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On 3 April 2025, the , in partnership with UNESCO as Lead Knowledge Partner, will host the second in a series of four expert-driven webinars. The event, titled “Integrating Cultural Policies in Socio-Economic Strategies to Ensure Inclusive, Rights-Based Development” will bring together cultural policymakers, economists, researchers, and civil society actors to examine how culture can be a powerful driver of inclusive and equitable development. Working documents are available on this dedicated webpage.

As part of the 2025 G20 CWG’s broader process, the Presidency of South Africa and UNESCO are organizing these online webinars to foster inclusive, forward-looking discussions that will inform the CWG’s outcomes. Designed to enrich the Group’s reflections, each session addresses one of the CWG’s four key thematic priorities and will contribute to the drafting of a comprehensive publication on cultural policy orientations.

This second webinar will explore the transformative potential of culture in shaping development strategies that are inclusive, rights-based, and people-centered. Recognizing that cultural policies are not only about heritage and the arts, but also about how societies foster dignity, participation, and equity, the session will highlight the urgency of embedding culture into the core of national and international development agendas.

Participants will discuss the role of culture in promoting social cohesion, reducing poverty, and ensuring that historically excluded communities can participate fully in cultural life. The webinar will focus on how cultural policies can address structural inequalities, support economic opportunity through the cultural and creative sectors, and enhance governance through inclusive and participatory approaches.

Framed within broader ambitions such as the  and the , the session will reflect on how cultural diversity and rights intersect with economic and social planning. The conversation will underscore that respecting cultural rights is not only a question of identity and expression but a fundamental aspect of human development and democratic resilience.

A key dimension of the discussion will be the importance of creating enabling environments for cultural participation. This includes public investment in cultural infrastructure and education, protection of the cultural sector’s workforce, and the strengthening of policy frameworks that allow communities to express, share, and benefit from their cultural contributions.

Experts will also address challenges such as the chronic underfunding of the cultural sector, especially in the global South, and the need to build robust enabling ecosystems through partnerships, innovation, and community engagement. The use of data and cultural indicators will be emphasized as critical tools to measure access, equity, and participation, and to guide evidence-based policy-making.

In line with the G20 South African Presidency’s theme of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” the webinar will call on G20 members and partners to elevate culture as a cornerstone of inclusive development. It will advocate for integrated policies that recognize the richness of cultural diversity while committing to fairer, more equitable cultural systems for all.