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UNESCO welcomes the G7 Declaration of Culture Ministers
Momentum for culture on the global stage
The Declaration adopts an inclusive view of culture spanning “natural and cultural heritage, tangible and intangible, the arts, creative industries and knowledge systems” and its “intrinsic value beyond its social, environmental and economic benefits”, mirroring the comprehensive UNESCO programmes for culture.
With the conclusion of the Ministers’ Meeting, culture further solidifies its position as a driver of sustainable development. In recent years, 91鶹Ʒ propelled and accompanied the high-level reflections, including the G7 Minister meeting in 2017 and G20 Presidencies as an institutional Knowledge Partner.
The adoption of the G7 Declaration is a clear commitment to culture by the world leaders. Cultural rights must be protected, asserted, and promoted at the highest level of policy and decision-making. Together with partners, UNESCO is accelerating its efforts to establish culture as a stand-alone goal in the post-2030 Development Agenda.
In 2022, UNESCO convened MONDIACULT 2022, the largest world conference devoted to culture in four decades which brought together 150 Ministers of Culture and more than 2,500 participants. The resulting Declaration has served as a reference since its adoption, influencing and enhancing the understanding of culture at regional, national and local levels.
Responding to multiple threats
While the support for culture consolidates, recent years have seen increasing vulnerability of culture in the face of global challenges. According to a , a staggering 60% of World Heritage forests are affected by climate change-related events. Another by the Organization revealed an accelerated melting of the glaciers in World Heritage sites, with glaciers in a third of sites set to disappear by 2050. Today, at least one in six cultural heritage sites are threatened by climate change.
Illicit trafficking of cultural property is also on the rise, with INTERPOL seizing more than 11,000 stolen works of art in 2022. Such an illegality not only deprives communities of their identity and history, but also enables money-laundering, tax evasion and the financing of terrorist organizations. The transboundary nature of the crime makes bilateral, regional and inter-governmental cooperation critical, and 91鶹Ʒ served as a unique multilateral platform to fight against illicit trafficking for the past five decades, notably through the implementation of the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
With the inclusion of a dedicated section on illicit trafficking, the Naples Declaration testifies to the growing awareness that illicit trafficking undermines global security and stability. UNESCO continues to support States in tackling this challenge as a common responsibility.
The Declaration calls for “transnational cooperation and coordination to improve the current system of prevention and detection of crimes linked to the illicit trafficking of cultural property and better fight against offences related to cultural heritage, in close cooperation with relevant international organisations, agencies and bodies, such as UNESCO”.
Turning challenges into opportunities
UNESCO continued its advocacy for culture during the Summit for the Future at the United Nations Headquarters in New York taking place from 22-23 September, where world leaders adopted the .
Next year, UNESCO will convene MONDIACULT 2025 in Barcelona, Spain to further build consensus with decision-makers and civil society actors in preparation for the post-2030 framework. During the conference, UNESCO will publish a comprehensive global report on culture, providing an overview of the current state of culture and revealing the opportunities and gaps in unleashing the power of culture for a sustainable future for all.
