With leaders gathering from around the world for the United Nations General Assembly, a key focus will be on the steps that need to be taken to ensure a strong, fair response to COVID-19, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Last 18 September has seen the SDG Moment – a session of the UN General Assembly where leaders underlined their own commitments to sustainable development. It was also the start of SDG Action Week, with discussions, activities and events around the world sharing ideas on how to achieve the Global Goals.
As our contribution to this reflection, the #Culture2030Goal campaign is today releasing a video underlining why – and how – culture should be integrated into both short-term recovery, and long-term development strategies.
The video represents the highlights from the campaign’s event, held on 13 July 2020 as part of the United Nations High Level Political Forum, which brought together high-level representatives from the United Nations and its agencies, and major culture networks.
SPEAKERS:
HE Mr Ernesto Ottone, Assistant Director General, Culture, UNESCO
HE Mr Jerobeam Shaanika, Deputy Chef de Cabinet, President of the UN General Assembly
Ilaria Ragnoni, Spokesperson, Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations
José Alfonso Suárez del Real, Minister for Culture of Mexico City, Copresident of UCLG Culture Committee
Dr Kirsty Duncan, Member of the Parliament, Canada
Dr Daisy Fancourt, University College London, Lead World Health Organisation’s EU Report Culture & Health
Pierre Claver Mabiala, President, Arterial Network
Robert Manchin, President, Culture Action Europe
Victoria Okojie, Nigerian Library Association, IFLA
María Claudia Parias Durán, Executive Board, International Music Council
Jordi Pascual, Coordinator, UCLG Committee on Culture
Stephen Wyber, Policy and Advocacy, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions – IFLA
Dr Ayşe Ege Yildirim, SDGs Focal Point, International Council on Monuments and Sites- ICOMOS
Nikiesha Hamilton, Brooklyn Museum
Speakers underlined how powerful a force culture – including cultural actors and institutions – can be for positive change, and an accelerator of development across the 2030 Agenda, from health and wellbeing, to promoting peace and understanding.
In line with the Culture and COVID-19 Statement launched by the #Culture2030Goal Coalition in May, they also stressed the need for decision-makers to engage the cultural sector from the preparation to the delivery of policies. Doing so would not only ensure better designed and adapted interventions, but also help policy actions reach further.
Finally, they underlined the difficult conditions faced by many in the cultural sector now, and the need for appropriate actions. Without these, the ability of cultural actors to contribute to development in future would be weakened.
