACULT, for more information, click here.
