The Statement
On 20 April 2020, the partners of the #culture2030goal campaign released a Statement on Culture and the COVID-19 pandemic. Signed by eight international cultural networks, the statement is framed by our commitment to the 2030 Agenda and the need to guarantee culture is at the heart of the UN Decade of Action for the SDGs.
Entitled ‘Ensuring culture fulfills its potential in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic’, the statement’s preamble emphasizes:
“With the world faced with the COVID-19 pandemic today and the need to rebuild our societies tomorrow, culture should be at the heart of the response. Culture brings inspiration, comfort and hope into people’s lives. To harness this potential, the Culture 2030 Goal movement, in the context of its engagement in the United Nations 2030 Agenda, calls on UN agencies, governments and all other stakeholders to act.”
The statement is endorsed by the President of the United Nations General Assembly, His Excellency Mr Tijjani Muhammad-Bande. See the press release.
The official launch of the Statement took place on 21 May 2020, the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The date illustrates the commitment of the campaign to the achievement of development goals, and in particular the 2030 Agenda. In this context, the organisations behind the Statement underline the need to ensure that culture is at the heart of the UN Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals. Check out the concept note of the launch.
Should wish to endorse the Statement, please use this link.
The side-event entitled “Culture – An Accelerator Under-Used? Realising the Potential of Culture for short-term and Long-term Sustainable Development” was organised by the coalition in the context of the United Nations High Level Political Forum 2020 (HLPF2020) on 13 July 2020, in order to discuss the role of culture in supporting resilience in the fact of COVID-19; building back better; and strengthening long-term sustainable development. The session also aimed at presenting the Statement in Culture and COVID-19, calling for action to integrate culture into short-term and long-term policy making.
