EU experts publish proposals to harness the power of culture for sustainable development
The report comes ahead of the UNESCO’s World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development taking place at the end of September.
A new report of EU Member States’ experts, titled “Stormy Times. Nature and humans: Cultural courage for change” focuses on the role of culture as a driver towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The experts formulated 11 messages with the goal of rethinking the relationship between humans and nature to fuel our cultural imagination for a liveable, sustainable future.
Some of the proposals
Earth Overshoot Day, the date each year when humanity’s demand for natural resources surpasses the Earth’s ability to renew those resources, could be strongly marked with five annual moments for sustained cultural action and cooperation, thus raising awareness.
Since the Green Deal challenges Europeans to change the way they live and the way they think, artists and cultural organisations should play a full part in ensuring that such a cultural revolution succeeds.
Culture can also be a powerful tool to better communicate the available scientific knowledge on issues such as social injustice, inequalities, loss of biodiversity, lack of food security, climate change and others, addressed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Read the full report
Background
In May 2022 the Council of the EU added ‘Culture as a driver of sustainable development’ as a priority to its 2019–2022 work plan for culture (Council of the EU, 2018).
A group of 50 experts from 25 EU Member States, working under the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) with the support from the European Commission, examined the role of culture for sustainable development and for the attainment of the SDGs, and collected good examples. This new report is result of their work.