World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
Vice-President Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Tibor Navracsics released a joint statement on the occasion of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, celebrated on the 21th of May.
Fourteen years after the UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in which the European Commission is a key partner, the European Union continues to show its strong commitment to fostering cultural diversity through programmes like the European Capitals of Culture, Erasmus+, Creative Europe and DiscoverEU.
The EU is investing heavily on building sustainable cultural partnerships globally as a way of achieving peace, conflict prevention, stability, development and reconciliation. The European Union's efforts to promote cultural diversity have been especially fruitful during last year's European Year of Cultural Heritage.
In 2018, the EU organised activities to support cultural exchanges worldwide, such as the Cultural Heritage Route in the Western Balkans and the pilot project of the European Houses of Culture. National cultural institutes from the 28 EU Member States also contributed to campaign activities through the network for European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC).
Furthermore, civil society in Europe and in other continents has played a very active role in promoting and protecting cultural diversity through cultural heritage. Building on the success of the European Year on Cultural Heritage, the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage continues to reinforce international cooperation in this sector.
Culture is a driver for sustainable growth, skills development and jobs creation. The EU finances a series of projects across the world on the theme, among them the Ethical Fashion programme employing artisans in textile productions in Western Africa. Another one of the projects financed by the EU is an annual programme running in the Caribbean that stimulates the creative industries and mobilises cultural heritage notably through sustainable tourism.
Building on this long tradition, the European Commission will organise on 16-17 June an international colloquium on ‘Creativity, Innovation and Dialogue for Inclusive Development’ at BOZAR in Brussels to discuss the role of culture in creating sustainable solutions for the future.