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On 10 April 2025, the G20 Culture Working Group (CWG), under the Presidency of South Africa, in partnership with UNESCO as Lead Knowledge Partner, will host the fourth and final session in its April webinar series. The event, titled “The Intersection of Culture and Climate Change: Shaping Global Response,” will examine how culture can be a vital force in climate action, resilience, and adaptation. 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 outcomes of the CWG. 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 final webinar will focus on the role of culture in advancing climate resilience and shaping sustainable futures. Cultural heritage – both tangible and intangible – is increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather, sea-level rise, and biodiversity loss. At the same time, the cultural and creative sectors themselves must adapt, reduce their environmental footprint, and contribute to the ecological transition.

Participants will reflect on how culture-based strategies can support climate mitigation and adaptation, particularly in vulnerable regions such as Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries. The discussion will also explore how creative content and storytelling can shift behaviours, raise environmental awareness, and foster societal transformation.

From safeguarding traditional knowledge systems to mobilising youth and artists as agents of change, the webinar will showcase the ways in which culture can bridge scientific insight and community-driven responses, and offer solutions rooted in identity, values, and place.

The webinar will examine how integrating culture into climate policies and frameworks can lead to more inclusive and effective responses. Indigenous and local knowledge systems, in particular, offer valuable insights into environmental stewardship and sustainable land use. When supported and respected, these systems can contribute significantly to climate resilience and disaster risk reduction.

Participants will also address the need for institutional cooperation, policy innovation, and financial investment to scale up culture-based climate action. Initiatives such as the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience and the Group of Friends of Culture-Based Climate Action, launched at COP28, will serve as reference points for this conversation.

In line with the G20 South African Presidency’s theme of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” this webinar will call for culture to be fully recognized in global climate processes and strategies. It will encourage G20 members and partners to champion culture as both a driver and an enabler of climate action, rooted in justice, diversity, and intergenerational responsibility.