On 26 May, Bergen (Norway), a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, organized the Bergen International Summit, with a special focus on the “Power of Arts and Culture in Transformation”.

Recognizing the importance of culture during the pandemic as well as in line with the Network’s mission and objectives, the 2021 edition of the Summit had a central focus on culture and arts, and how their innovative and creative values can drive sustainable development.

In this context, the event questioned the function of arts and culture as renewable resources for interdisciplinary collaboration, social cohesion and urban development. The Summit provided an occasion to also discuss how cultural and creative industries as well as artists and cultural practitioners can devise innovative solutions to global contemporary challenges, including those emerging from the pandemic.

With an inclusive and transversal approach, a various set of stakeholders participated in the Summit, including high-level representatives from national and local governments, intergovernmental organizations including UNESCO, as well as cultural practitioners and civil society actors.

The recording of the Summit can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwUK9cpIA3k